Southeastern Co-op Organizer

Overview

Citizen Action of Wisconsin seeks applicants hungry for the opportunity to lead power building campaigns to achieve the sweeping changes Wisconsin needs to become a just, equitable, and sustainable multiracial democracy.

This position is best suited for creative and effective out-of-the-box thinkers deeply committed not only to being on the right side, but effectively building the grassroots power to make tangible progress on the big challenges confronting the multiracial working class.

Description of Work: This position is based in Milwaukee. This is a full-time (40-50 hrs/week on average) salaried position that reports to the Movement Organizing Director.

Organizing Co-ops are Citizen Action’s membership chapters. A successful Co-op Organizer will work to advance our democratic membership organizing model. This role involves community organizing and maintaining/growing a critical mass of dues-paying co-op members. Together with member-leaders and Citizen Action of Wisconsin staff, the Co-op Organizer will advance issue and electoral campaigns that lead to real impacts in their community and lay the groundwork for large-scale changes in Wisconsin.

The successful organizer in this position will be an ambassador of Citizen Action’s approach to grassroots power building and large-scale structural reform, inspiring members and other like-minded people to take effective action. Current major issues include Healthcare for All and Green New Deal (climate change, and racial/economic equity). See the full Citizen Action of Wisconsin Platform here.

Some weekend and evening hours may be required. Occasional in-state and out of state travel is required.

 Primary Responsibilities:

• Understand Citizens Action’s strategies, theory of change, and major issues and electoral initiatives, and explain them to members in a way that motivates them to take action
• Maintain and further build a grassroots base of people in Southeastern Wisconsin who are dedicated to building collective power to make structural change by recruiting new members who will pay dues, become leaders, and take action
• Create opportunities to strategically develop members into effective movement leaders, pushing our members to the edges of their comfort zone to help them embody the values that they bring to the movement
• Build and support teams of leaders who will drive key programming, help to bring in new supporters and members, and add capacity
• Contribute to strategic grassroots campaign planning and effectively execute those campaigns to achieve local and state-level wins
• Organize actions for members and activists that build leadership capacity while also driving outcomes for our key programs, including planning community events, organizing canvassing efforts, driving public engagement to influence policy decisions, etc.
• Contribute to Citizen Action’s efforts to transform Wisconsin’s political environment by recruiting candidates to run for office, managing local endorsement efforts, and executing regional plans to talk to voters in support of Citizen Action’s endorsed candidates through canvassing, phonebanking, and other tactics
• Practice effective communication with members and supporters to drive understanding of Citizen Action’s worldview and strategy and to keep them up to date on the status of our campaigns through direct communication like 1:1 meetings, personal phone calls, and direct emails, augmented with effective use of communication tools such as bulk emailing, social media, and text messaging.
• Contribute to and manage organizing data in Citizen Action’s database, currently EveryAction, to build long term collective knowledge that will serve our movement for years to come

Required Qualifications:

• Philosophical commitment to progressive values of economic, gender, racial, anti-oppressive, and environmental justice and equity along with health care freedom for everyone in Wisconsin and America.
• Ability to understand public policy issues and translate them into organizing issues that motivate average people to act, and devise tactics to move the issues or campaigns forward
• Embrace a spirit of possibilities, contributing to a team ethic that we can all do things we’ve never done before, and can stretch ourselves to achieve incredible results
• Strong strategic thinking skills and willingness to innovate in fast moving issue campaigns
• Excellent listening, interpersonal and problem solving skills; strong personal time management skills, organization skills, the ability to work under pressure, and the ability to resolve conflicts while maintaining effective relationships
• Commitment to continuous learning, understanding that there is always more to know and more ways to develop your leadership skills
  Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Intermediate computer skills
• Unlimited access to reliable high-speed internet and cellular service at home
• Fully vaccinated for COVID-19

Desired Experience:

• Experience in labor, community, political or faith-based organizing, experience with or a strong interest in learning relational organizing as well as a commitment to working on racial justice issues, working with communities of color, and with a multicultural base of individuals
• Experience with large and/or small dollar fundraising
• Experience working in coalition with a broad array of organizations on issues of social and economic justice
• Experience with working on racial justice issues and/or working in communities of color.
• Bilingual/multilingual is a plus

Salary and Benefits: This is a full-time position which includes health and dental insurance, employer-matched 401K, life insurance, disability insurance, smart phone allowance, and other benefits. Minimum salary rate is $42,000 and applicants with exceptional experience and a record of organizing accomplishments can qualify for higher rates of compensation, and in return will be held to higher program expectations. This is a union position, represented by OPEIU Local 9, AFL-CIO.

To Apply: Email cover letter and resume to Kate Felton (Movement Organizing Director) at kate.felton@citizenactionwi.org. The hiring team will review applications on a rolling basis. The interview process will begin on or about March 13th, 2023 or as soon as we feel we have a diverse and qualified applicant pool. If you are chosen to participate in the interview process, a Citizen Action hiring team member will reach out to you via email to schedule a pre-interview phone call, and a first interview via Zoom. Please, no calls or in person inquiries, as we want to ensure a fair hiring process.

Women, People of Color, members of the LGBTQIA+ community, formerly incarcerated individuals, and those facing barriers to employment are strongly encouraged to apply.