Title: Lead Membership and Outreach Organizer
Position Location: This position will be based in ACT’s DC/MD/VA offices.
Reports to: DMV Chapter Director
FLSA Status: Salaried- Exempt
Employment Type: Full-time
Hours: Monday-Friday, hybrid position, requires a mix of remote work, work on-site, and in the field.
Salary: The base salary for this position is $65,000; 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 skilled and motivated Outreach and Membership organizer to join our organizing team. This position will be crucial in expanding ACT's presence in the DMV region and gaining a deeper understanding of the unique challenges that African immigrants face in the region. The responsibilities of this role include developing and implementing outreach strategies, recruiting new members, working closely with our organizing team to execute grassroots organizing campaigns, and building external partnerships to raise awareness about ACT's mission. This position will be supervised by the DMV Chapter Director, and work closely with the National Organizing Director to advance the chapter's objectives and goals. The ideal candidate will have excellent communication skills and extensive experience in organizing immigrant and BIPOC communities.
Key Responsibilities include:
Outreach:
- Develop and implement outreach strategies to increase membership and engagement within the DMV Chapter.
- Conduct outreach activities in target neighborhoods, such as tabling at events, delivering presentations, and conducting community canvases.
- Contribute to rapid response work, including organizing and engaging in events like rallies, actions, and press conferences.
- Collaborate with the Civic Engagement Director and Chapter Director to increase voter engagement in African communities through focused outreach initiatives such as door-to-door canvassing and phone banking.
- Collaborate with internal teams, such as communications and program managers, to ensure that outreach efforts are in line with Chapter goals.
Organizing:
- Mobilize members for monthly membership meetings and engage members to support campaigns and organizational activities.
- Plan and facilitate educational workshops and community events on various topics to educate members on critical issues.
- Identify and recruit community leaders into the organization.
Leadership Development:
- Develop and train member leaders in recruiting, organizing, facilitation, public speaking, issue analysis, and campaign strategy.
External Partnerships:
- Build and maintain strong relationships with community members, partner organizations, and other stakeholders.
- Represent ACT in community meetings, events, and public forums.
Data Management: Maintain and track outreach activities, membership, and campaign-related data.
Qualifications/ Requirements:
- Minimum 3 years prior experience working as a community, labor, and/or political organizer. A combination of relevant work experience and a related educational degree will be considered.
- Eligible to work in the U.S.
- Proficiency in English is required. Fluency in a widely spoken African language or French is desirable.
- Excellent leadership skills, with a track record of developing and mentoring leaders.
- Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to build relationships with diverse stakeholders.
- Strong strategic thinking and planning skills.
- Commitment to social justice and working with marginalized communities.
- Ability to develop and communicate plans, goals, strategy, and outcomes clearly and persuasively, orally, in writing and in digital presentation.
- Cultural competence and significant experience with African immigrant communities or within the social justice sector.
- 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.
- Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously and adapt to changing circumstances.
- Ability to work flexible hours, including evenings and weekends.
- Proficiency in Google Suite, Excel, and other common business software.
- A driver’s license and car is required.
- Residence in Maryland or DC.
- Familiarity with data management and analysis.
- Commitment to the mission and core values of ACT.
Employee Benefits:
We offer a full comprehensive benefits package that includes Medical, Dental, Vision, a Flexible Spending Account (FSA), and a Simplified Employee Pension Plan (SEP-IRA). Additional benefits include professional development and a sabbatical/longevity bonus.
Paid Time and Holidays Off
African Communities Together (ACT) offers a generous benefits package to full-time employees. Benefits include two weeks of paid vacation and medical leave, a personal day for every two months worked, paid holidays throughout the calendar year (including federal holidays), and a year-end winter break from December 24th to January 1st.
Application Process
To apply, please submit your resume along with a brief cover letter describing your interest in the position here: APPLY. Applicants are encouraged to submit applications by April 1st, 2024; however, applications will be accepted until the position is filled. We recognize that it is highly unlikely that someone meets 100% of the qualifications for a role Studies have shown people of the global majority and female-identifying candidates in particular are likely to “count themselves out” of otherwise well-matched opportunities due to this fact. If much of this job description describes you, please apply for this role.
Equal Opportunity Employer
ACT is an affirmative action employer and strongly supports the social goals of affirmative action. We therefore make special efforts to recruit individuals from groups that are historically under-represented in professional environments, or that suffer from broader societal discrimination.