Volunteer of the Month: Kate P

Kate reached out to us at the height of the coronavirus pandemic when she had seen a role posted on Taproot Plus for a database integrator. She was a few weeks from the start of a new job and had a bit more time on her hands because there was nowhere to go - everything was shut down! She generously offered to help us with our integration and keenly advised us to use Airtable. While we focus on innovating for smallscale farmers, we believe in streamlining and innovating our backend processes as well so that we can focus the most time, energy, and funds on our farmers. We knew Kate was a great fit when she told us that she loves being productive and saving people time. Keep reading to learn some of her tips!

What drew you to The Harvest Fund’s mission?

My childhood years were spent in Venezuela and Ecuador, countries plagued with extreme poverty. At an early age, I developed a deep understanding that lack of access to basic services such as healthcare, education, and economic opportunities created a poverty trap for many families. When I found The Harvest Fund, I was immediately drawn to the holistic level of support provided to women farmers.

What inspired you the most after learning more about our women farmers?

I've had the opportunity to work with micro-entrepreneurs directly and I am continually impressed by their resilience, persistence, and dedication in achieving their goals.

If you were to be a farmer, what would you grow and why?

This is a good question - I honestly have no idea! I'd want to be strategic in growing something that grows well in the climate I live in and could be sold for a reasonable price. If we're just talking fun things to grow though, I'd want to grow avocados and mangoes - two of my favorite things to eat!

You’ve obviously got a great mission “I love to save people time” so share an insider tip with our audience!

As someone who is obsessed with efficiency and productivity, I've thought a lot about how I can maximize my time. At the core of all of my methods is the fundamental belief that in order to do things faster, you need to do them smarter. I would rather spend time up front understanding the problem adequately and thinking about systematic, automated solutions. Planning, of course, has its limitations, but taking a brief pause before diving into a project or task often means more success and time saved later.

Wondering how you, like Kate, can join The Harvest Fund's volunteer program? Email us at hello@theharvestfund.org with your resume/CV and tell us about an idea for a volunteer project. We oftentimes have needs for graphic designers, digital marketers, accountants, and Excel modelers. All volunteer roles are remote and can be performed anywhere where you have computer and internet access. Volunteer today to empower a an African farmer!