Organizing Lead

Addition (a project of Tides Center) exists to seed a new field of working-class organizing of people unlikely to be reached otherwise. We do three things: 1) Launch new working class organizing projects from scratch; 2) Train and support people to do good organizing in common sense language; and 3) Tell the story of what’s possible when we broaden who we organize.

Addition includes our Incubator (launch new organizing), Fundamentals of Organizing training and materials, and our storytelling, of which To See Each Other is one example.

We are hiring an Organizing Lead to start a brand new working-class organizing project. That is what we do here: talented and creative organizers come up with an idea, get some time and support to work it out, and then go out and make it happen. If the idea takes, we gather more resources to expand it.

Do you have a big organizing idea? An idea for a group of people, place, or type of place or a model for how to organize more working-class people to improve their lives, but you have never had the support and space to do it? This is your chance. We are hiring people to do just that—not to execute our idea but to realize yours.

These projects can be online, offline, and everything in between as long as they reach and move people who are unlikely to be reached otherwise. We have deep respect for organizers who apply good organizing fundamentals, love the craft and believe there are many ways to apply them.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Develop an original idea of people, a place, or an organizing model you want to launch. (We want to organize people unlikely to be reached otherwise; organizing that puts trust and work in the hands of the people we organize with; organizing that creates space and is welcoming to people with different values, and organizing with a path toward growth.)
• Work with senior organizers on our team to refine that model.
• Test your idea, and based on that test, make adjustments.
• Begin the organizing phase, report back to the team, and then help make decisions about the project's potential and whether and how to scale it.
• Manage a budget for your project, including contracts.
• Participate in the organizing team with others launching or nurturing projects.

Other Duties and Responsibilities

• Maintain and track detailed organizing records and conduct ongoing follow-up.
• Valid driver’s license, safe driving record, and access to a reliable vehicle. This is a Wisconsin-based position and you must be able to drive to organize with people in the towns, cities and rural communities across Wisconsin where they live on a regular basis.

Experience and Qualifications

• A minimum of five years of experience doing direct organizing in working class communities.
• Self-starter attitude who can initiate an organizing project.
• Hungry for and open to receiving feedback.
• Great track record of working with working-class member leaders.
• Has ideas that can grow significantly.
• Ability to work with people who you do not always agree with.
• A team player who wants to build their piece and also the whole of the organization.

Organizational Relationship

Addition is a fiscally sponsored project of Tides Center. Addition serves as a home for incubating projects to engage the bigger “We” needed to preserve democracy and address the most pressing issues of our time by bringing together experienced, talented, and creative strategists and organizers to be in relationship with segments of the country that have been written off by much of today’s social justice movement. This position will report to a Senior Organizing Strategist. Addition (a project of Tides Center) is a fully remote organization.

Physical Demands

There are no significant physical requirements related to this position.

Travel

The amount of travel will depend on the project. Some projects might require significant travel while others could be largely remote.

Equal Employment Opportunity and Reasonable Accommodation

Tides Center is an equal-opportunity employer. We value a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture. The organization encourages applications from all qualified individuals without regard to race, color, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, marital status, disability, veteran status, record of arrest or conviction and any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

How to apply.

Please do not call or email us directly. We have a small team and don’t have the capacity to respond.

Attach your resume and cover letter.

Please take your cover letter seriously. We understand some applicants might be concerned about sharing their project ideas, but we don’t need a detailed description of your idea. Your cover letter should give us a sense of the project you’d like to launch from scratch. It could even be an idea you have an instinct but have not yet had time to flesh it out. You should also briefly explain why you want to build your project with Addition.