Community Organizer

Reports to: DMV Chapter Director

FLSA Status: Salaried-, Exempt

Employment Type: Full-time, 40 hours/week

Work Schedule: Monday–Friday, with work on site, in-person meetings, or fieldwork required. Occasional evenings and weekends as needed.

Salary: The base salary for this position is $55,000; additional compensation is negotiable based on experience.

About Us: African Communities Together (ACT) is an organization of African immigrants fighting for civil rights, opportunity, and a better life for our families here in the U.S. and worldwide. ACT empowers African immigrants to integrate socially, get ahead economically, and engage civically. We develop our members as grassroots leaders who take action to make social change. Since its founding, ACT has supported thousands of African immigrants with direct services, trained hundreds of new leaders, and led successful policy campaigns at the federal, state, and local levels that have impacted hundreds of thousands of immigrants. ACT’s African immigrant membership comes from a diverse range of nationalities, cultures, and languages, is religiously diverse, and is predominantly working-class and low-income. We have offices in New York City and the Washington, D.C. metro area.

Position Description:

ACT is seeking a dedicated and dynamic Community Organizer for our DMV Chapter to build and mobilize a strong base of African immigrants across Washington D.C., Maryland, and Virginia. This role focuses on community outreach to expand our membership, developing members’ leadership skills to advance local, statewide, and national campaigns, and advocating for solutions to the unique challenges and opportunities faced by African immigrants in the region.

Reporting to the DMV Chapter Director, you will work closely with a team of organizers and staff to advance the chapter’s objectives and drive impactful change.

The ideal candidate is a passionate and experienced organizer, committed to empowering immigrant and BIPOC communities through advocacy, leadership development, and grassroots mobilization.

Key Responsibilities include:

Base-Building:

• Conduct regular community outreach efforts focused on housing and tenants’ rights, civic engagement, immigrant rights, healthcare access, and workforce development.
• Collaborate with the Chapter Director and Organizing team to conduct outreach, recruit members, and build relationships with African community stakeholders, individuals, and organizations across the region.
• Collaborate with the Civic Engagement Director and Chapter Director to strengthen voter engagement within African communities through activities such as door-to-door canvassing and phone banking.

Campaigns:

• Mobilize and engage African communities to build an informed and active base of community members invested in advancing key campaigns around housing and tenants’ rights, civic participation, immigrant rights, healthcare access, and other critical issues.
• Conduct regular phone banking to engage and mobilize members for meetings, actions, and events, ensuring targeted turnout goals are met.
• Collaborate with the Communications team to strategically utilize social media, digital tools, and earned media to enhance campaign outreach and impact.
• Collaborate with Community Navigators to coordinate rapid response efforts addressing urgent issues affecting African immigrant communities.

Membership:

• Mobilize members for monthly membership meetings, campaigns, and organizational activities.
• Plan and facilitate educational workshops and community events to inform members about key issues.
• Identify and recruit community members in the DMV area
• Prep and support leaders to take active roles in events and actions, such as speaking, leading chants, and other key responsibilities.
• Support the logistical and programmatic needs of membership and leadership meetings, including working with members to co-facilitate sessions.
• Empower members by helping to develop their leadership skills through political education and organizing skill-building.

Data Management:

• Maintain and track membership and campaign-related data using the CRM system.

External Partnerships:

• Develop and maintain ties with partner organizations, allies, and community leaders.
• Represent ACT at meetings with community organizations, coalitions, government agencies, and elected officials as needed.
• Foster partnerships with community leaders and organizations to strengthen collaboration and achieve shared goals.

Additional Responsibilities:

• Participate in weekly staff meetings, campaign planning, and other organizational meetings as required.
• Engage with media outlets as necessary to promote ACT’s campaigns and initiatives.

Qualifications/ Requirements:

• Minimum 2 years prior experience working as a community, labor, and/or political organizer within a non-profit setting. A combination of relevant work experience and a related educational degree will be considered.
• Experience developing members into leaders and employing grassroots strategies for social change.
• Proficiency in English is required. Fluency in a widely spoken African language or Amharic is desirable.
• Cultural competence and significant experience with African immigrant communities or within the social justice sector.
• Fluency using technology, including but not limited to computers, scanners, cell phones and related applications such as Google Suite, WhatsApp, Google Voice, Zoom, etc.
• Ability to walk for prolonged periods, as needed.
• Commitment to the mission and core values of ACT.
• Positive, proactive, and solution-oriented team player.
• Ability and willingness to work flexible hours including evenings and some weekends, as needed.
• Excellent organizational skills with the ability to manage diverse projects simultaneously, work under pressure, and meet deadlines.
• Excellent in-person, verbal, and written communication skills.
• Ability to succeed in a collaborative community environment, including accountability to goals, working independently, prioritizing, and thriving in a diverse group of staff, volunteers, and communities.
• Eligible to work in the U.S.