Application Guide
How to Apply for Financial Manager - Part-Time
at Village of Love and Resistance
🏢 About Village of Love and Resistance
The Village of Love and Resistance (VOLAR) is a unique community organization focused on reclaiming land and building cooperative power specifically for Black and Brown residents in East Baltimore. Unlike traditional non-profits, VOLAR centers healing, wellness, and community ownership as core to its mission of systemic change. Working here means contributing directly to a tangible, asset-based model of liberation and economic justice.
About This Role
As the Financial Manager, you will be the financial steward for a growing community land trust and cooperative, ensuring fiscal health and transparency to support VOLAR's mission. This part-time role is impactful because accurate financial management directly enables land acquisition, community programs, and demonstrates accountability to both members and grantors. You'll translate complex financial data into actionable insights for a collective decision-making process.
💡 A Day in the Life
A typical day might start by reconciling bank transactions in QuickBooks Online and processing any accounts payable for community vendors. You'd likely spend time preparing a segment of the monthly financial report for the collective, using Excel to visualize budget vs. actuals for specific programs like healing circles or land maintenance. The afternoon could involve researching a specific Maryland charitable reporting requirement or drafting a section of the annual budget based on input from community working groups, all while coordinating asynchronously with team members via Google Docs.
🚀 Application Tools
🎯 Who Village of Love and Resistance Is Looking For
- A CPA or accountant with a Bachelor's in Accounting who has at least 2 years of hands-on experience managing finances for a small-to-midsize non-profit, including grant reporting and 990 preparation.
- Someone deeply aligned with racial and economic justice, who understands the specific financial challenges and opportunities within community land trusts or cooperative models, not just general non-profit accounting.
- A proficient user of QuickBooks Online who can also leverage Excel for budgeting/forecasting and is comfortable with the collaborative tools (Google Docs) used in collective processes.
- A detail-oriented self-starter who can work remotely, manage part-time hours effectively, and explain financial concepts clearly to non-financial team members and community stakeholders.
📝 Tips for Applying to Village of Love and Resistance
Explicitly quantify your non-profit experience: instead of 'managed finances,' state 'prepared 3 annual Form 990s and monthly reports for a $500K budget community organization.'
In your resume, highlight any experience with Maryland's Charitable Organizations Division reporting requirements or similar state compliance, as this is a specific duty mentioned.
Demonstrate mission alignment by referencing VOLAR's specific goals (e.g., 'land reclamation,' 'cooperative community') in your application materials, not just generic non-profit values.
If you have experience with collective or participatory budgeting processes, emphasize it, as the role involves 'supporting a collective process' for budgeting.
Tailor your software proficiency list to exactly match their requirements: list QuickBooks Online, Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Google Docs prominently.
✉️ What to Emphasize in Your Cover Letter
["Your specific experience with non-profit financial management, including Form 990 preparation and grant compliance, tying it directly to VOLAR's need for accurate reporting to sustain its mission.", "A genuine connection to VOLAR's mission of building Black and Brown community power in East Baltimore through land ownership and healing—explain why this model resonates with you personally or professionally.", "Your ability to manage all core accounting functions (AP, AR, payroll, GL) independently in a part-time, remote capacity, providing examples of how you've organized such work efficiently.", 'Your experience or interest in working within non-hierarchical or collective structures, highlighting skills in communicating financial information to diverse stakeholders.']
Generate Cover Letter →🔍 Research Before Applying
To stand out, make sure you've researched:
- → VOLAR's specific projects and land holdings in East Baltimore (look for news articles, their website, or social media to understand their tangible work).
- → The model of a community land trust (CLT) and how its finances differ from traditional property ownership or non-profits.
- → The economic and historical context of East Baltimore, particularly regarding disinvestment and community-led development efforts.
- → Any available public financials (like past 990s on Guidestar or ProPublica) to understand their current budget size and funding sources.
💬 Prepare for These Interview Topics
Based on this role, you may be asked about:
⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Submitting a generic cover letter that doesn't mention VOLAR's mission, East Baltimore, or community land trusts—this shows a lack of genuine interest.
- Overemphasizing corporate or for-profit accounting experience without clearly translating how those skills apply to the specific compliance (990, state charitable reports) and mission-driven context of VOLAR.
- Failing to address the part-time, remote nature of the role in your application; you should proactively explain how you'll manage core responsibilities effectively within those constraints.
📅 Application Timeline
This position is open until filled. However, we recommend applying as soon as possible as roles at mission-driven organizations tend to fill quickly.
Typical hiring timeline:
Application Review
1-2 weeks
Initial Screening
Phone call or written assessment
Interviews
1-2 rounds, usually virtual
Offer
Congratulations!
Ready to Apply?
Good luck with your application to Village of Love and Resistance!