Furniture Bank Coordinator - Part Time

Job Description

Position Title: Furniture Bank Coordinator

Reports to: Furniture Bank Manager 

Supervises: N/A

Status: Part-time, Hourly/Non-Exempt 

Location: Tigard location (9806 SW Tigard St, Tigard, OR 97223)

Schedule: Tuesday & Saturday, 8:30am - 5:30pm

Starting Pay Rate: $27.52/hour

Anticipated Recruitment Timeline:  

Accepting Applications: 6/2-6/15

Phone Interviews: 6/10-6/26

In Person Interviews: 6/23-7/2

About Community Warehouse 

Community Warehouse (CW) is a nonprofit furniture bank that redistributes donated furniture and household goods to neighbors overcoming adversity. Through our furniture banks in the greater Portland metropolitan area and referrals from over 200 partner agencies, the Warehouse helps families and individuals turn their empty housing into comfy homes. Families are able to pick out essential household items that help improve their quality of life at home. We also operate an Estate Store and online store that sell some donated items to support our mission and engage the community in shopping for a cause. 

Do you enjoy staying active and helping people while you work? This is a unique opportunity to work alongside fun, dedicated, caring staff and volunteers for a community-centered organization. Since 2016, Community Warehouse has been consistently rated one of  the 100 Best Nonprofits to Work for in Oregon. Learn more about our mission and services in this short video!

We are dedicated to developing and retaining a diverse workplace and as such, we strongly encourage those who contribute to this diversity to apply. We believe by welcoming differences, encouraging new ideas, listening to and learning from each other, and providing opportunities for personal and professional enrichment, we are better able to serve our community.

Position Summary:

The Furniture Bank Coordinator supports Community Warehouse with daily program operations. This position facilitates the daily intake and distribution of furniture and household items and maintains positive communication with staff and constituents. This position is for a motivated individual who can work independently and with a team to support donation intake and sort items. 

This position is primarily based out of 1 of our 3 furniture banks and is expected to occasionally support by covering shifts in the furniture bank, on the pickup truck, or in the estate store at any of our locations. 

Tigard location (9806 SW Tigard St, Tigard, OR 97223)

Portland location (3961 NE Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Portland, OR 97212) 

Gresham location (464 NE 219th Avenue, Gresham, OR 97030) 

Essential Duties & Responsibilities:

General Expectations:

- Provide welcoming, respectful and compassionate service to diverse clientele that utilizes a trauma informed approach

- Answer questions from clients and case managers while adhering to, and upholding, policies and procedures.

- Support flow of client appointments and daily schedule

- Maintain welcoming and respectful communications with staff and constituents

- Practice safe lifting techniques and prioritize safety practices

- All Community Warehouse staff are ambassadors of the organization, regularly interacting with donors, volunteers, and community members in a positive and respectful way.

- Participate in regular meetings and check-ins with manager and team

- Participate in performance evaluations as directed. 

- Participate in and attend department and all-staff meetings and trainings

- Other duties as assigned

Administrative Responsibilities: (15% of the role) 

- Answer incoming calls and respond to emails regarding appointments, donation inquiries and other furniture bank operations 

- Assist in appointment scheduling, send reminders and review upcoming appointments for accuracy

- Check in clients and caseworkers: complete intake paperwork and data-entry

- Check out appointments, including: complete a walkthrough with clients and case managers, ensure complete and accurate inventory of items selected by clients, process payments of program fees and provide invoices/receipts

Furniture Bank Floor Responsibilities: (85% of the role)  

- Greet donors, screen donations, assist donors with unloading donations from vehicles, write donation receipts and document accurate inventories of accepted items

- Engage donors at in-kind donation drop-off and ask for financial contributions to further support our work.

