Company description

About Wisconsin Farmers Union & The St. Croix Valley Food Alliance
Our Mission is Rooted in Sustainability and Community

If you want your day-to-day work to make a tangible, lasting difference in the future of sustainable agriculture and regional food culture, you belong here. Employment for this position is hosted by the Wisconsin Farmers Union (WFU)—a historic, member-driven non-profit dedicated to family farms and rural vitality—on behalf of our premier regional initiative: the St. Croix Valley Food Alliance (SCVFA).

We believe that a healthy regional culture begins and ends with food—how it is grown, how it is prepared, and how it is shared. By joining our team, you are stepping directly into a movement to decentralize the industrial food system and replace it with a resilient, community-owned foodshed.

How We Direct Our Impact: The St. Croix Valley Food Alliance is a grassroots network born out of a collective of climate-conscious farmers, food producers, and local food justice advocates in the St. Croix River Valley watershed. We are actively addressing the environmental and economic crises facing our food system by focusing on three core pillars:

Championing Climate-Friendly Agriculture: Our member farms are deeply committed to regenerative land stewardship, soil health, and biodiversity. By protecting our local watershed and utilizing sustainable growing methods, our producers ensure that the food feeding our community is grown in harmony with nature, preserving the land for generations to come.

Cultivating a Hyper-Local, Seasonal Food Culture: We are passionate advocates for local and seasonal ingredients. From hosting vibrant regional Winter Farmers Markets to forging partnerships that bring farm-fresh food into local schools, households, and businesses, we celebrate the natural rhythm of Midwestern seasons. We bridge the gap between small-scale growers and local tables, ensuring that fresh, nutrient-dense food stays within our community rather than traveling thousands of miles across a global supply chain.

Sustaining the Producers Who Feed Us: Small-scale, ecological farming is vital work, but the administrative burdens can be overwhelming. SCVFA removes the weights of digital marketing, wholesale brokerage, and distribution logistics from our farmers' plates. This allows our growers to focus entirely on what they do best: cultivating healthy crops, practicing from-scratch or artisanal food production, and caring for the earth.

Why Your Work Matters Here: We don’t just talk about making a difference; we build the infrastructure to make it happen. When you work with the Wisconsin Farmers Union and the St. Croix Valley Food Alliance, your efforts directly invest in the environmental health of our region, the financial viability of independent family farms, and the creation of a deeply connected, equitable local food economy. If you are ready to use your skills to champion sustainable agriculture and honor the people who feed us, we invite you to apply.

Job description

Community Engagement Coordinator strengthens SCVFA’s grassroots network by building meaningful relationships with farmers, volunteers, business members, and community supporters.

This position leads membership development, volunteer coordination, community outreach, and engagement-focused events that deepen participation in SCVFA’s mission and strengthen regional community ownership of local food systems work.

This role serves as the organization’s primary community-facing engagement coordinator and supports communications and storytelling efforts that connect people to SCVFA’s work. This position reports to the Director of SCVFA. The Community Engagement Coordinator is employed by Wisconsin Farmers Union (WFU), the fiscal sponsor of the St. Croix Valley Food Alliance.

WFU is a progressive, grassroots membership organization committed to enhancing the quality of life for farmers, rural communities and all people through advocacy, education and cooperative endeavors. WFU works with individuals at the county, state, and national level to sustain economically viable family farms, support economic democracy and new farmers, reduce concentration in the market, protect ecological systems, increase transparency in the value chain, and ensure that the voices of family farmers and rural allies are heard by policymakers.

Primary Responsibilities:

Membership Development & Engagement

• Manage and grow SCVFA’s membership program for farmers, businesses, and community members
  Develop systems for member onboarding, retention, communication, and engagement
• Build relationships with members and support meaningful opportunities for participation and leadership
• Maintain membership databases and engagement tracking systems

Volunteer Coordination

• Recruit, train, coordinate, and support volunteers for events and programming
• Develop sustainable volunteer systems and leadership pathways
• Coordinate volunteer scheduling and communication

Community Events & Outreach

• Collaborate in planning and facilitating community-focused events that strengthen regional engagement with local food systems
• Coordinate membership mixers, fundraising events, educational gatherings, and community outreach opportunities
• Represent SCVFA through tabling and public outreach at community events

Fundraising & Community Support

• Support donor stewardship and grassroots fundraising efforts
• Assist with sponsorship coordination and community partnerships
• Support implementation of annual fundraising events and campaigns

Communications & Brand Engagement

• Coordinate social media scheduling, newsletter distribution, and community-facing communications
• Maintain communications calendars and support consistent organizational messaging
• Assist with storytelling, photography, event promotion, and member engagement campaigns
• Help maintain SCVFA’s brand identity and public presence

Required Qualifications:

• Strong community engagement, written, and verbal communication skills.
• Experience organizing events, volunteers, or community programs.
• Ability to manage multiple projects, work independently, and collaborate.
• Passion for local food systems and community-based work.
• Access to reliable transportation.
• Proficiency with Google Workspace, Canva, digital communication, and social media.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in grassroots organizing, nonprofits, event coordination, or volunteer management.
• Familiarity with rural communities and local food systems.
• Experience with donor stewardship, community fundraising, graphic design, photography, or storytelling.

Compensation & Work Environment:

• Salary: Starting at $44,000/year for an 80% FTE salaried position (32 hours/week).
• Schedule: Flexible hours, hybrid environment, with occasional evenings/weekends. Approximately 50% of the workweek is spent in Polk and Burnett Counties (office provided).
• Benefits: Medical, dental, vision, life, short/long-term disability insurance, employer SIMPLE IRA contribution, and a generous PTO package.

Duration: This is a grant-funded position starting mid-July and running through December 2026. Extension is possible based on the availability of future funding.

Compensation

this position is: salaried, $35,568* - $50,000

Application instructions

If you are not registered, you'll be prompted to do so. Don't worry, it's free!

Deadline

June 07, 2026