Benjamin Holme Email & Phone Number

+ Established organizational practices and partnerships to create a new food waste recoveryand redistribution program at Common Vision-affiliated school garden sites in East andWest Oakland+ Helped coordinate parent and community volunteers to recover and redistribute over30,000 pounds of surplus edible food+ Co-wrote a successful $10k grant to fund the program+ Helped hire, train, and manage 3 Americorps fellows from May through August 2021+ Represented Common Vision at bimonthly calls with a network of institutional partnersto coordinate the creation of an equitable circular food economy in Alameda County

San Francisco Bay Area

+ Led a team of volunteer organizers to recruit, train, and coordinate volunteer phonebankfacilitators to host 17 high-quality Zoom phonebanks, each involving 50-100 volunteersfrom across the country, making over 200k dials in the 2020 general election+ As a member of the Community Builders team, co-organized and participated in a rangeof projects, both in-person and digital, to grow the movement and cultivate community+ Developed skills in supportive leadership, group process, volunteer management,relational and digital organizing, event hosting, distributed organization, etc.

Berkeley, Ca

+ Quickly and courteously provided detailed service at a busy tapas restaurant+ Consistently practiced communicative and generous teamwork, high-speed taskmanagement, and the maintenance of grace under pressure

+ Proposed and implemented an overhaul of the development database, transferring it froman idiosyncratic collection of Google Sheets and mental notes into a functional CRM+ Wrote Fair Observer’s first fundraising “one-sheet” for engaging potential partners+ Created the “Live 360” event model, a dinner-and-discussion fundraiser that virtuallyconnected guests with Fair Observers network of geopolitical expertise.

Berkeley, California

+ Worked directly with the Ecology Center's Director of Development on grant writing and development planning+ Researched and reported on potential funders+ Got an inside look at the daily, monthly, and yearly work of fundraising for a local organization with national influence+ Gained experience with best practices for managing donor relationships, prioritizing funding prospects, proposal writing, and more

Developed lesson plans and led groups of 10-20 elementary school students in exploratory learning sessions at an urban farm. The challenge of exploratory learning is to be flexible while maintaining control, and to provide a curriculum without stifling curiosity; students are most receptive to direct instruction when it comes in response to their interest.

Used market research, identity articulation, and a VAST design process to compose a step-by-step strategy for organizational growth, then illustrated that strategy in a proposal to a key partner.

I filled a variety of roles at a busy independent café, including short-order cook, dishwasher, and barista. This developed my skills in workflow optimization, customer service, and performance under pressure, and gave me a sense of urgency; I found the fast-paced and vocal work environment joyful and energizing.

I was hired to help my fellow students with every step of the writing process, from ideation to editing. The key to success was close, active listening, punctuated by strategic questioning; this ensured that the client's essay was built around a clear logical framework of their own construction. This framework became the foundation for a concise and powerful essay, clear on its questions, claims, and concerns. At every step, I made sure to explain why we were doing what we were, and how it fit in to the larger project.

Worked with the founder on various municipal branding projects. Conducted market research, participated in meetings, and developed brand strategies for such projects as a Las Vegas, NM tax increase and a statewide development initiative. This was my first exposure to branding in a professional context. It gave me insight into the broad relevance of branding, and evolved my skills in collaborative ideation.