National Organizing Department (NOD) Governing Power Organizer

Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ) is a national organization that brings white people into fights for racial and economic justice. We work to build the white flank of multiracial majorities fighting for the things all communities need. We organize white people by engaging their shared interest—what they stand to gain by joining alongside people of color. We do this through 150+ local chapters and circles across the US and Canada, a National Membership base, and local basebuilding projects in the South.

Summary of Position

The Governing Power Organizer will support the development and execution of electoral campaigns within SURJ’s National Organizing Department (NOD) in the fight to prevent a full-on authoritarian consolidation and win back governing power. This work will include setting up infrastructure in target electoral races that can meet short- and long-term campaign and movement goals; identifying and developing members and leaders within SURJ’s base to hold roles within our nearly fully volunteer-run operation; tracking progress to goal, troubleshooting, and adjusting plans as necessary along the way.

Every team member in NOD is expected to do both basebuilding (including recruitment, leadership development, and absorption) and campaigning (holding trainings and events, including on electoral campaigns, and campaign coordination); and to maintain excellent communication with staff in NOD and across SURJ. NOD organizers are responsible for executing their unique realm of work while also participating in department-wide initiatives and team-wide pushes at key moments.

A successful person in this role will understand their own shared interest in organizing white people and be committed to SURJ’s model of shared interest organizing; be willing to work in a collaborative, interdependent workplace; and be willing to try new things, learn from experiments, and strive for growth over perfection. Additionally, a successful person will be hungry to build the power of the left through electoral strategies and to develop members and leaders through joyful and rigorous campaigns.

This position will report to a NOD Organizing Manager. This position is included in a union-represented collective bargaining unit, and specific terms and conditions of employment are subject to negotiations for a Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Primary Responsibilities

Essential duties and responsibilities may include, but are not limited to the following:

Priority 1: Basebuilding (15%)

• Participate in regular outreach to NOD’s existing base of members and leaders, and identify opportunities to reactivate, retain, and develop members through our ongoing organizing programs
• Hold 1:1s on a weekly basis with members and leaders to support them in developing their shared interest in this work and support their growth as leaders
• Build deep trust with members and volunteers through respectful and skilled communication, setting clear expectations, soliciting and offering feedback, and sharing vulnerably about your own shared stake in this work
• Anticipate and be ready to respond to major absorption moments, when thousands or millions of people are disoriented and looking for meaning-making and a political home, in order to bring in newly activated members to our work
• Participate in ongoing efforts to recruit new National Members and grassroots donors into SURJ’s work

Priority 2: General Campaigning Responsibilities (20%)

• Identify and recruit members, leaders, circles, and chapters to participate in campaigns that develop their skills, build our collective power, and are within SURJ’s values
• Hold periodic campaign events and campaign meetings with volunteer leaders and members, and maintain consistent communication with them about campaign developments, shifts in the political weather, and new or different asks for their involvement
• Support the development of political education and skills trainings for our base that help us achieve our goals on campaigns and deepen the political analysis, commitment, strategic intuition about decision-making within the realm of campaign work, and skills of our members
• Participate in ongoing troubleshooting and debriefing at the end of campaign cycles to ensure we are continually learning from our successes and setbacks

Priority 3: Role-Specific Responsibilities (50%)

• Support the development and execution of NOD’s distributed electoral campaigns, including through developing scripts, trainings and guides; carrying out rigorous experiments on our voter contact model; and supporting recruitment efforts into the campaigns
• Invite and encourage existing and new SURJ members and leaders to take on leadership roles in member-led teams that are responsible for carrying out the key elements of our voter contact program; support volunteer-led teams to own and carry out their body of work
• Take into account member-leader feedback on leadership development and member retention opportunities, and iterate on the model in an ongoing way

Priority 4: Coordination and Baseline Duties (15%)

• Maintain daily communication and coordination with colleagues across NOD and SURJ via our shared remote workplace communication platforms: Slack, Google Workspace, email, etc.
• Maintain excellent tracking of member communications and campaign activity using our database systems such as EveryAction
• Prepare for and participate in weekly staff and coordination meetings for NOD, SURJ, and relevant cross-departmental teams
• Complete monthly timesheets, reimbursement requests and credit card expense submissions on a timely basis
• Complete requests to supervisor for time off (vacation, health & wellness leave, etc.) via BambooHR on a timely basis

Qualifications

• 3+ years experience with volunteer recruitment, training and management
• Demonstrated ability developing member leaders into taking on responsibility on campaigns
• Excellent time management skills, attention to detail, and ability to manage multiple projects
• Self-starter with demonstrated resilience, determination and ability to overcome obstacles to achieve objectives
• Familiarity with online organizing tools, i.e., Slack, Google Drive, EveryAction, etc.
• Willingness to work irregular hours, especially during political moments such as elections
• Willingness to travel occasionally for in-person meetings, staff retreats, trainings, and protests
• SURJ policy requires all employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, subject to reasonable accommodation
• All those who drive for work must abide by our driving policy

Knowledge

• Experience doing organizing on issues of racial justice
• Knowledge in the recruitment process of volunteers
• Adept with training and managing volunteers
• Experience managing multiple projects at the same time, demonstrating excellent organization
• Knowledge of organizing tools and software

Skills

• Strong written communication including internal and external facing communications
• Experience doing public speaking, conducting trainings, providing technical assistance, and facilitation of large and small groups
• Advanced time management skills
• Strong attention to detail
• Experience with curriculum development
• Strong analytical, planning, and organizational skills
• Excellent relational and verbal communication skills

Abilities

• Ability to work both independently and as part of a team
• Ability to work in fast-paced environments at times of rapid response
• Flexible—open to new ways of doing things and experimentation
• Reliable—follows through on commitments

Benefits

• Annual salary: $67,000
• Health, dental and vision insurance with employer contribution toward family coverage
• 401K retirement plan with up to 6% employer match
• 20 days paid time off per year, prorated during first year
• 20 days sick leave per year, prorated during first year
• 13 paid holidays per year
• 3 additional paid weeks off for organization-wide summer & winter shutdowns
• Employer paid short- and long-term disability insurance
• Employer paid life insurance
• Remote work from home
• Monthly technology reimbursement (internet, phone)
• Professional development resources each year
• Paid parental leave
• Paid sabbatical after 5 years

Application Period

Applications will be accepted until the position has been filled.

SURJ is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Apply here