Become a Harvest Leader
Harvest leaders run the pick on the day. Watch the orientation, register, and we'll pair you with an experienced leader for your first few harvests.
What a harvest leader does
Harvest leaders are the reason a pick runs well. You're the person the tree owner meets, the one who briefs the team, sets up the ladders and buckets, keeps everyone safe and comfortable, and makes sure the fruit is weighed and on its way at the end.
You don't need to be an expert picker, and you don't need to have led anything before. If you're organised, happy talking to people, and you turn up when you say you will, you'll be a good harvest leader.
Register as a harvest leader
How to become one
Watch the orientation
A short slide deck covering how a harvest runs from start to finish. Link below, and you can go through it in your own time.
Register your interest
Fill in the harvest leader form so we know how to reach you and when you're usually free.
Shadow a harvest or 2
You'll be paired with an experienced leader for your first picks, so you see how it works before you run one.
Lead your own pick
When you're comfortable, we'll match you to harvests near you and you take the lead.
Harvest leader training orientation
Start here. The orientation walks through setting up a pick, briefing a team, handling the fruit, and wrapping up with the tree owner.
Open the orientationWhat you'll be looking after
- Meeting the tree owner and agreeing where the team works
- Briefing volunteers on safety, ladders and the property's own rules
- Setting the pace so everyone has a good morning
- Weighing the harvest and recording what came off
- Splitting the fruit between the owner, the pickers and food relief
- Letting us know how it went so the next pick runs smoother
Common questions
- No. Most of our leaders started as ordinary volunteers on someone else's harvest. The orientation and a couple of shadowed picks cover what you need.
Ready to lead a harvest?
Register your interest and we'll be in touch about the next orientation and a pick you can shadow.
Register as a harvest leaderNot ready to lead yet?
Come along as a picker first. Most harvest leaders started exactly that way.
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