- Determine if donated items are in working order, and meet Community Warehouse criteria for donations  

- Sort and stock furniture items and non-furniture donations (kitchen items, linens, and other household items) in the furniture bank 

- Complete light cleaning, assembly and make minor repairs to donated items as required

- Engage and support volunteers and volunteer programs

- Support the flow of appointments including but not limited to: conducting virtual appointments, conducting direct service appointments, assisting clients with selecting small household items, pack and mark small and fragile items

- Gather all selected items from each appointment, moving items to the appropriate staging area for client transport or delivery pick up 

- Support and/or lead case manager orientations, providing case managers and advocates with the information they need to schedule and conduct an appointment 

- Ensure the indoor and  outdoor spaces are clean and organized with a focus on accessibility and safety, including but not limited to; furniture bank, parking lot, facility grounds, storage containers, and trash/recycling areas

- Assist in unloading trucks of donated goods and furniture items

- Assist in mattress recycling program which consists of: accurately recording number of mattresses received for the furniture bank and mattress recycling, loading and unloading recycled mattresses into the pods, supporting mattress recycling drivers with diverting traffic and directing donors to alternative parking locations 

- Assist Pickup Drivers as needed, which could include: driving a company-owned, 20-foot box truck, safely picking up or delivering of furniture to and from Community Warehouse, accepting payment for pickup services and accurate recording of transactions, and ensuring all truck and road safety guidelines are followed at all times

- Assist Enterprise team with identifying and transferring inventory and supporting in the store when needed. This includes but is not limited to identifying items to sell in the Estate Store while being mindful of inventory levels and needs for the furniture bank, support moving selected items out of the furniture bank, and working in the Estate Store as needed which may include answering customer questions, assisting with checking out customers, and packaging purchased items. 

Key Skills & Experience:

Community Warehouse is open to a variety of qualifications through lived and learned experience.

- High School diploma or GED preferred

- Bilingual (Spanish) preferred

- Excellent organization 

- Excellent customer service skills and experience with de-escalation tactics

- Strong verbal and written communication skills

- Ability to move quickly and efficiently from one task to another while prioritizing a variety of tasks to ensure successful appointment completion and client/donor satisfaction.

- Ability to work independently and as part of a team.

- Comfortable using/learning technology (such as Excel, Square, online scheduler & data reporting system)

- Driver’s license and clean driving record (preferred)

- Ability/willingness to drive a 20ft truck (preferred)

- Must pass criminal background check

- Ability to work with a diverse group of people in an equity-focused environment that embraces change and growth. 

- Commitment to the mission and values of Community Warehouse.

- Ability to work efficiently, think creatively, and maintain a sense of humor

- Weekend work required

Physical Demands:*

This is a physically demanding position including standing, stooping, reaching overhead, climbing ladders, moving furniture and regular heavy lifting

- Ability to regularly lift 50lbs independently 

- Ability to regularly lift over 50 lbs with a partner or provided tools 

- Ability to be on your feet moving and lifting 6-9 hours a day

- Keying/typing

- Ability to answer phones

- Ability to work in a warehouse environment that is not temperature controlled

- Ability to sit or stand for extended periods.

- Ability to drive a 10-14 or 20-foot box truck (truck driving training available).

*Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Benefits for this role:

- Employee Assistance Programs - effective on the first day of employment. 

- Provides employees with access to financial and legal advice through BPA Health

- Retirement plan 

- Employer contributions for all eligible employees

- Work Life Balance  

- 4- day work week! 

- Vacations and flexible paid time off

- Holiday pay and floating holidays

- Internal Growth & Development 

- Training and professional development opportunities

- Openings posted internally before posted externally 

- Additional Perks 

- 20% employee discount at the Estate Stores

Instructions for Applying

To apply, use the following link: Community Warehouse Employment Application  

- Please be prepared to either upload your resume or input your work history

- Please be prepared to answer the below questions

- What inspires you to apply for this position at Community Warehouse?

- How have your experiences prepared you for this role? 

Community Warehouse maintains a Non-Discrimination Policy. As an equal opportunity employer, we will not discriminate on the basis of race, color, or religion; sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or expression; disability; marital status; citizenship or nation of origin; or veteran status. We maintain this policy with respect to recruitment and hiring, promotion and compensation, and other terms, conditions, and privileges of employment. We are dedicated to the development of a diverse workplace and, as such, we strongly encourage those who contribute to this diversity to apply.