Major Opportunity to Work with Farm Aid
Plus, a fundraiser to help Wild Onion co-op open, and the sunset's in our living room
Farm Aid Seeks Business & Marketing Director
If you read any of Local Food Forum’s coverage of the September 23 Farm Aid Festival, you know I greatly admire this musician-driven non-profit, which for 38 years has supported and advocated for family farms, and works tirelessly to help build a better-for-people, better-for-the-planet food system.
If you also have common cause with Farm Aid — and would even like to work for them — then I have good news: They have a great job opening that I’m sharing here. Farm Aid is seeking a business and marketing director, with a “strong emphasis on successful execution of Farm Aid’s annual music and food festival.”
Though the preferred position location is Cambridge, Massachusetts (where Farm Aid is headquartered), the organization says it is open to hybrid or remote work.
The job description is below. Then keep scrolling for some sky show beauty, and a heads up about an October 11 fundraiser to help Chicago’s Wild Onion Market co-op open its doors.
FARM AID BUSINESS & MARKETING DIRECTOR
Reports to: Associate Director
Supervises: Contract team members
Job Classification / Employment Category: Exempt / Full-time employee
Position Location: Cambridge, Massachusetts preferred, open to hybrid or remote work
Position Date: Posted September 2023 for immediate employment
Overview and Organizational Summary
Farm Aid is a non-profit whose mission is to cultivate a vibrant and just, family farm-centered system of agriculture in the United States. With a social change orientation, conviction about the importance of family farmers, and a broad cultural platform, Farm Aid catalyzes and offers creative ways to champion farmers, inspire civic engagement and leverage our position to influence positive change in our agricultural and cultural landscape.
Farm Aid artists and board members Willie Nelson, Neil Young, John Mellencamp, Dave Matthews and Margo Price host an annual food and farm festival to raise funds to support Farm Aid’s year-round work. Since 1985, through the generosity of the artists who contribute their performances each year, Farm Aid has raised more than $70 million to support our programs that help farmers thrive, grow the Good Food Movement, take action to change the dominant system of industrial agriculture and promote food from family farms.
Farm Aid leverages diverse expertise, assets and activities spanning entertainment and music, food business, grant making, direct service to farmers, grassroots movement building, and serving as a convener and coalition partner with aligned organizations for raising public awareness and influencing public policy. Farm Aid achieves its mission by:
Amplifying the voices of family farmers to bring attention to the challenges they face and the benefits they bring to all of us;
Connecting farmers to resources and opportunities;
Championing and Celebrating family farmers, good food and the culture of agriculture, in which we all can participate;
Inspiring and empowering farmers and nonfarmers to participate in a democratic, just and sustainable farm and food system; and
Investing talent, time and money in efforts that affect positive change in the farm and food system, especially the cultivation of collective power among agricultural and cultural communities.
Farm Aid’s vision—of a transformed America in which family farmers and eaters are partners in a thriving farm and food system that benefits all—is not possible without actively being part of the struggle for racial equity and justice. We are on an active journey of taking stronger action to end racism in our society and in our farm and food system.
Deeply rooted and at a time of exciting growth and transition, Farm Aid seeks a Business & Marketing Director to lead entrepreneurial and ongoing enterprises for earned revenue as well as experiential marketing to promote the cultures of agriculture through music, food and agrarian experiences.
Job Summary & Purpose
The Business & Marketing Director is responsible for advancing and supporting our mission by maximizing brand impact and earned revenue through creative and effective brand stewardship, experiential marketing, and food and culture programming. The Business & Marketing Director’s work has strong emphasis on successful execution of Farm Aid’s annual music and food festival, which is our greatest opportunity for revenue generation and audience engagement. This role serves on the Leadership Team, with the following key areas of responsibility:
Create and implement strategy for earned revenue, including music and food business, sponsorship, merchandise and cause marketing initiatives.
Champion the Farm Aid brand, ensuring it is strong and resonant, and that brand strategy supports Farm Aid’s strategic goals.
Oversee food and culture programming, including curation of HOMEGROWN brand experiences.
Serve as leadership team member, which has collective responsibility and accountability for stewarding Farm Aid’s vision and mission, building alignment and commitment to that vision and ensuring that the appropriate resources, structures and systems are available to empower staff to bring their individual skills and knowledge forward to achieve the greatest organizational impact.
Supervise contractors and staff whose roles advance and support earned revenue generation and food & culture programming.
Click the button below for Essential Job Functions and Responsibilities, Qualifications and pay and benefits.
How To Apply:
If you are passionate about our mission and believe that you have the skills and valuable perspective to contribute to the growth of our organization, we’d love to hear from you!
Submit your complete application to hiring@farmaid.org with “Business & Marketing Director” in the subject line. In the email, please include your personal pronouns for how you like to be addressed and attach the enclosures listed below. Note that incomplete applications may not be reviewed. Enclosures include:
a cover letter indicating where you learned of this opportunity and highlighting your experience, skills and interests relevant to the position and listed qualifications
a current resume, and
a writing sample or example of relevant work
We will accept and consider applications on a rolling basis and seek to make a hire in fall 2023.
