Organizing Fellow

FALL TERM 2022

Interviews will be conducted in August 2022 for an 11-week term beginning August 29th. Deadline to apply is July 24th.

“The work I am doing with Sister District gives me an opportunity to engage with others who share my goals of electing Democrats and improving the lives of millions of Americans. With each and every phone call, I had a chance to share that opportunity with our volunteers.”

–Michael Davis, Organizing Fellow Spring 2020

GENERAL SUMMARY

At 5.5 hours per week over 11 weeks, Fellows will assist Organizing Department staff supporting capacity development and volunteer recruitment for teams nationwide. Fellows will learn and hone vital organizing skills with the support of seasoned campaign operatives with a combined three decades of experience in advocacy and electoral organizing. All work is performed via remote communication using Google Suite, phone, Zoom conference calls, Slack, email, and text. The specific work schedule is flexible. Pay is $15/hr for a total $907.50 stipend.

BACKGROUND

Sister District’s 70+ volunteer teams provide grassroots field and fundraising support to progressive state legislative candidates to build Democratic majorities at the state level. We continue to build robust and effective teams to maximally help elect candidates in 2022. Fellows have a significant role to play.

RESPONSIBILITIES

In collaboration with Organizing Department staff, Fellows will:

• Learn and carry out field-proven best practices for volunteer recruitment and team-building
• Draft and edit effective recruitment scripts for phone, text, and email
• Make volunteer recruitment calls to find new team leaders and assist with capacity projects for multiple existing teams
• Develop strategy, goals, and tactics with a focus on creativity, continuous improvement

PROGRAM STRUCTURE

All mandatory calls will be scheduled using a Doodle poll to accommodate fellow availability:

• First week: Orientation, training. As a group, two 60-minute training sessions lead by Organizing Managers to learn and practice recruitment methods.
• Organizing weeks: 4.5 hours a week drafting/editing/executing project plans with a heavy focus on volunteer recruitment calls; plus weekly 30-minute group strategy/update calls and weekly 30-minute 1:1 calls with staff cohort leader for a total of 5.5 hours a week. There will be an additional two 45-minute strategy and candidate education sessions spaced throughout the term which will be included in the 5.5 hours.
• Final week: project wrap-up and handoff, progress-to-goal review, program evaluation

WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR

Specific campaign experience is not required – if you are a people person who wants to become an organizer, or an organizer who wants to improve your recruitment and team-building skills, we encourage you to apply. We are seeking applicants who are strong writers and copy-editors, good listeners, enjoy meeting new people, and do well talking on the phone. Applicants should be patient, diligent and flexible, able to build personal connections, and ready to deliver compelling messages that are uniquely tailored to each volunteer. Most of all, applicants must be passionate about helping individuals become activists. Must be fluent in Google Suite (e.g., Google Sheets, Google Docs).

TIME COMMITMENT & LOGISTICS

• 5.5 hours per week – Fellows design and keep their own schedule
• Work remotely
• Attend weekly 30-minute call with cohort and staff cohort leader
• Attend weekly 30-minute call with staff cohort leader
• Attend two 45-minute training calls with additional Sister District staff
• Must have personal computer and phone for calls and texts
• We use the Google Suite to track our work and Slack to communicate
• $907.50 stipend ($453.75 at the halfway mark, $453.75 at end of the term)

HOW TO APPLY

Use this link to access the application platform and job description.

Upload your resume and cover letter as PDF 

*You do not need to manually add resume information

Format the file titles as follows: 

firstname_lastname_stateofresidenceabbreviation_cover and firstname_lastname_stateofresidenceabbreviation_resume, e.g. Neal_Morgan_OR_cover & Neal_Morgan_OR_resume. Your cover letter will in itself be a writing sample. 

Please discuss in your letter:

• Why you are interested in this role
• Indicate how you found this role
• What experiences indicate your ability to connect with prospective volunteers, make compelling invitations to motivate their engagement, and help them make their way into leadership roles

For other opportunities for groups and individuals, check out Sister District Affiliates, Student Opportunities, and our State Bridges program.

For non-partisan research based opportunities, please check out the Sister District Action Network led by Dr. Mallory Roman!

Sister District values a multicultural, diverse working environment. Our Racial Equity statement is available on our About Us page at https://sisterdistrict.com/about-us. Applicants of diverse backgrounds and marginalized identities are welcomed and encouraged to apply