Employment & Volunteer Opportunities
Volunteer with LSP
LSP literally could not fulfill its mission without volunteers. Volunteers help us do everything from stuff envelopes and make telephone calls to enter data and set up logistics for meetings. We currently have several volunteer opportunities available. Remote opportunities are available. For more information, contact LSP’s Clara Sanders via e-mail or call her at 612-400-6340. You can sign-up to volunteer here.
Membership Steering Committee Volunteer Opportunity
Land Stewardship Project is recruiting members for a Membership Steering Committee as LSP brings its membership work into its next season. The Membership Steering Committee supports membership recruitment, retention and engagement. We hope to convene a cross-section of passionate LSP members to evaluate, enhance, and innovate the membership experience and to represent farm, rural and urban people from across the upper Midwest who recognize the power of a member- led organization.
Overview
- What: The Membership Steering Committee will focus on identification, development and implementation of strategies and tactics to advance LSP’s goals and objectives related to membership and member engagement.
- Committee Size:4-8
- Term: Two years requested
- Appointments per year:2-4
- Eligibility: Eligibility is open to any LSP member whose interest, knowledge, skills, and expertise is connected to the work of the committee. A keen interest in membership, commitment to the values and mission of LSP, enjoyment in talking with other members/prospects, good follow-through and strategic vision are required.
- Meeting commitment: Meet a minimum of quarterly, can decide as a group to meet more often as need/interest dictates, meeting primarily in a virtual setting with occasional in-person meetings if circumstances allow. Two years of service on committee requested.
Purpose:
Membership development is an important means for LSP to build power and achieve its overall mission. This committee will ground the work of the membership staff team in LSP members’ lived experience and wisdom.
With an aging member base, shifts in demographics, trends in nonprofit giving, our plan for sustainable membership growth includes establishing this steering committee to guide, evaluate, and improve our membership model and structure.
What the work includes:
The Membership & Individual Giving Steering Committee supports:
- Recruitment: Membership Steering Committee will work with LSP staff to shape goals, objectives, and strategies for recruiting new members, particularly among demographics that are currently underrepresented in LSP’s membership (youth, BIPOC folk, farmworkers).
- Retention (renewals): The Membership Steering Committee will strive to build and strengthen member relations by working with LSP staff to determine and implement new ways to reach and engage with members to increase the rate of renewal.
- Engagement: Membership Steering Committee will help evaluate and determine membership priorities, value statements and messaging, basebuilding events, and focus on articulating the shared values of LSP members around stewardship, justice, democracy, health and community. The steering committee will also evaluate and make recommendations around how to welcome and develop new members.
Examples of steering committee work could include (but are not limited to)
- Fine tuning messaging of membership materials – Review membership materials including themes for letters, mailing materials, emails, and social media with an eye for what you think will resonate with your community
- “Doing the work” of growing and retaining our base of members – Participate in phone banks, do membership pitches at events,
- Evaluating current membership model and structure as well as its integration with individual giving and make recommendations to staff and board.
Trainings & Support Available:
- Membership and Organizing Money Training
- General LSP Orientation
- 1-1 Training
- Anti-Oppression Training
If you are interested in this opportunity, please reach out to Clara Sanders, Membership Organizer, at csanders@landstewardshipproject.org or 612-400-6340 by May 31. We hope to convene our first steering committee meeting in July 2024.