Northern California Director
Posted by Cast Hope on 10/28/2021
Job Basics
Industry Sector: Fishing
Job Categories: Management
Company Type: Association
State: CA
City: Northern California
Country: United States
Required Experience: 1 - 3 years
Job Type: Part Time
Salary: $20,000+
Required to Relocate: Yes
Required to Travel: Yes
Employee May Telecommute: No
Job Seeker Must Live Within: 50+ miles
Job Description & Requirements
ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES
The California North Valley Regional Director oversees both the program and fundraising aspects of the region. Annual goals will be provided and evaluated by the Executive director and the Board of Directors. In addition to attendance at regional fundraising events, the regional director is expected to attend the annual budget board meeting held virtually in Late August/Early September. The regional director will work directly with the Business Manager and Marketing Director on an as needed basis.
Program
The Cast Hope program is broken into three parts – guided fishing trips, educational clinics, and outdoor experiences. All Cast Hope outings consist of a youth and a mentor. Mentors are typically parents/legal guardians, volunteers from partner organizations, teachers etc. Our outings are utilized to encourage relationship building between the kids and their mentors. We believe that the relationship piece is very important as that mentor has greater overall impact on the youth than Cast Hope. At Cast Hope we try not to say no to kids. Kids hear “no" all the time from the adults in their lives, we try to be the ones that say “yes”. Our program is very flexible and can be molded to different types of kids.
Program Expectations
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Guide Trips: Set up 80 trips annually (may increase based on annual regional budget)
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Fishing Clinics: Host two clinics per year
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Outdoor Experiences: Host three outdoor trips per year
• Guided Trips – Local fly fishing guides are hired to take the kids out on their first couple fly fishing experiences. It is recommended that kids go on 2-3 guided trips before participating in fishing clinics. The regional director is responsible for selecting local guides to take the kids out and building relationships with them. We utilize professional guides because they are the experts in catching fish locally. Our goal is that each kid has the best first-time experience as possible. Having a professional guide greatly increases the kids’ chances of catching multiple fish on their first experience which increases our retention rate in the program. In Northern California we offer guide trips from March- June and September-November. We skip the summer months of July-August due to severe heat and the winter months from November-February due to wet weather. It is important that a kid’s early fly fishing experiences are enjoyable.
You will be expected to set up 80 guided trips in the North Valley Region each fiscal year. Most of the
guide trips will be done for our partner organizations. You will decide how many monthly trips to offer
each partner organization. For example, the North Valley region currently does a three-guide trip (6
people) for Youth 4 Change each month, and a two-guide trip (4 people) for EA Family Services each
month. In addition to partner organizations, you will receive applications from individual kids through
the website. It is expected that you will connect these kids to guides for their own trips. Individual trips make up approximately 25% of trips annually. Setting up trips quarterly is recommended to reduce the
amount of time it requires to manage guide trips. Clinics – Clinics make up the second layer of activities that we offer. These are larger group activities
comprised of 15-20 kids, guides, and volunteers. Each region is expected to host 2 clinics per year and
the Regional Director is expected to attend. The kids are taught basic casting, knots, and how to care
for their gear, followed by a few hours fishing. The goal during clinics is to teach the kids to fish for
certain types of fish that are widely available to them locally. In the North Valley we typically teach kids
to fish for bass and bluegill which can be found in ponds, golf courses, lakes, creeks, etc. By teaching
the kids how to catch fish that are easily accessible you break down the access barriers to fly fishing. To
break down the financial barriers to fly fishing youth and mentor participants are gifted equipment (fly
rod, reel, flies, leaders, tippet, etc.) at clinics. Giving kids equipment and teaching them to fish locally
allows them to take the knowledge they gain and apply it to many local spots. At the end of the clinic,
we supply lunch (sandwiches, chips, fruit, and drinks) and use the time for conversation and
relationship building. Over time, you will see kids build relationships with one another and fish
together outside of Cast Hope.
Outdoor Experiences – Each region will host three non-fishing group opportunities for the kids
throughout the year. Like clinics, these are larger group activities of 15-20 kids per outing. These trips
can be arranged through different vendors or you can set them up yourself. Examples of past trips are
hikes, whitewater rafting, rock climbing, mushroom hunting, disc golf, river clean-up day, etc. The goal
is that the kids get outside and have fun together. These trips are created for the kids to experience
new things and gain further excitement for what the outdoors has to offer.
Advanced Youth – Throughout our Cast Hope program there are a small number of kids that are
extremely passionate about the outdoors and fly fishing and desire to go further. We offer these kids
additional experiences beyond our normal routine such as different types of guide trips every other
month. These kids are hand selected by the Regional Director and given these opportunities based on
their interest level. These are often the kids that we have the largest impact on as we get to spend
more time with them.
