We are hiring a New Economies Coordinator through the AmeriCorps VISTA program. The position has a start date of March 15, 2021.
The Tool Library is an all-volunteer nonprofit tool-lending library located off of Main Street in Buffalo’s University Heights neighborhood. Built around the sharing economy, we believe that cost shouldn’t be a barrier to fixing up your home, growing your own food, or improving your community. For a small annual fee, our members — including people, organizations, and businesses — can borrow from our inventory of over 3,500 tools. We also believe that a strong community is a civically engaged community. We put our tools to work on large-scale community projects such as neighborhood clean-ups, tree-plantings, community gardens, and public art installations. When communities come together, incredible things can happen. Finally, we believe that building a more sustainable economy starts with repairing and reusing what we have. By teaching traditional repair skills and pushing back against today’s culture of disposability, we build stronger, more resilient communities.
The New Economies Coordinator VISTA will help the Tool Library scale its community work and become a leader in providing issue-based programming by piloting and evaluating a lead-based paint remediation action plan based around a sharing economy model of tool and equipment access. Costs associated with lead-based paint remediation will be dramatically lowered by providing members with access to high cost renovation equipment (HEPA vacuums, infrared heat gun, respirators, etc.) at affordable rates.
The VISTA will also work with The Tool Library Board of Directors and volunteers to help implement year one activities and tactics identified in The Tool Library’s newly adopted strategic plan. These includes facilitating large scale community service events given current health and safety concerns, working with the Development Committee to implement an annual fund development plan, and exploring ways to increase The Tool Library’s reach and accessibility through satellite locations.
Goals include engaging a broad constituency of renters, residents, and landlords in hands-on lead paint remediation, increasing The Tool Library’s earned revenue streams, diversifying funding, developing a consistent volunteer base, establishing new partnerships, and continuing to support The Tool Library’s transition from an all-volunteer organization to one with professional part and full-time staff.