Sister District Project
Organizing Fellows
Summer Term: May 18 – August 14, 2020
SUMMARY
Sister District Project is bringing on a cohort of Organizing Fellows for the summer term: May 18 – August 14. At 5.5 hours per week, Fellows will assist the Organizing Manager (OM) and Deputy Organizing Manager (DOM) in creating new volunteer teams and supporting the continued capacity development of existing teams nationwide. Fellows will learn and hone vital field organizing skills with the support of seasoned campaign operatives with a combined two decades of experience in advocacy and electoral organizing. All work is performed via remote communication using Google Suite, phone, Zoom conference calls, email, and text. Time commitment is 5.5 hours per week, including one 30-minute 1:1 call with the OM or DOM and one 30-minute all-team reporting call each week, both via Zoom. The specific work schedule is flexible. $500 stipend.
BACKGROUND
Sister District’s 70+ volunteer teams provide grassroots (usually remote) field and fundraising support to progressive state legislative candidates. We continue to build robust and effective teams to maximally help elect candidates in 2020. Fellows have a significant role to play.
RESPONSIBILITIES
In collaboration with the Organizing Manager, Fellows will:
- Learn and carry out field-proven best practices for volunteer leader recruitment and team-building
- Draft and edit effective recruitment scripts for phone, text, email
- Recruit new leaders in the creation of 1-2 new teams
- Recruit new leaders and assist with capacity projects for 1-3 existing teams
- Develop strategy, goals, and tactics with a focus on creativity, continuous improvement
PROGRAM STRUCTURE
- First week: Orientation, training. As a group, two 60-minute training sessions with OM and DOM to learn and practice recruitment method; first target teams/regions assigned 30min 1:1 call
- Organizing weeks: 4.5 hours a week creating/iterating/executing project plans; plus weekly 30-minute group strategy/update calls and weekly 30-minute 1:1 calls with OM/DOM
- Final week: project wrap-up and handoff, progress-to-goal review, program evaluation
WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR
This position is focused on organizing through personal connection and conversation. Specific campaign experience is not required – if you are a people person who wants to become an organizer, or an organizer who wants to improve your recruitment and team-building skills, we encourage you to apply. We are seeking applicants who are strong writers and copy-editors, good listeners, enjoy meeting new people, and do well talking on the phone. Applicants should be patient and diligent, and able to deliver compelling messages that are uniquely tailored to each volunteer. Most of all, applicants must be passionate about helping individuals become activists. Must be fluent in Google Suite (e.g., Google Sheets, Google Docs).
TIME COMMITMENT & LOGISTICS
- 5.5 hours per week – Fellows design and keep their own schedule
- Work remotely
- Attend weekly 30-minute call with OM and other Organizing Fellows
- Attend weekly 30-minute call with OM
- Must have personal computer and phone for calls and texts
- We use the Google Suite to track our work and Slack to communicate
- $500 stipend ($250 at end of first month, $250 at end of third month)
ABOUT THE ORGANIZING MANAGER
Organizing Fellows will work directly with Sister District Organizing Manager Neal Morgan. Since his time as the Youth Vote Field Organizer in Northern Nevada for the 2008 Obama campaign, Neal has trained, coached, and supported hundreds of electoral field directors, field organizers, candidates, and volunteers across dozens of campaigns and progressive organizing groups. He helps activists and teams improve effectiveness in volunteer recruitment and retention through adopting and implementing processes and orientations that help a team create cultures capable of producing organic growth.
ABOUT THE DEPUTY ORGANIZING MANAGER
Leif Warren entered organizing while defending LGBTQ folks in their hometown against discrimination in housing, employment, and public accomadations. Since their first campaign, Leif has empowered and trained constituents to speak their truth to power in state legislative campaigns, coordinated with multiple organizations and organizers in messaging research, and engaged steering committees across the country to plan and recruit for actions. They train organizers in recruitment, retention, and setting volunteers up for success.
HOW TO APPLY
Please send your resume and cover letter as PDF doc attachments to in...@sisterdistrict.com with subject line “Organizing Fellow.” Format the file titles as follows: firstname_lastname_stateofresidenceabbreviation_cover and firstname_lastname_stateofresidenceabbreviation_resume, e.g. Neal_Morgan_OR_cover & Neal_Morgan_OR_resume. Your cover letter will in itself be a writing sample. Please discuss in your letter:
- Why you are interested in this role
- What experiences indicate your ability to connect with prospective volunteers, make compelling invitations to motivate their engagement, and help them make their way into leadership roles
Sister District Project values a multicultural, diverse working environment. Applicants of diverse backgrounds are welcomed and encouraged to apply.