Director of Community and Donor Engagement

Join Food Cycle! Food Cycle was founded in 2005 by volunteers who recognized the scale of food waste, its impact on vulnerable populations, and its contribution to climate change. With the mission to feed people, not landfills, Food Cycle has grown into an innovative operation, leveraging technology, electric vehicles, solar-powered refrigeration and mobile apps. Working with hundreds of businesses—including Whole Foods, Lazy Acres and Trader Joe’s, to name a few--we rescued more than 10 million pounds of surplus food that would otherwise go to waste, and with our nonprofit partners we delivered more than 8 million meals in 2024.

Food Cycle nourishes food-insecure communities by rescuing and redistributing surplus food that would otherwise go to waste. Ultimately, our work reduces hunger, improves health, and addresses climate change related to food waste in landfills. At the heart of our mission is the simple belief: no one should go hungry while good food goes to waste.

The Director of Community and Donor Engagement will build a community of individuals, businesses, municipalities and foundations to support and sustain Food Cycle’s mission and programs to solve food insecurity, while keeping food waste out of landfills and reducing carbon emissions.

The Director will build Food Cycle’s first formal development and communication plan to create and inspire transformational participation and giving opportunities that increase the availability of nutrition in food deserts while reducing food waste from food purveyors (like catering companies, restaurants, and grocery stores). Working with the Food Cycle staff, volunteers, and board of directors these strategies will support a growing operating budget that is currently approximately $1.2 million.

The compensation for the Director of Community and Donor Engagement is $115,000 - $125,000 per year.

• Medical insurance Paid holidays Paid vacation leave Paid sick leave Retirement plan

• Create and implement a diversified fundraising plan that increases unrestricted funds and builds committed relationships and long-term major giving support. Cultivate and shepherd new donor relationships. Reach out to past and existing donors and businesses to strengthen and increase support. Build and strengthen relationships with food donors and nonprofit organizations. Build relationships with restaurants, chefs and related businesses that share “no-waste” philosophies, and partner on messaging, community programs and intimate donor cultivation activities.
  
  Inspire Food Cycle (volunteers, staff, etc.) to serve as ambassadors and fundraising partners. Provide on-site opportunities to current and prospective donors to experience to food distribution events.

• Develop and implement an agency-wide communication strategy and provide oversight of all donor and community communications--such as appeals, newsletters and donor appreciation. Lead and provide oversight on social media postings that increase visibility and engagement. Align messaging, storytelling, donor and community engagement strategies. Supervise social media manager.

• Provide leadership and support to Food Cycle’s Board of Directors, including its development and finance committees and assist in board member recruitment. Work with the development committee to create and implement fundraising and community-building strategies.

• Participate in the Food Cycle budget and monitoring process, projecting reasonable and realistic fundraising goals by funding category and other factors. Coordinate with the Finance team regarding appropriate gift allocations and financial reporting.

• Commitment to issues of food insecurity and no-waste food production. Bachelor's Degree and/or equivalent experience required. At least seven years of progressive fundraising success, with an emphasis on unrestricted funds. Track record of annually raising at least $250,000 in unrestricted funds through individuals, grants and events. Track record of cultivating…