Farm Aid will confirm receipt of your application within a few days of submission. We will reach out further only if you are being considered as a candidate for the position.
Read Farm Aid Coverage on Our New Website
Pondering that Farm Aid job opening and need a shot of extra inspiration? Check out our Farm Aid Festival coverage on the new Local Food Forum website:
Farm Aid: Legends Lineup with Stunning Cameo (about the Festival concert that included an unannounced appearance by Bob Dylan): September 24
Helping Mother Nature Fighting Back in 2023 (about the Farm Aid news conference and the strong statements by entertainer/Farm Aid co-founder Neil Young): September 25
Farm Aid's Fired-Up Grass-Roots Advocacy (about Indiana regenerative livestock farmer Greg Gunthorp’s powerful call to transform our food system): September 26
This Legislator is a Local Food Leader (about Illinois state Rep. Sonya Harper, chair of state House Agriculture & Conservation Committee and advocate for small farmers and urban agriculture): September 27.
Hemp, Hemp, Hooray for This Young Farming Leader: September 28.
10/11 Fundraising to Help Wild Onion to Finish Line
Wild Onion Market is one of a clutch of Chicago area food co-ops that are under development and nearing fruition. Wild Onion is getting ever so close to opening, but needs an infusion of funds to get to the finish line.
You can help by attending their fundraising event, titled A Magical Evening, which will take place on Wednesday, October 11 at the Rhapsody Theater, 1328 W. Morse Ave. in Chicago’s Rogers Park neighborhood — about a half-mile from the new store’s location at 7007 N. Clark St.
Without further adieu, here is Wild Onion Market’s press release about the event. Sounds like a lot of fun!
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Wild Onion Market Launches ‘Stock the Shelves’ Campaign to Prepare to open Wild Onion Market, a co-operative grocery store.
CHICAGO--Wild Onion Market, 7007 N. Clark St., has launched a 10-week capital campaign to realize a 10-year community effort aimed at creating a healthy, local, sustainable co-op grocery store in Rogers Park.
The centerpiece of the campaign is a "Magical Evening" from 6-9 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 11 at the Rhapsody Theater, 1328 W. Morse Ave. The ticket price of $50 covers free valet parking, catered food, drinks including beer, wine or mixed cocktails, a silent and a live auction, and live music featuring the Beaver Moon Band. Buy tickets here: https://shorturl.at/uHKO5.
The goal for the ‘Stock the Shelves’ fundraising campaign is to raise $294,000 from Owner investments and donations by Oct. 31, to enable the market to open its doors later this year. Funds will be used to buy and install kitchen and grocery equipment; hire stockers, cashiers, baggers, and other store employees; and obtain healthy food from local, sustainable producers.
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Since 2014, the number of owners has grown from one to more than 1,700 neighbors from Edgewater, Evanston and Rogers Park who have raised 89 percent of the initial operating expenses; just 11 percent remains in order to cross the finish line and open our doors in early December.
The Stock the Shelves campaign aims to raise $294,000 to purchase store equipment ($82,000), complete staff hiring for fair-paying jobs ($60,000) and fill the shelves with healthy food from local, sustainable farms and producers ($152,000).
This latest campaign follows a spring and summer of remarkable progress:
- Construction began in March on a vacant once-loved neighborhood grocery store on the northeast corner of Clark and Lunt streets.
- Rough-in plumbing and electric work have been completed and passed inspection.
- Interior walls have been framed for produce prep room, kitchen area and office spaces.
- A renowned local muralist painted the Wild Onion Market logo on the West wall and helped the store manager finalize the interior decor plan including in-store murals, displays and a café seating area.
Now that the interior construction, design and décor is nearing completion, the key next step is to purchase the equipment for the store: high-efficiency rooftop condensers, mostly refurbished freezers and coolers, kitchen equipment, shelving, grain barrels, and three 24-foot display cases for dairy products, fruits, herbs and vegetables, plus a misting system to keep the produce fresh.
Once the equipment is purchased, refurbished and installed – along with a Wi-Fi system, cashier payment stations, and café – the market will begin posting the jobs it needs to fill: people to cook in the kitchen, stock the shelves and display cases, check out customers, bag groceries and run the store. The final step will be to stock the co-op with healthy, local food.
Join Wild Onion Market owners, neighbors and well-wishers for a "Magical Evening" from 6-9 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 11 at the Rhapsody Theater, 1328 W. Morse Ave. The ticket price of $50 covers free valet parking, catered food, drinks including beer, wine or mixed cocktails, a silent and a live auction, and live music featuring the Beaver Moon Band. Buy tickets here: https://shorturl.at/uHKO5
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You can become an owner of Wild Onion Market for a lifetime household share of $250. Payment plans are available for as low as $10/month. Join on the group’s website here.
Please make your contribution to our Stock The Shelves campaign TODAY here.
The Sun Has Come
Over the past few weeks, we’ve been following the southward procession of the setting sun, waiting for it to clear the edge of our apartment building and kick off six months of watching sunsets from our living room. Sunday, October 1 was the day.
This is our 13th October living in this apartment. This never, ever gets old.