BATON ROUGE Chapter OrganizerS

Department - Organizing

Compensation - Salary commensurate with experience

Location - Baton Rouge, LA

Position Type - Full-time

Reports To - Director of Organizing

to apply, Email our Director of Organizing Ilona Prieto: ilona@voiceoftheexperienced.org

Organizational Background

VOTE is a grassroots membership-based non-profit organization founded and led by formerly incarcerated people. VOTE is dedicated to the full restoration of all civil and human rights, for all people with criminal convictions.  VOTE mobilizes people impacted by the criminal justice system to fight discriminatory policies that prevent them from obtaining housing, employment, and health care. Above all, VOTE is committed to transforming Louisiana’s criminal justice system through organizing and supporting people with convictions, their loved ones, allies, and communities.  VOTE works on a local, state, and national level through coalitions, generally providing core expertise on diagnosing problems and proposing effective solutions.

 Position Summary

The Chapter Organizer will work as an integral part of the statewide and local Organizing Teams to facilitate the base building (outreach, recruitment, and engagement), leadership development and campaign participation of VOTE members. This position emphasizes outreach, relationship building and deep listening. We value relationship building that results in member and leader recruitment as we believe leaders are everywhere – we just need to find them. Organizers facilitate the collective capacity of new/existing FIPs, their families and allies, to be part of campaign and organizational leadership, implement campaign strategies and tactics, and cultivate oneself as an organizational leader.

Job Duties

Base Building

·       Develop and carry out one-on-one outreach and recruitment strategies to people most impacted by the criminal (in)justice system in an effort to ensure that VOTE’s membership reflects those most impacted by the narrative and policies that VOTE is working to change

·       Coordinate and conduct door-to-door deep canvassing in the community and phone outreach to recruit potential members

·       Build strong relationships with potential members and leaders

·       Maintain relationships with those interested in engaging in VOTE’s work

·       Engage FIPs, their families and allies to participate in VOTE meetings, trainings, events, and campaign activities

Leadership Development

·       Facilitate relationships between members and develop shared ownership and responsibility for VOTE’s work

·       Build FIPs, their families and allies' understanding of civic engagement and the power they have to change the policies that impact them the most if they are bound together in shared purpose

·       Identify and recruit emerging leaders among members

·       Develop and conduct teach-ins, workshops, meetings, trainings, and strategy sessions that engage FIPs, their families and allies as critical thinkers, change agents and unified members working towards common goals

·       Support the ongoing leadership development through coaching, reflection, and skill development

·       Train members to participate in and/or lead campaign and coalition building/movement activities

Campaign and Movement Building

·       Support the development of local and statewide issue-oriented campaigns that further VOTE’s long-term goals and objectives

Coalition Building

·       Represent VOTE as needed at collaborative, coalition, and community meetings in accordance with VOTE’s Rules of Engagement

Policy Change

·       Support and prepare leaders with the Policy Team to engage and manage relationships with policy makers related to VOTE’s campaigns, coalitions and movement building efforts

Organizational & Leadership Team

·       Develop and support internal systems that reflect VOTE’s values in partnership with staff, members, and leaders

·       Ensure all day-to-day program activities are aligned with the VOTE’s goals, objectives, outcomes and organizing principles

·       Receive coaching, professional/self-development and generate individual development goals with the Director of Organizing

·       Learn the Leading Change Network/Marshall Ganz pedagogy of organizing

·       Ensure training for technology is geared towards improving capacity to enter, retrieve and review organizing data collected

Evaluation

·       Maintain information about and results of outreach efforts in order to effectively manage follow-up and relationship building with the community, members, and leaders

·       Input data related to base building and leadership development progress and results

·       Plan, implement, and evaluate meetings, training, campaigns, actions, and other VOTE events in partnership with staff and leaders

·       Assess self, team members, and organization for strengths and areas for ongoing improvement

·       Maintain and utilize program evaluation results

Strategy Development

·       Participate in all staff and organizing team strategic planning and develop team and individual work plans that reflect the planning with clears roles and responsibilities.

Key Qualifications and Core Competencies

Required

·       One year experience as a community organizer, VOTE Organizing Fellow, or active leader role as a VOTE member

·       Demonstrated ability to work as a team player, meet people where they are and foster collaboration in environments with racial, ethnic, and economic class diversity

·       Reliable transportation, with a valid driver’s license and current liability insurance

·       Introductory level of familiarity with using computers for work processing, internet research and email

·       Commitment to the vision, mission, and values of VOTE

Preferred

·       Strong interest in issues related to the impact of the criminal (in)justice system on people with convictions, their families, and allies

·       Ability to analyze, synthesize and communicate different kinds of information so that it is useful to people with various learning styles, backgrounds, and life experiences, especially those that are marginalized

·       Oral and written fluency in English – ability to communicate across different literacy levels

·       Willingness to commit to VOTE for a minimum of two years