Career Opportunity – Community Organizer
American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Be Part of a Pivotal Moment in History.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota is looking for an Organizer to join our team! Specifically, we are seeking a passionate and dedicated Organizer to engage in outreach efforts to justice system-impacted individuals – focusing on voting restoration initiatives, contributing to electoral work and advocating for general civil rights. The successful candidate will work closely with communities and stakeholders to promote equality, justice and civil liberties throughout Minnesota. This position is intended to urgently engage with new Minnesota voters to increase voter turnout among those who recently had their right to vote restored, to create a more representative activist base and to ensure more Minnesotans are fully aware of their voting rights.
At ACLU of Minnesota, we take pride in our reputation of more than 70 years of fighting the hard fight for people whose civil liberties are threatened or denied. And now – as we enlarge our staff to face the current threats to our civil liberties – is the ideal time to join us!
Working closely with many of the other community engagement, litigation and legislative policy team members, this Organizer position will also play an essential role in developing and maintaining a healthy and thriving organizational culture that values the principles of equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging and making sure that we make progress toward our goals of fighting for systemic change and racial justice internally and externally.
The position is based in our Minneapolis office, providing access to the best that the Twin Cities area offers. The ACLU of Minnesota currently employs a hybrid work environment with some level of remote work acceptable.
Our Organizer’s Responsibilities will include for example:
1. Voting Restoration and Electoral Work:
a. Advocate for voting rights and work towards increasing leadership of justice-impacted individuals.
b. Provide information and assistance to individuals seeking to regain their voting rights, including assisting with voter registration, education, and participation.
c. Collaborate with legal and policy teams to advocate for reforms that remove barriers to voting for justice-impacted individuals.
d. Support ACLU electoral campaigns and initiatives.
e. Assist in organizing voter education and mobilization efforts, including voter registration drives, candidate forums, and issue-based campaigns.
f. Coordinate with volunteers, community groups, and coalition partners to maximize electoral impact.
2. Generalist Outreach and Engagement:
a. Identify, cultivate, and develop 1:1 relationships with community leaders across Minnesota with an emphasis on the Twin Cities.
b. Build organizing teams and train leaders with the power to win policy changes that transform Minnesota’s criminal legal system and promote voting rights by utilizing the ACLU integrated advocacy organizing model.
c. Develop strong relationships and galvanize support of community organizations, public officials, faith leaders, business leaders, donors, and new and diverse communities for organizing campaigns.
d. Represent ACLU-MN in coalition meetings and work collaboratively on joint efforts with community organizations and coalition partners.
e. Use weekly planning and tracking tools to report on goals, outcomes, and key learnings. Maintain and update leader lists, regional sign-in lists, and other data.
f. Work collaboratively with an interdisciplinary team to integrate and align organizing strategies with strategic communications, policy, litigation, electoral programs, and other strategies and tactics.
g. Organize and participate in events, workshops, and public forums to raise awareness about civil rights issues and promote community engagement.
3. General Civil Rights and Civil Liberties:
a. Work on various civil rights and civil liberties issues (including but not limited to racial justice, LGBTQ+ rights, reproductive freedom, immigrant rights, and freedom of speech).
b. Assist in conducting research, data analysis, and policy/legal advocacy to support the ACLU's work on these issues.
c. At the direction of the Organizing Director, collaborate with legal and policy teams to develop and implement strategic campaigns and initiatives.
Qualifications that help make the successful candidate:
● At least one year of experience working in community advocating for change.
● At least one year of experience working directly with volunteers strongly preferred.
● Personal experience being incarcerated or in other meaningful ways being impacted by the criminal justice system preferred.
● Knowledge of and/or experience with criminal justice reform advocacy and messaging, or an ability to quickly become conversant with the latest decarceration research, messaging, and tactics used to educate the public and influence policymakers.
● Experience in community organizing, outreach, and coalition building.
● Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to engage diverse communities and build relationships.
● Ability to work independently and collaboratively, with strong organizational and time management skills.
● Full-time variable schedule with 1-2 evenings/Saturdays per week.
● Familiarity with the local political landscape and knowledge of Minnesota's social justice organizations and networks is a plus.
● Commitment to the ACLU's mission and principles of equality, justice, and civil liberties.
Compensation Range: $55,000 - $62,000; Benefits include medical and dental insurance, employer contribution to 401(k) plan, vacation, holidays and sick leave, long-term disability and life insurance
TO APPLY:
Please click on the link below for an application.
To be included in the application:
Be prepared to upload. (All attachments should be in Word or .pdf format):
● Letter of interest
● C.V./Resume
● Three professional references (relationship, email address, and phone numbers).
● We at the ACLU Minnesota are committed to helping our team members do their best work. Our promise is to champion diversity, build an inclusive and belonging culture and do our part to create a more equitable world. Please submit a short written statement that explains how you can contribute to making our promise a consistent reality.
(Your references will not be contacted unless you are a finalist for the position.)
Applications will be accepted through July 7, 2023, or until the position is filled.
ACLU is an equal opportunity employer. We value a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture. The ACLU encourages applications from all qualified individuals without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, marital status, citizenship, disability, veteran status, and record of arrest or conviction.
The ACLU undertakes affirmative action strategies in its recruitment and employment efforts to assure that persons with disabilities have full opportunities for employment in all positions. We encourage applicants with disabilities who may need accommodations in the application process to contact: jburman@aclu-mn.org. Correspondence sent to this email address that is not related to requests for accommodations will not be reviewed. Applicants should follow the instructions above on how to apply.