Canvass Manager

Make the Road States (MRstates) is the national home for the second-generation Make the Road family of organizations in Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Nevada, this in addition to New York, that serves to uplift the voices of working-class, immigrants, women, LGBTQIA people, and people of color across the Make the Roads umbrella. From an operational spectrum it serves as the Finance and Human Resources Compliance Officers for the umbrella at large.

Make the Road New Jersey (MRNJ) builds the power of immigrant and working-class communities to achieve dignity and respect through community organizing, the provision of high quality legal and support services, transformative education, and policy innovation. MRNJ is a project of Make the Road States. Founded in 2014, MRNJ operates centers and organizing hubs in the cities of Elizabeth, Passaic, Perth Amboy, and Newark, that reach thousands of immigrants and working-class people of color each year. Our member-led organizing committees -- which work on the issues named above-- implement strategies to combat shared problems and develop leadership and the capacity for civic participation. In the past four years, MRNJ has won more than 10 pro-immigrant and pro-worker policies, including the nation’s first guaranteed severance law, landmark anti-wage theft legislation, occupational and drivers’ license for undocumented immigrants and a $15 minimum wage. We also provide an array of high-quality bilingual services including ESOL, legal services in the areas of immigration and workplace rights, workplace safety training and college access.

Make the Road Action (MRA), a 501(c)(4) organization is committed to building power for justice in immigrant and low income working-class communities of color. MRA operates in five states - New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Nevada, and Pennsylvania. We work to create social change, connect voters to the candidates and issues that are most important to them, and work hands-on in a fast-paced environment to create long-term impact in the communities that need it most.

Current Opening:

The Canvass Manager is responsible for the supervision and day-to-day operation of MRNJ’s new Canvass program in our three cities (Passaic, Perth Amboy, and Elizabeth) and its surrounding areas. The Canvass program’s objective is to increase the financial strength and organizing capacity of the organization by recruiting leads for organizers and members that give automatic monthly donations through a credit card or a bank direct debit. Additionally, the Canvass program will reach thousands of immigrant and working-class community members a year and engage them in the organization and its campaigns and services, as well as voter registration and voter mobilization programs to build long-term power for our membership. The Canvass Manager will provide leadership and ongoing coaching training, supervision, and support to the canvassing team.

Key Responsibilities but not limited to:

Performance: Ensure that canvass goals are achieved by meeting the following objectives:

• Staff recruitment
• Membership recruitment and dues collected
• Doors knocked

Evaluation:

• Fill out and submit weekly reports on recruitment and office performance.

Site Management: Ensure that the office meets performance objectives by:

• Creating long-term, monthly, weekly and daily site schedules and staffing plan
• Building our list of sites by scouting and asking permission for sites on private property
• Attending meetings with other groups find additional sites
• Keeping records on how each site has performed over time, as well as maps of sites in the city

Staff Recruitment: Spend time creating, implementing, and monitoring your recruitment plan to meet your staff recruitment objectives. This includes:

• Postering and flyering. Ensure that enough posters and flyers are placed legally around your city to generate job phone calls
• Perform phone interviews to recruit strong candidates
• Perform group presentations and one-on-one interviews to recruit
• Meet objectives for success rates for each step of the recruitment process
• Track places to poster and flyer on a map to be sent in to your supervisor quarterly

Office Management:

• Make weekly plan for staff and office
• Monitor and control materials to ensure supply
• Maintain workspace and shared areas in a clean and tidy manner at all times
• Follow and help enforce company safety and COVID-19 protocols as needed.

Staff Development: Provide staff with the skills and motivation to meet goals by:

• Upholding MRNJ’s values and mission
• Communicating clearly
• Establishing and maintaining performance level standards.
• Reinforcing standards and expectations regularly, setting objectives for performance with each staff person and giving feedback on performance
• Providing training for staff in approaching, handling objections, and the basics of presentations throughout the first and second week
• Providing role-plays daily for all staff on challenges being faced
• Reviewing staff performance on a daily and weekly basis and making a plan to help staff for the upcoming week each week
• Holding team meetings each week to provide campaign updates, set an committed tone, and build morale
• Training staff as leaders and trainers and pass on leadership roles

Canvassing:

• Canvass Managers are expected to Canvass two to three days per week.

Budget:

• Oversee spending and stay within budget for office supplies, transportation to sites, recruitment, and other budgeted items.

Other:

• Manage the Voter Registration (VR) and Get Out the Vote (GOTV) engagement from planning the turf with full fluency and experience in VAN, to reviewing data and metrics to keep sight of employee performance and pursue corrective actions if necessary.
• Support rapid response efforts
• Attend, participate in, and/or facilitate MRNJ’s events, meetings, and training as needed.
• Other assignments provided by supervisor

Requirements:

• Eligible to work in the US
• Required to be fully vaccinated with and FDA approved COVID-19 vaccine prior to first day of employment
• Proficiency (fluency preferred) in both English and Spanish.
• Associate degree or higher.
• Minimum of 1-2 years of experience canvassing or face-to-face fundraising and a commitment to building the leadership of immigrant and working-class community members, and to working in an anti-oppression framework
• Excellent interpersonal skills
• Excellent verbal communication skills
• Ability to manage and motivate a large team
• Ability to identify, recruit, train and retain staff
• Short-term and long-term strategic planning skills
• Experience in Excel, Word, e-mail and database programs
• Must be willing and flexible to work evenings and weekends as needed.
• Desire to work collaboratively and independently
• Must be able to clearly articulate the mission and political context for MRNJ’s work.
• Must have a valid driver’s license.
• Must be able to commute.

Salary and Benefits:

MRStates offers an excellent benefit package including health insurance, 401K, and generous paid vacation, sick, personal days. The salary range for this position is from $66,312 to $78,652

How to Apply:

Please attach cover letter/resume and submit all documents to the Make the Road New States career center.

Make the Road believes that social change is best achieved through grassroots community-based organizing that flows directly from and engages the community demanding the change. As a membership-based organization, we are committed to providing equal employment opportunities regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity, criminal history, or Veteran status. We strongly encourage those from historically excluded groups to apply.