Title: Organizing Specialist
Position: Temporary
Location: Northwest, Heartland, Ohio Valley, South Atlantic
Organization Overview
Planned Parenthood is the nation's leading sexual and reproductive health care provider and advocate. The Community Outreach Group is a part of Planned Parenthood, but a separate organization that supports Planned Parenthood with short-term staffing and large-scale advocacy campaigns.
Program Overview
In 2015, numerous attacks will likely be made on women's access to healthcare in state legislatures across the country. Planned Parenthood is partnering with the Community Outreach Group to staff four Rapid Response Organizing Specialists to help fight back and protect access to reproductive care in key states.
General Description
The Community Outreach Group is seeking highly motivated candidates to serve as Organizing Specialists to work in close coordination with Planned Parenthood's national field team, and deploy to target states to help seize key moments, organize supporters, win state legislative fights, and build power for Planned Parenthood and the women's health movement. Each Organizing Specialist will be assigned to a region of the country, and will work with Planned Parenthoods existing infrastructure develop and execute campaign plans in their assigned states. Organizing Specialists will deploy to a single state for a several-month assignment, and be responsible for driving the work on the ground in that placement.
Organizing Specialists report to a Program Director at the Community Outreach Group, and be assigned to a Planned Parenthood Regional Field Director. While every assignment will be different, campaign elements might include direct constituent contact, volunteer engagement, building coalitions, and planning or managing evens like press conferences or rallies.
The Rapid Response Program is tentatively scheduled to last through April 2015, with a likelihood of extending through December 2015. Organizing Specialists will be based in their home regions, and work remotely between deployments. While deployed, all travel costs will be covered by the Community Outreach Group.
Positions will be based in the Northwest, Heartland, Ohio Valley, and South Atlantic.
Each deployment will be different, but work may include:
• Working with Planned Parenthood Regional Field Director, Community Outreach Group Program Director, and affiliates to craft and hone campaign plans.
• Recruiting, training, and managing volunteers who will participate in phone banking, door-to-door canvassing, and community events such as house parties, town hall meetings, press conferences, or rallies.
• Engaging in direct constituent contact through canvasses, phone banks and other campaign events.
• Executing a region-wide outreach program.
• Building coalition support through organizing partners.
• Generating public awareness and support through grassroots outreach.
• Training and mentoring of existing affiliate based organizers.
• Debriefing each assignment to capture key learnings, build case studies, and create training content.
• Supporting National Planned Parenthood training conferences.
• Amplifying campaigns through earned or digital media.
Qualifications:
• These positions are appropriate for mid-to-senior level organizers. Organizers must have completed at least one electoral or advocacy campaign.
• Candidates must have a knowledge of and strong commitment to progressive causes. Knowledge of reproductive health issues is a plus.
• Candidates must have strong interpersonal skills, experience meeting deadlines, and the ability to manage many tasks simultaneously and independently.
• Candidates must have strong communication skills.
• Experience managing and holding others responsible to quantitative and qualitative goals is a plus – especially experience managing volunteers or coalition partners.
• A general understanding of setting goals, selecting targets, and measuring progress is necessary. Experience with VAN database management is a plus.
• Proficiency with Google Docs, Excel and Microsoft office a plus.
• Access to a vehicle is required.
Compensation
All employees are temporary through April with a possibility of extending through December. Pay is highly competitive and health benefits are available.
To apply, please email a copy of your resume and a brief cover letter and three references to the Program Director at Scott.Kalota@
The Community Outreach Group, LLC is an equal employment opportunity employer and is committed to maintaining a non-discriminatory work environment and does not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, marital status, sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. Community Outreach Group, LLC is committed to creating a dynamic work environment that values diversity and inclusion, respect and integrity, customer focus, and innovation.