Maine Needs Events & Outreach VISTA

Maine Needs is seeking an organized, charismatic, Events & Outreach VISTA to expand their reach and further harness community participation to meet the basic needs of people throughout Maine!

Maine Needs is a Portland based 501c3 serving Mainers in all 16 counties across Maine. Maine Needs delivers essential items to thousands of Mainers each year through a dynamic, community-driven model. We partner with nonprofits, schools, hospitals, and frontline service providers—including caseworkers, teachers, and street outreach teams—to identify urgent needs and rapidly distribute critical supplies.  

In 2024, we partnered with more than 400 providers at more than 125 organizations across the state. We serve Maine’s most vulnerable and marginalized populations, ensuring individuals and families have access to essential items that support dignity, stability, and well-being. Our outreach spans children and adults experiencing severe material deprivation—those without access to bedding, hygiene essentials, cleaning supplies, and other critical necessities. We prioritize support for low- to moderate-income families grappling with the rising cost of living, asylum seekers, survivors of domestic violence, individuals transitioning from incarceration, and unhoused populations facing extreme hardship.  

Our model is simple but powerful: We identify what’s needed most. We collect donations and purchase critical, non-donated items. Providers deliver these essentials directly to those in crisis. Year after year, the demand for support continues to rise.  

In 2024, we filled 2,769 more requests than in 2023, a clear indicator of the growing need across the state. As requests increase, we remain committed to expanding our outreach, ensuring that schools, case managers, recovery centers, domestic violence shelters, and homeless shelters know how to access support from Maine Needs. We accept material and financial donations in our Portland donation center, thoughtfully sort donations, and fill caseworker requests (ranging from a single warm coat to everything a family entering new housing might need to outfit an apartment, including bedding, cookware, and cleaning supplies). 

The Maine Needs AmeriCorps VISTA member will expand our programs and services by strengthening our development and outreach efforts, including cultivating storytelling efforts. This includes supporting fundraising initiatives, event planning, volunteer recruitment and management, and outreach/community engagement. The VISTA member will assist in fundraising efforts, including donor outreach, planning and support community events. In addition, the VISTA member will build relationships with community partners to expand outreach and collaboration, as well as develop Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to document fundraising and development processes, ensuring long-term sustainability. This capacity building role will allow Maine Needs to expand our program efforts, increasing our reach across the state.

This position will include a collaborative office space within the Maine Needs Portland community donation center and hosting on site fundraising events but much of the job will be spent cultivating donor relationships and community participation offsite.

Benefits

• Bi-Weekly Living Allowance of $957.46/Biweekly
• Relocation Allowance of $750 plus $.40 per mile (for those moving more than 50 miles)
• Health Benefits
• Childcare Reimbursement if Eligible
• Student Loan Forbearance for eligible federal loans (interest paid by AmeriCorps)
• SNAP Eligibility (depending on financial situation)
• Training and Professional Development
• Life Navigator (on-staff licensed counselor for members)
• Choice of Segal AmeriCorps Education Award* ($7,395) or an end-of-term bonus ($1,800) upon term completion
• Non-Competitive Eligibility for federal employment for one-year post-term
• Extensive Training 

*Individuals are limited to two full Segal AmeriCorps Education Awards in their lifetime

Already have a MyAmeriCorps account and want to apply for this specific role? You can find that listing on MyAmeriCorps here.

The positive impact VISTA members offer their local communities is remarkable and continues to build year after year. Descriptions of all Goodwill AmeriCorps Positions can be found at: goodwillnne.org/jobs/americorps/positions/.