Temporary Constituency Based Organizer

Position Title: Temporary Constituency Based Organizer

Tier / Category: Tier 3 / Organizer III

Reports to: Leaders Coordinator, Kristina Lear

Supervised by: Co-Director of National Organizing Department, Taryn Hallweaver

Employment Status: Full time, Temporary: 9/1/2024 - 1/31/2025

FLSA:  Exempt

Location: Remote

Union: Bargaining Unit Member

Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ) is a national organization that brings white people into fights for racial and economic justice. We work to undermine the power of the Far Right and build the white flank of multiracial majorities fighting for the things all communities need. We organize white people by engaging their shared interest-- what they stand to gain by joining alongside people of color. We do this through 150+ local chapters across the US and Canada, a National Membership base, and local base-building projects in the South.

Summary of Position:

SURJ is seeking a Temporary Constituency Based Organizer focused on organizing white men in our National Organizing Department (NOD) to support SURJ’s strategic campaigns, This position will be the point person for recruiting and retaining white men in SURJ’s organizing and programmatic work in order to counter the right’s recruitment of white men, and build feminist, anti-racist power with this key constituency for SURJ’s work. This role will particularly focus on our electoral organizing and election defense in 2024 and early 2025.

A successful person in this role, as well as every organizer within NOD, is expected to carry out recruitment, leadership development of members, and design and execute organizing programs aligned with SURJ’s national strategy and campaigns. The amount of time focused on each of these will vary based on the position. NOD organizers are responsible for executing their unique realm of work while also participating in department-wide initiatives and team-wide pushes at key moments. In other words, NOD organizers are all expected to act as both specialists and generalists.

This position will report to their Peer Leader the NOD Leaders Coordinator, and is supervised by the Co-Director of NOD. This position is included in a union-represented collective bargaining unit, and specific terms and conditions of employment are subject to the Collective Bargaining Agreement.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES — Essential duties and responsibilities of this position may include, but are not limited to the following:

Priority 1: Organize members and volunteer leaders in our electoral programs and other campaigns (50%)

• Maintain contact between NOD and white men formations to move people into SURJ’s electoral programs
• Recruit for or hold NOD front of the room leadership for white guys phone banks or other political education or leadership development spaces 
• Lead or support canvasses in North Carolina with white guys and possibly other states 
• Track and report on new and current white guys in SURJs base and their engagement in our programs 
• Develop Outreach Captains in white guy formations outside of SURJ to work within their networks to recruit people into SURJ’s programs

Priority 2: Support SURJ fundraising efforts for this body of work (10%) 

• Maintain communication between the Development Department and white guy formations. 
• Coordinate closely with the Deputy Director of Development to ensure high levels of communication and coordination around donor and movement relationships and dynamics. 
• Make asks alongside the Development Department, or identify key people to make these asks. 

Priority 3: Leadership development with white guys coming in or already in SURJ’s base (15%)

• Conduct 1 on 1 leadership development with members in our organizing programs 
• Develop Outreach Captains’ skills, leadership capacity, and alignment with SURJ
• Develop other political education and community building with white guys in SURJ’s base as needed

Priority 4: Mobilize white guys in key moments of rapid response (15%)

• Liaison between partner groups organizing white guys and SURJ when/if there’s additional rapid response moments that offer absorption opportunities 
• Recruit white guys into SURJ’s work when/if there’s additional rapid response moments that offer absorption opportunities 

Priority 5: Coordination and administration (10%)

• Attend weekly meetings for NOD, NOD sub-teams, all-SURJ staff, and as relevant, with other departments.
• At times, work with local or national partners to strengthen voter contact and rapid response organizing. 
• Maintain daily coordination with colleagues (including across departments) via our shared remote workplace communication platforms: Slack, Google Workspace, email, etc. 
• Complete timesheets, reimbursement requests, and credit card expense submissions in accordance with compliance based policies
• Complete requests to supervisor for time off (vacation, health & wellness leave, etc.) via BambooHR in accordance with policies

QUALIFICATIONS:

• 3 years experience with campaign organizing, managing teams, and developing internal systems
• 3 years experience with volunteer recruitment, training and management

KNOWLEDGE:

• Experience designing and leading teams through processes of campaign or action planning, execution, and evaluation
• Experience designing and facilitating meetings, trainings, and/or group gatherings that move people into action
• Experience with individual member and chapter based organizing and mobilization that builds toward base building campaigns
• Familiarity with customer relationship management systems such as EveryAction
• Experience working with a variety of digital tools to engage a diverse base 
• Experience with organizing and political education curriculum development 
• Deep understanding of SURJ’s work and theory of change
• Understanding and commitment to SURJ’s work of organizing majority white communities for racial and economic justice 
• An understanding of the strategic importance of the South and power dynamics between the South and the rest of the U.S. that can influence organizing efforts there
• Ability to work in a cross-class environment while also holding a strong class politics that centers poor and working people

SKILLS:

• Excellent written, verbal and relational communication skills
• Excellent time management skills
• Excellent attention to detail
• Strong analytical, planning, and organizational skills 
• Strong written communication including internal and external facing communications
• Experience leading peer teams required. Supervisory experience preferred including ability to delegate.
• Experience doing public speaking, conducting trainings, providing technical assistance, and facilitation of large and small groups 
• Willingness to speak up, suggest new ideas, receive feedback, reflect, and adjust plans to ensure successful completion of goals, and be part of the solution.

ABILITIES:

• Ability and willingness to travel to support local chapters and members 
• Ability to work evenings and weekend hours 
• Demonstrated ability to develop volunteer member leaders into taking on significant responsibility and create systems for them to do so
• Ability to prioritize their personal work and the work of a team they manage
• Ability to direct the work of volunteers and members
• Ability to manage multiple projects
• Flexible - open to new ways of doing things and experimentation
• Reliable - follows through on what they said they are going to do
• Demonstrated ability to work both independently and as part of a team
• Ability to give and receive direct constructive feedback
• Ability to work in fast paced environment at times of rapid response