Lead Organizer, Northwest Indiana Faith in Indiana $65k-$80k
Garrett Nelson
BASIC INFO
Job Title: Lead Organizer, Northwest Indiana
Salary range: $65-$80,000 (DOE)
Location: Gary, IN
The OPPORTUNITY
Faith in Indiana seeks an experienced organizer with a track record of building people powered vehicles to win tangible results to lead our newest chapter in Northwest Indiana. This position will work alongside our strongest partners in the region to scale-up multi-racial, multi-faith organizing and advance a coordinated strategy.
The lead organizer will be the primary social change architect for the region; developing new organizing teams in congregations, teaching the principles of community organizing to grassroots leaders and over-time a team of organizers, and building escalating campaigns that deliver structural reforms at the local, state, and national levels. Initial campaigns will likely include; expanding mental health and crisis response services, criminal justice reform, environmental racism, and quality public education.
ABOUT FAITH IN INDIANA (FaithIN)
Faith in Indiana unites tens of thousands of people across faith, race, and place to work together for racial and economic justice. Act Indiana is our 501(c)4 organization that gives us a platform to organize and advocate directly in our state’s elections and political process.
In our work, we center the leadership of Black people, immigrants, Muslims, returning citizens, women and young people.
Faith in Indiana is dramatically scaling up our organizing efforts to build a new people-centered democracy and win real change; reduce mass incarceration and gun violence, a caring economy, climate justice, immigrant rights, and freedom to vote.
Our chapters are run and led by our grassroots leaders. People of color are in positions of authority and leadership, and low-income people of color are the drivers of our campaigns and strategies. Through six geographic and constituency based chapters, we work with 125 congregations and partner organizations with deep roots in the communities we organize.
In addition to believing strongly that power must be shared equitably in our organization and our society, we also believe that leaders are developed, not born; and that relationships grounded in trust and vulnerability coupled with radical accountability and direct, courageous communication allow for each of us to bring our full, brilliant selves to the table.
Faith values are also a big part of what drives us. We organize people through faith institutions, in partnership with Indiana’s 17 largest religious traditions. We amplify the prophetic voice of clergy from diverse backgrounds.
THE ROLE
In this role you will:
Grow a network of Clergy leaders. The lead organizer will build relationships where none exist, inviting clergy from diverse faith institutions in Gary, East Chicago, Hammond, Crown Point, Merrillville, Valparaiso to grow participation in a multi-faith, multi-racial organizing effort that centers the leadership of people of color.
Develop Organizers. Recruit, hire, and create the conditions for organizers and grassroots leaders to learn how to organize. You have to teach, coach and hold organizers and leaders accountable to a team.
Be a political architect. Co-create with grassroots leaders, and organizers, long-term strategic plans that escalate power and deliver wins on racial and economic justice. Write your plans down so they can be owned broadly and free people up to act.
Build Vote Power. We are flipping the formula to grow the vote power of people of color, women, and youth and turn non-voters into voters. Faith in Indiana staff are contracted by Act Indiana to run large scale voter engagement programs throughout the year.
Build Money power. We understand money to be abundant, liberatory, and a core source of our collective power. All our top leaders and organizers take responsibility for ensuring congregations and individuals grow financial contributions for movement stability.
Amplify on the ground organizing with sophisticated tools. We equip leaders with sophisticated tools to amplify the on-the-ground organizing and bring far more people than we can personally touch into our movement community. For example; integrating tested-messages that inoculate dog-whistle racism and build cross racial solidarity; , support leaders to collect data and track supporter participation; overlay digital organizing and large-scale grassroots fundraising.
People at the Center. Bring your full self and brilliance into a strong accountable relationship with your supervisor and peers. Be willing to develop yourself through direct feedback, challenge/agitation, ongoing reflection, reading, and learning from staff, leaders, clergy, and others.
Model our Values and Culture. Shared Power. Radical accountability. Trust. Courageous and direct conversations. Development of People is the priority. Inclusion. Money is power. Take bold risks. Model these values in all we do.
HOW WILL YOU KNOW IF YOU’RE A GOOD CANDIDATE?
You can be great for this role if you are someone who is:
Able to act with integrity and has a strong work ethic, “grit”, and willingness to persevere until you succeed.
A self-starter who can independently set goals and use them to guide daily actions.
A curious and active listener, capable of establishing rapport with people from different backgrounds.
A quick learner and eager to develop their leadership and to help others to do the same.
Willingness to apprentice to an experienced organizer, this includes; direct feedback in real-time, shadowing, evaluation, and direction from their supervisor and peers.
Unafraid of being pushed and challenged by their peers and supervisor in order to more deeply reflect on and address personal barriers to leadership development.
HOW WE KNOW IF YOU’RE A GOOD CANDIDATE?
We are looking for candidates who:
Can articulate how working for social justice and grassroots organizing is connected to their personal mission and story rather than a desire to “serve or save” others.
Can share examples of building a base of people - workers, faith leaders, neighbors - and have moved them to take collective action through a campaign that moves them from powerlessness to agency and power with others.
Can identify people you’ve developed as organizers and leaders with followings to take collective and strategic action in the world.
Can point to organizing campaigns you have led that escalate, contest for power in the public arena, and delivered real change in communities, for real people.
Can point to intentional relationship you’ve built to align coalition partners toward a goal bigger than what your organization could have achieved on its own
Can demonstrate the core competencies of public leadership and strategy, and how you’ve created the conditions to teach these competencies to others
Is excited to play a leadership role building the next generation of base building, leadership development focused, organizers
Is comfortable using a range of computer programs and smartphone apps, including Google suite, Internet applications, and other common software.
COMPENSATION
This will be a full-time, exempt position based in Gary, IN with significant evening and weekend work. The compensation for this role includes a salary of $65-$80,000 (depending on experience) and excellent benefits including full medical and dental coverage, a 5% retirement match after 2 years, and generous paid time off. We also provide a cell phone, zoom subscription, with unlimited talk and data and a computer at the beginning of employment.
HOW TO APPLY
Please email your resume, answers to the questions below to: car...@faithindiana.org
In lieu of a traditional cover letter please answer the following questions:
Why are you applying for this job? (Suggested word limit: 200)
How is your personal mission and story connected to your drive for social justice and grassroots organizing? Be Specific. (Suggested word limit: 200)
In the About this Role section of this job listing (see above) there is a list of bullet points under the heading “How will I know if I’m a good candidate…” Which of these bullet points do you believe you bring to the table? Please list examples of how you’ve demonstrated these characteristics with a few words of explanation if that’s useful. Note, where there is a list of different ways to meet the criteria of a single bullet point, please specify which one(s) you bring to the table.
In addition, please be sure to include your last name and “Organizer, Northwest Indiana” in the subject line of the email.
Questions about this position or the application process can be sent to car...@faithindiana.org.
Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, with applicants encouraged to apply ASAP for first consideration.
Please note: This job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities are based on organizational needs and may change at any time with or without notice.
Faith in Indiana provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, criminal history, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.
This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training. We believe that marginalized communities must be centered in the work we do and strongly encourage people of color, people from working class backgrounds, women and LGBTQ people to apply.