Volunteer Engagement Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Who We are:

At Bernie's Book Bank, we believe reading is the single most important skill a child needs to succeed in life. Yet, too many children lack books, especially books of their own in their home. We’re here to change that.

Driven by the knowledge that better futures begin with books, we hand-deliver free high-quality books to children who need them most. We do this with the help of thousands of volunteers who believe there’s nothing more important than transforming children’s lives through book ownership.

Today, 15 years after our founding, we have hand-delivered over 29 million free high-quality books. Our effective, scalable, and sustainable model allows us to source, process, and distribute eight books every year to children from birth to sixth grade so they can have a home library of their very own and always have a book within reach.

The Role:

Bernie's Book Bank is growing with the opening of our new Greater Milwaukee chapter, and we're looking for an enthusiastic and dedicated Volunteer Engagement Coordinator to join our team.

The Volunteer Engagement Coordinator is the heart of our volunteer experience. This highly visible role works closely with our volunteer workforce to create a welcoming, engaging, and productive environment while ensuring each volunteer session supports our mission and operational goals. From leading volunteer orientations to facilitating projects and building meaningful relationships, this position plays a vital role in the success of our organization.

Our ideal candidate is available Monday through Friday, with the flexibility to work one to two Saturdays per month as needed. Typical hours for this role are between 9:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.

Essential Job Responsibilities

Volunteer Engagement/Donor Conversion

• Welcome, lead, and inspire volunteer groups of 15–50 people of all ages and abilities, ensuring a safe, engaging, and productive experience while achieving daily production goals.
• Create exceptional and meaningful experiences that encourage repeat volunteering, mission advocacy, and volunteer to donor conversion.
• Serve as a passionate ambassador for Bernie's Book Bank by sharing our mission, values, and impact with volunteers, donors, and community partners.
• Achieve a volunteer to donor conversion rate – at a target of 20%
• Foster a welcoming, inclusive environment where every volunteer feels valued and connected to our mission.

Back of House Management

• Coordinate and perform daily setup, breakdown, and workflow within the Processing Center to maximize efficiency for volunteer sessions, book distributions, and inventory management.
• Partner with leadership to identify and implement process improvements that enhance operational effectiveness
• Adapt quickly to changing priorities, including volunteer attendance, distribution needs, and production goals, while maintaining a positive, solutions-oriented approach.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Requirements:

• Ability and desire to commit to a full-time, long-term position.
• Minimum of 1–3 years of experience leading, teaching, coaching, or serving others in a public-facing role. Experience as an educator, camp counselor, coach, librarian, retail or hospitality professional, restaurant team member, receptionist, or in a similar role is highly valued.
• Ability to work on your feet for extended periods, including standing, walking, repetitive bending, and learning to safely operate a pallet jack.
• Strong relationship-builder who understands the importance of volunteers, donors, and community partners to Bernie's Book Bank's mission.
• Willingness to be trained and certified, as needed, to operate a forklift, reach truck, stacker, and electric pallet jack.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications and the ability to learn volunteer scheduling and operational software.
• High school diploma or equivalent required; bachelor's degree preferred.

Benefits and Pay:

• Pay starts at $22.00 per hour for this role
• Medical Insurance via BCBS, PPO and HMO options available, starting day 1
• Dental and Vision Insurance, starting day 1
• Employer covered Long Term Disability Insurance
• Short Term Disability Insurance available
• 401k with match after 1 year
• Summer Hours (early off on Fridays Memorial Day-Labor Day)
• 17 Days of PTO a year
• 4 Floating Holidays per year
• 9 Paid holidays per year
• A passionate team with long term growth potential as we begin national expansion

Working Conditions/Physical Demands: While performing the duties of this job, the incumbent will typically be working in a warehouse environment. Will be required to see, hear, and touch on a regular basis. Must be able to lift 30 pounds unassisted as may be needed to help move or load books. Reasonable accommodations may be made for individuals with disabilities to enable them to perform the essential job duties.

Bernie's Book Bank is an Equal Opportunity Employer and is committed to building a diverse and inclusive workplace.

Bernie's Book Bank is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. All applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or any other basis protected by law