JOBS AT TENANTS AND WORKERS UNITED!
FULL-TIME COMMUNITY ORGANIZER POSITION
Open immediately until filled
Are you passionate about creating sustainable changes in your community? Do you believe in the power of youth and community leadership? Are you committed to advancing social justice? Then you may be a perfect fit for our full-time organizer position!
Tenants and Workers United has a 30+ year history of empowering and organizing low-income communities of color across northern Virginia. We work with youth, workers, women, and immigrants to lead grassroots campaigns that win real changes and improve people’s quality of life. We address the root causes of social injustice and oppression by focusing on the issues our community cares about.
TWU is seeking a full-time organizer to work on education justice issues with Woodbridge youth and work on social justice issues with community members in northern Virginia. Community-identified issues may include:
- Education Justice: increasing graduation rates and lowering suspension rates among students of color, improving and expanding adequate school-based programs and services, and eliminating police presence in schools)
- Immigration Justice: ending voluntary local collaboration and contracts with ICE and advancing statewide policies to advance immigration justice)
- Housing Justice: #CancelRent, securing tenants’ rights and working with landlords to update policies for this economic crisis, preserving and expanding affordable housing
The goal is to organize youth and community members and build a campaign to secure sustainable policy changes that advance social justice and equity.
Organizing Responsibilities:
- Build a base of active members by recruiting through virtual outreach (and community outreach, pending COVID-19 guidelines) among other grassroots outreach methods
- Build strong relationships with members, and identify & develop ready leaders into clear membership roles using timely follow-up and one-on-one meetings, house visits, etc.
- Develop youth, parents, and community leaders to drive this work
- Organize and sustain 1 youth chapter in Woodbridge and 1 community chapter in northern Virginia
- Plan and organize planning meetings, events, actions, and other organizational activities and mobilize community members to turnout
- Develop the civic consciousness of community members and leaders through popular education, reflection, leadership development, and by developing appropriate educational materials
- Conduct political/civic education trainings for youth and community members and leaders, including digestible statistics about the issues as well as discrimination, racism, oppression, community structures, power structures, and other related topics
- Track all member outreach, recruitment, retention, and event turnout
- Support youth and community leaders to develop their leadership skills, climb the ladder of engagement, and learn to execute tactics and facilitate meetings
- Participate in campaign development, strategizing, and implementation
- Build campaign coalitions and foster relationships with key allies and partners
- Manage regular membership meetings by creating agendas and supporting new community leaders to facilitate meetings, focusing on peer engagement and immediate activation
- Plan and facilitate meetings with power holders and elected officials, and prepare members to share personal stories and make the ask (centering members’ experience and leadership in these meetings)
- Be willing to dedicate time to the fight for social justice, including working some nights and weekends as needed
Admin and Other Responsibilities:
- Collaborate with fellow organizers on joint events and mobilizations
- Participate in other organizational activities, including communications, fundraising, events, trainings, and other planning and learning processes
Required Experience and Skills:
- Commitment to TWU’s mission of social, racial, and economic justice.
- Ability to develop and maintain a variety of relationships on multiple levels.
- Self-motivated and able to work independently and as a team
- Ability to prioritize, manage multiple projects, and work under pressure to meet tight project deadlines
- Have a growth mindset and an ability to take direction and constructive feedback
- Minimum 1 year of grassroots organizing experience and an understanding of principles of grassroots organizing
- Experience working with or organizing youth
- Fluency in Spanish
- A driver’s license and access to a car
- A minimum 1 year commitment to this position
Preferred Additional Experience:
- Experience in developing campaign strategy, and planning and implementing direct action organizing campaigns
- Developing and leading political education trainings for members
- Producing flyers and other materials required for grassroots outreach
Salary and Benefits:
This position is full-time. Salary based on experience. The employer of record is New Virginia Majority, which provides excellent benefits, including health, vision, and dental, as well as stipends for phone and transportation.
How to Apply:
Send a resume, cover letter, salary history, and 3 references to eurrutia@tenantsandworkers.org
Women and people of color are strongly encouraged to apply.
Please, no phone calls.
Position is open immediately until filled.
TWU is a non-profit organization based in Alexandria, VA.