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Member Information

Purpose of Harvesters

Harvesters is a young professionals group created to raise funds and awareness for the Arkansas Foodbank Network (AFN). Harvesters organize and host two annual fundraising events—Empty Bowls and Golf for Food.

Empty Bowls is held every spring and began as an auction of handcrafted bowls in 2003. It has evolved into an event that features other forms of artwork and an assortment of other items, which are sold through silent and live auctions.
Golf for Food has been held every fall since 1997 and features a four-man scramble with contests and fun for golfers and volunteers alike.

Benefits of Membership

Although special events involve hard work, Harvesters have a lot of fun planning and hosting our events. Both Empty Bowls and Golf for Food are casual and enjoyable events. There are other benefits of volunteer service, working with other young professionals, and participation in Harvesters as well. Examples include:

Satisfaction from community service. Harvesters contribute to the community by helping to address the problem of hunger. In 2009, the AFN distributed over 2.6 million pounds of food to other food banks in the Arkansas and over 11.6 million pounds of food to more than 400 member agencies in 33 Arkansas counties. Ninety-five percent of everything the AFN receives is allocated to programs, enabling agencies to serve about 23,000 hungry Arkansans in any given week.
Social networking. In addition to regular meetings, the Harvesters executive board strives to hold at least one social networking event per quarter. At least one shall be held in conjunction with another young professionals group. At least one will be targeted at recruiting prospective members. AFN Board of Directors members and staff are invited to attend all Harvesters events to encourage interaction between the different groups that support the Foodbank's mission.
Experience and skill development. Through real-life event planning and implementation experiences, Harvesters learn to become effective community volunteers and develop life skills that can help them professionally and personally as well. These include leadership and organizational skills, time management, problem solving, effective meeting facilitation, budgeting, volunteer management, accountability, public speaking, conflict resolution, and fundraising techniques.

Member Responsibilities

Membership in Harvesters can be a rewarding and fun experience, but in order to fulfill its organizational purpose, it is important for members to make a minimum level of commitment. Current membership obligations include:

Length of membership. Harvesters are asked to make a minimum commitment of one year to the organization.
Committees. Service on at least one event committee is required.
Fundraising. Because a primary role of Harvesters is to raise funds to support the AFN, members are expected participate in some direct aspect of fundraising. This may include securing one or more sponsors for either event, selling tickets for Empty Bowls, securing one or more teams for Golf for Food, or a personal financial contribution.
Recruitment. Harvesters are required to nominate at least two potential members to the organization to help ensure sustainability to the organization.

Meetings

Meetings of the full membership are held a minimum of once a month on the first Tuesday. Meeting times alternate between 11:45 a.m. and 5:45 p.m. Meetings are held in different locations as secured by Harvester members. Meetings may be held more frequently as needed, particularly as fundraising event dates draw near. Event committees meet at members’ discretion.

Leadership Opportunities

The Harvesters executive board includes four elected positions. Together the executive board members are responsible for providing organizational leadership to Harvesters to ensure its continued sustainability. Specific roles and responsibilities for each officer are as follows.

Chair. This is a one-year commitment. The chair is responsible for leading Harvester member and executive board meetings and working with AFN staff to ensure smooth functioning of the organization. The individual serving as chair also serves on the Arkansas Foodbank Network Board of Directors and is expected to attend all Board (bimonthly) meetings.
Vice-Chair. This is a two-year commitment. The vice-chair moves up to chair in his/her second year. The vice-chair trains to take on chairmanship and takes the place of the Chair if he/she is not able to attend meetings.
Membership Chair. This is a one-year commitment. The membership chair holds primary responsibility for membership retention and recruitment. The membership chair also plans any Harvester appreciation and recruitment events. This office is elected annually.
Secretary. The secretary is responsible for sending out meeting announcements, prepares notes from monthly meetings, and ensuring that the Harvesters’ website is updated by emailing the AFN necessary information. This office is elected annually.

In addition, Harvesters can assume a leadership role by serving as an event chair or co-chair for Empty Bowls or Golf for Food. In most circumstances, a Harvester must assist with the planning of an event in a prior year before assuming event leadership. There are also opportunities for developing leadership skills by chairing one of several committees for each event.

Arkansas Foodbank Network Support

Direct support for Harvesters is provided by the AFN’s Special Events Coordinator, Peggy Vickers. In addition, other AFN staff work with Harvesters as needed, particularly Executive Director, Phyllis Haynes, Marketing and Public Relations Coordinator, Sarah Cowan, and the AFN Development Director. The AFN Board of Directors development committee has a direct responsibility to special events, including Empty Bowls and Golf for Food. AFN Board members also help with ticket sales and sponsorship as needed. On May 28, 2009, the Board of Directors voted to work with the AFN staff to establish an 18-month committee to specifically help with improving Harvester event sponsorship and member recruitment.