Safety
Safety of the youth in our program is paramount. It is the responsibility of the regional director to carefully
select guides and ensure that all guides, and volunteers serving more than one day, are background
checked. This can be done through the Business Manager. It is vital to keep kids safe as well as reduce the
legal exposure to the organization.
Partner Organizations
The Regional Director is expected to continue to foster and grow relationships with our partner
organizations and seek out new partnerships. Partner organizations make program organization seamless
and reduce the amount of time that you need to dedicate toward program. The stronger the relationship,
the smoother the process of setting up Cast Hope experiences is. Working with each partner’s executive
staff is recommended as there is more continuity in those positions. Our hope is that each Regional
Director chooses partner organizations that they believe in. What is close to your heart?
*Partner organizations are classified as other nonprofit organizations that serve kids. Organizations can
be, but not limited to, foster care homes, group homes, schools, Boys and Girls Club, Big Brothers Big
Sisters, after school programs. In the North Valley Region our three main partners are currently Youth 4
Change, EA Family Services, and the Boys and Girls Club.
Fundraising
Fundraising is a big part of a Regional Director’s role. During the first year a regional director is expected to
raise $30,000 in cash and $2,500 in in-kind donations. In-kind is classified as goods and services donations
that are used for auctions and raffles. Experience donations, such as fishing trips, hunting trips, cabin
rentals, sports tickets, etc., raise the most money. While physical goods like fly rods, fishing equipment,
outdoor gear, etc. are nice, they have a smaller return.
Each year the fundraising goal is reviewed and adjusted for each region by the Board of Directors. Within
the start of the fourth year the expectation is that there is enough money being raised to support the
region’s annual budget. As fundraising goals are increased the compensation package will increase
accordingly. Typically, over 50% of a Regional Director’s time is spent fundraising.
Here at Cast Hope we recognize that there are many ways to raise money. However, it has been our
experience that fundraising from your personal contacts such as friends, family, and business connections is
the most successful. People that you have relationships with are the ones that are most likely to support
you and help you cast your net wider. The more you can sell the vision and show them the good work that
Cast Hope is doing, the easier fundraising will be. It is up to the discretion of each Regional Director on how
to reach your fundraising goals however, funds are typically raised through a combination of events and
individual donors. It is typical for a region to host at least two fundraising events per year. Below are some
fundraising event ideas that have been successful for California’s North Valley Region.
Hosted Fishing Weekends – These include an all-inclusive weekend of guided fishing, lodging, and
food. The typical format is three nights of lodging with two days of guided fishing. In the North Valley
we have established two fly fishing based fundraising events that are successful. There is a hosted
weekend on the Trinity River for Steelhead then a Memorial fishing tournament on the Sacramento
River for trout. All-inclusive weekends are offered at a cost between $2,000-$2,500 for the weekend
with a goal of about 55% as profit.
Film Tours – There are many film tours available to participate in such as the Fly Fishing Film Tour
(F3T), which we have participated in. These events include ticket sales for the film itself, raffle, silent
auction, and alcohol sales.
Dinners/Galas – Hosting an annual dinner, with an auction and raffle, in your local community is a
great way to stay connected to local donors. Add in live entertainment and your guests will enjoy
themselves and return annually for your event. One thing of note is that this type of fundraiser
typically requires more work.
Concerts – If you know someone that is a successful musician then hosting a concert with a raffle is
another great way to raise funds. These events are typically half of the work of a dinner event.
There are endless ways to raise money. People like giving to youth-based organizations, it’s just a matter of
figuring out what you’re good at and what connections you already have. There is not a prescribed path
that a Regional Director has to take. As you think of potential ideas, think about the amount of time and
energy required for the event and if the money raised will be worth the effort. It is expected that the North
Valley Regional Director will continue to oversee the following established fundraising events:
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September: Big Night Out – Host a local dinner/auction in Chico. Currently being held in the Big Room at Sierra Nevada. This event includes an auction and raffle.
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December: Steelhead Tournament: Host a weekend fishing event on the Trinity River.
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Winter: Concert – This event is organized by Hogan Brown but overseen by the Regional Director.
This event includes a raffle.
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February: Online Auction – Help organize the auction by raising auction items
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April: Film Fest – Oversee the Fly Fishing Film Tour in Nevada City. This event includes an auction
and raffle.
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May/June: Gabe Duran Memorial Tournament – Host 50 anglers on the Lower Sacramento River
for a two-day fishing tournament. This event includes an auction.
About Cast Hope
Cast Hope is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization looking to provide kids with the gift of the outdoors. As an organization it is our desire to bring kids and mentors together outside through the sport of fly fishing. In this day and era it seems that our lives are constantly bombarded with screens, whether TVs, computers, iPads, iPods, and gaming systems. Here at Cast Hope we want to break that pattern by immersing people into the environment. Through guided fly fishing trips, fishing clinics, fly tying events, camp outs, road trips, and conservation outings we are trying to create a healthy hobby that kids and mentors can do together.
