National Organizer of Capital Strategies

The Right to the City Designated Capital Pooled Fund serves the mission of the alliance and our grassroots and base-building member organizations to remove land from the speculative market by providing access to long-term patient and flexible capital investments and technical assistance in financing and collective stewardship practices for community-controlled projects. The RTTC National Organizer of Capital Strategies will oversee the work of our Right to the City Designated Capital Pooled Fund, guide our lending process for investment capital to member organizations in the alliance, accompany member groups through their underwriting and diligence processes, and provide technical assistance related to the development and establishment of cooperative and land trusts structures that incorporate transformative organizing practices. We are looking for someone to join our energetic, visionary, and solutions-oriented national staff team to help build the powerful movement we need to win the right to the city and liberation for our people. The ideal candidate will be multifaceted, able to adapt to changing conditions, believe deeply in self-determination and community power, and embody a commitment to both personal and systemic transformation.

This position Reports to the Associate Director for Capital Strategies and participates in the Team(s): the Capital Strategies Team within the Resource Development Strategies Department.

Job Responsibilities

Oversee the lending process for our RTTC Designated Loan Fund

Work with the RTTC Credit Committee to accept, review, and approve potential loans to member organizations that demonstrate preparedness to accept capital investments for community-controlled land and housing projects. (approx 35% of the work plan)

Area 1: Work with the RTTC Credit Committee to move potential member projects in our waterway through our lending process

• Using our established lending process, work with the RTTC Credit Committee to identify a strong pool of potential projects that meet our criteria for accessing capital from our Designated Capital Fund.
  • Build relationships with selected projects to better understand their needs and assess their readiness for capital investment.
  • Collect required planning and financial documents for the application review period and accompany member groups through the credit memo and loan approval process.
• In coordination with the RTTC Credit Committee, determine potential projects ready to receive capital investments from our RTTC Designated Capital Fund using our application process, office hours, follow-ups, and annual landscape check-ins with RTTC members.

Area 2: Work with the RTTC Credit Committee and external partners to move investment capital to member organizations’ land and housing projects that demonstrate a readiness to accept investment capital for their community-controlled land and housing projects

• Identify projects in our waterway that are best positioned to obtain capital investments through other established partnerships we have created.
  • For example, identify RTTC member projects best positioned to access capital from Seed Commons’ General Pooled Fund.
• Coordinate with the RTTC Credit Committee and Seed Commons staff to ensure efficient processes and progress in accordance with the intentions and goals of our capital fund program to support our member groups.

CLT and Co-op Technical Assistance

Develop and provide Technical Assistance to RTTC member groups (approx 35% of the work plan)

Area 1: Research, create, and develop materials for CLTs and co-op projects for effective governance and stewardship processes that mirror our Transformative Organizing methodology

Provide staff support to member-led Stewardship Development Working Group. This Working Group will serve as a space for members to learn about the practical skills needed to successfully take land/housing off of the speculative market and to sustain that community for the long term. This will be a space for members to share resources, get group support for troubleshooting issues they’re facing, and build relationships with one another. Topics covered and areas of support include:

• Governance structures and processes for managing decommodified land and housing projects
• Conflict resolution practices within the decommodified communities
• Acquisition and finance strategies
• Rehabilitation, new construction, and property management that centers resident autonomy and restorative justice practices.

Support member groups in identifying the different areas of technical assistance needed to be loan-ready for pre-loan approval. Work with the Associate Director of Capital Strategies to provide the required support in this phase of the application process.

After the loans are made, we will continue to partner with and support the projects that have received lending to ensure the long-term sustainability and success of the community-stewarded projects supported through our Designated Capital Fund.

• This includes providing technical assistance and/or helping the projects secure additional technical assistance through local or national partnerships.

Area 2:

• In coordination with the National Campaigns Team, lead the Stewardship Development Working Group to create space for peer-to-peer support learning and strategy development opportunities that ensure our national campaign strategies and loan fund work are in sync.
• Lead monthly meetings and collaborate with member groups doing CLT and cooperative work, and develop agendas, resources, and materials to foster a learning space where member groups can share learnings about their work and connect it to our Transformative Organizing methodology.

Systems and Infrastructure

Develop and maintain systems and infrastructure (approx 20% of the work plan)

Area 1

• Nurture staff tracking for accountability to agreed-upon benchmarks
• Maintain a tracking system of loans, loan amounts, and terms for the loans going out. Keep a record of meetings, updates, deadlines, and next steps as it relates to capital money going out to member organizations

Area 2

• Provide regular reports to the Capital Strategies Team, RTTC staff, and RTTC member groups through the different spaces established across the alliance.
• Write program updates that can be sent to funders, individual donors, and investors.

Maintain internal and external relationships and partnerships

Team meetings, All Staff Meetings, Advances, and External Meetings (approx 10% of the work plan)

Area 1

• Participate in weekly Capital Strategies meetings
• Participate in All Staff Meetings, Advances, and Training as needed
• Participate in Department and Cross Team meetings as needed

Area 2

• Participate in outside trainings and capital strategies spaces established by partners to advance our internal capacities for our work.
• Lead and represent the Right to the City Designated Capital Fund work in different external meetings and spaces to advance the organization's and fund's mission and goals.

Qualities We Are Looking For

• Bold Vision. You bring fierce imagination and deep commitment that we can and will create the world our communities need. You can share that vision in ways that inspire and compel.
• Swiss Army Knife. You are resourceful and creative, willing to do what it takes to make a project succeed. You can handle a lot in a fast-paced, multi-faceted work environment.
• Interdependent. You can work independently, self-managing your time, while maintaining close communication with remote teams
. You are flexible and know that changing the world doesn't always happen between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.
• Low ego, high impact. You are disciplined, rigorous, and more group-centered than self-centered. You have excellent attention to detail and focus on the big picture.

Required Experience & Qualifications

• Experienced in writing business plans, including work on financial documents (e.g., projections, budgets, capital plans) and analyzing business opportunities
• Experience and knowledge of trends in non-extractive financing, CLTs and housing co-ops, and democratic self-governance.
• Minimum of 5 years of experience in base building & organizing experience work on local or statewide campaigns
• Minimum of 5 years of experience in leading on all aspects of campaign development and implementation for local or statewide campaigns - overall strategy and vision, narrative/comms, fundraising, coalition building, political education, etc
• Minimum of 5 years of experience building and leading multi-sector, multi-regional / geographic coalitions
• Experience and comfort with using spreadsheets.

Preferred Qualifications

• Ability to write and speak a second language, preferably Spanish
• At least 3 years experience and demonstrated ability to lead real estate financing plans
• Strong facilitation skills
• Some fundraising/grant-writing experience and maintaining relationships with institutional and individual funders is helpful
• Some training and/or experience in lending and underwriting

General Requirements

• Support the mission, vision, and goals of the Right To The City Alliance
• Experience and familiarity with housing justice, gentrification, displacement, and anti-eviction work and/or grassroots base-building organizations and transformative organizing
• Experience in multi-racial, multicultural settings
• Knowledge of common computer applications: MS Office, Google Docs, Adobe Acrobat, Dropbox, Mac environment, and Zoom video teleconferencing systems
• Access to reliable internet, phone, and remote office arrangements. RTTC provides for the costs of home offices.
• Drivers license and auto insurance