Industry Partnerships & Engagement Coordinator

About Seed Your FutureSeed Your Future (SYF) is a national nonprofit that inspires students to explore careers in horticulture and plant sciences. Founded in 2014, SYF connects students and educators with the green industry through programs including Seed to STEM, Green Career Week, the Growing Careers Webinar Series, Careers in Bloom, #IAmHorticulture, the Career Connector business directory, and student tours at major trade shows such as MANTS, Cultivate, TPIE, The Landscape Show, and FarWest.SYF is supported by leading companies across the industry, including Ball Horticultural Company, Proven Winners, Bailey Nurseries, Syngenta Flowers, Corteva Agriscience, Longwood Gardens, and Midwest Groundcovers.Why this role, why nowOur programs are growing faster than our capacity to staff them with industry volunteers. Every student tour, mock interview, career panel, and trade show table depends on industry professionals willing to share their career paths, and reaching more students means engaging many more of them.Those same conversations are SYF's best fundraising opportunities. A grower who hosts students on a trade show tour, or a manager who conducts mock interviews, sees our impact firsthand and is far more likely to give. This role connects the two: it recruits and supports industry volunteers, then follows up to turn engagement into partnerships, sponsorships, and gifts, while keeping current donors close.Key responsibilitiesIndustry engagement and events (about 40%)Recruit, schedule, and prepare industry professionals and companies to host trade show student tours (MANTS, Cultivate, TPIE, The Landscape Show, Farwest, and others)Recruit and coordinate industry volunteer interviewers for SYF's virtual mock interview programStaff and coordinate SYF's presence at industry events, including the PlantCon show series, and recruit professionals for career panels and speaking rolesBuild and maintain a growing roster of industry volunteers, tracking who participates and howTurning engagement into support (about 35%)Follow up with every company and professional who engages with SYF, and identify those ready for a deeper partnership or giftConvert warm leads, starting with the 97 non-donor companies that have participated in SYF trade show toursRe-engage past corporate donors who have not given in two or more yearsSell and renew Career Connector directory listings and Internship Worksheet sponsorshipsDonor stewardship (about 25%)Steward current donors with timely thank-yous, impact updates, and invitations to see programs in actionIdentify donors ready to increase their giving and support the Executive Director in those asksKeep the donor database accurate and complete, logging every contact and giftReport monthly on engagement and revenue progress to the Executive DirectorYear 1 goalsThe Year 1 revenue goal is $100,000 across five sources.Revenue sourceCareer Connector listings 28 × $500 = $14,000Internship Worksheet sponsors 24 × $250 = $6,000Past corporate donors / partners 8 × $2,500 avg. = $20,000Existing donor increased giving Upgrades from current donors $10,000Warm leads converted 25 × $2,000 avg. $50,000Success is also measured by:Donor retention rate of 70% or higher100 or more new donors acquired100% of gifts acknowledged within 3–5 business daysDonor database accuracy of 95% or higherA growing roster of industry volunteers for tours, mock interviews, panels, and eventsQualificationsRequired3+ years in partnerships, sales, fundraising, or industry relations3+ years experience within the green industry (nursery, greenhouse, landscape, floriculture, or allied trades)Comfort reaching out to new contacts by phone, email, and in person, and following through to a yesStrong organization and follow-up; able to manage many relationships and events at once with little supervisionClear, warm written and verbal communicationExperience with a CRM or donor databaseWillingness to travel to trade shows and industry eventsPreferredBackground in nonprofit fundraising, donor stewardship, or corporate sponsorship salesExperience recruiting and managing volunteers or coordinating eventsPassion for education and helping students find career pathsCompensation and how to applyThis contract pays a $56,000 guaranteed base plus a performance bonus of up to $14,000. The bonus is paid quarterly, $3,500 each quarter, when cumulative revenue raised meets that quarter's goal.Goals ramp up through the year to allow time to build relationships. Because goals are cumulative, a missed quarter can be made up later, though a missed bonus is not paid retroactively.To apply, send a resume and a short cover letter describing your experience building industry or donor relationships to Jazmin Albarran, Executive Director, at jalbarran@seedyourfuture.org by November 12, 2026.