Milwaukee WI - "Radio-Active" cutting edge communication/organizer position - Citizen Action of Wisconsin

[kevin...@citizenactionwi.org]

Job Description: "Radio-Active” Organizer

Objective: Citizen Action of Wisconsin seeks a dynamic and socially committed person to join our organizing team and lead a cutting edge communications campaign to challenge the dominance of the right-wing media in Southeast Wisconsin and statewide. This position is ideally located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, includes travel in Wisconsin, and occasional out-of-state travel.

Description of Work: The organizer/communicator will lead Citizen Action’s “Radio-Active” project, which was initiated by the members of Citizen Action’s Organizing Cooperative of Greater Milwaukee. The organizer/communicator, with guidance from the Organizing Director, will work to recruit a base of dues-paying members to join Citizen Action’s Organizing Cooperative and engage in high profile multi-issue communications campaigns. If the drive is successful, the person in this position will work with the members of the organizing cooperative, the organizer for the cooperative, and the Executive Director to lead a permanent strategy. This will include working on Citizen Action’s campaign to document and publicize conservative talk radio, including developing a volunteer-staff tracking and coding system. The campaign will also explore new and transformational means of bringing balance to media coverage of important issues to Wisconsin families, including possibly owning a radio station.

Organizational Background: Citizen Action of Wisconsin is issue focused non-profit organization committed to achieving social, economic, and environmental justice. We are dedicated to achieving a Wisconsin and an America where every human being has an equal opportunity to live a meaningful and fulfilling life. Citizen Action of Wisconsin brings together thousands of activists and allied groups across Wisconsin to deepen democratic participation and create an issue environment that advances a progressive public policy agenda. Most fundamentally, we believe that issues matter.  It is through transformative issues that capture the public imagination and reveal the dissonance between our nation’s ideals and its economic and social realities that average people see their stake in the public sphere and are motivated to participate in their democracy, resulting in meaningful and lasting change.  Citizen Action’s lead issues are good jobs, health care reform, and the protection and expansion of democracy, and also leads a values-based communication project to improve the messaging of progressives in Wisconsin. Citizen Action is spearheading the development of new and innovative grassroots organizing techniques, and seeks candidates who are interested in embracing new dynamic approaches. More information on current Citizen Action of Wisconsin programs can be found at citizenactionwi.org

Job Responsibilities:

• Work with Executive Director, Organizing Director, and Milwaukee Organizing Cooperative Organizer, and coalition leadership team to help implement a communications/organizing campaign.

• Directly organize and develop activists and volunteers to join Citizen Action’s multi-issue membership arm, the Organizing Cooperative.

• Help organize coalitions supporting Citizen Action of WI's "Radio-Active” campaign from a wide range of prospective allies.

• Develop a volunteer-led coding and tracking system for the 5 leading right-wing radio hosts in Milwaukee, and the dominant host in Northeast and Northcentral Wisconsin.

• Working with the Executive Director, develop messaging and a network of communicators and allies to drive out a consistent narrative to expose right-wing talk radio for its divisiveness and constant political propaganda on the public airwaves.

• Work with Executive Director, Organizing Director, and member leadership team to use the material collected to create an effective corporate campaign that puts pressure on the media corporations to provide greater balance on talk radio.

• Develop Citizen Action’s story project, which includes developing compelling stories from individuals who are impacted by issues which have been under assault by Conservatives, examples could include public education, transportation, health and immigration.

• Embrace and effectively utilize new communications technology, working within Citizen Action’s cutting-edge social networking and web technology programs to augment on-the-ground organizing.

• Coordinate program and logistics for public events, mobilizations and other grassroots activity.

• Work in a focused way to advance strategic goals, and provide timely weekly reporting of organizing progress.

• Integrate Citizen Action’s values-based communication into all organizing work.

Qualifications:

• Philosophical commitment to progressive values, economic justice, and health care freedom, for everyone in America

• Demonstrated experience in labor, community, political or faith-based organizing, especially requiring relationship building with dues paying members (at least 2 years experience is preferred but not required)

• Demonstrated capacity to lead a major communications campaign that includes research, organization of material, messaging, and effective public communication.

• Ability to understand complex public policy issues and translate them into compelling organizing issues that motivate average people to act

• Experience with political/issue communication, uncovering coded racism or message theory a plus but not required

• Experience working with a broad array of organizations in a coalition on issues of social and economic justice

• Experience with and commitment to working on racial justice issues and/or working in communities of color a plus

• Good written and verbal communication skills, including ability to produce effective flyers, email alerts, coalition reports, blogs, and effective social media posts

• Strong creative strategic thinking skills

• Computer skills including e-mail, composing documents, designing flyers, working with data bases, and social networking (Familiarity with NationBuilder, GoogleDocs, Google Analytics, Hootsuite, as well as managing Facebook pages and/or Twitter accounts)

• Experience with online list-building and voter files a plus

• Ability to resolve conflicts while maintaining effective relationships

• Excellent listening, interpersonal and problem solving skills

• Strong personal time management skills, organization skills, and the ability to work under pressure

• Bilingual a plus but not required

Salary and Benefits:  This is a full-time position which includes health care, dental and vision, employer-matched 401K, life insurance, disability insurance, cell phone allowance, and other benefits.  Some weekend and evening hours required.  Compensation is based upon experience and demonstrated organizing skills.  This is a union position, represented by OPEIU Local 9, AFL-CIO.

Application Process:  E-mail cover letter and résumé to Kevin Kane, Organizing Director at Kevin...@citizenactionwi.org

Please, no calls.

                

Citizen Action of Wisconsin is an equal opportunity employer and will not discriminate against any employee or applicant on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin, religion, age, gender, handicap, pregnancy, sexual orientation, or veteran status