Milwaukee Area Deep Canvass Field Organizer

Objective: Citizen Action of Wisconsin seeks a dynamic and socially committed person to join our team and lead the implementation of an innovative electoral field program. This is a limited term, full-time (40-50 hrs/week) position located in the Milwaukee area, Wisconsin. This position runs through December 2023. The person will be considered for other open positions when this position expires. Evenings and weekends are required, as well as travel in the Milwaukee area to canvass locations. Applicants should ideally have electoral campaign or community organizing experience.

Description of Work: This position reports to the Movement Politics Director, and works closely with Citizen Action’s Organizing Director and Southeast Co-op organizer. The successful applicant will help implement Citizen Action’s Movement Politics electoral and issue-based program featuring member-driven, volunteer-based, independent work. Pieces of work include deep canvass door knocking and phone banking, assisting in volunteer development, and some text banking.

Milwaukee Area Movement Politics Deep Canvass Field Organizer will work in collaboration with the Movement Politics Director, Organizing Director, and Southeast Co-op organizer to implement Citizen Action’s deep canvass electoral and issue-based field program on doors and phones in the Milwaukee area.

More information about Citizen Action of Wisconsin, our Platform, and our Organizing Cooperatives.

Organizational Background:

Founded in 1983 as a community/labor coalition, Citizen Action of Wisconsin was an early anchor affiliate of Citizen Action/USAction. From its inception, Citizen Action has always prioritized on-the-ground organizing capacity that builds a strong membership organization from one-on-one personal interactions. The organization has also prioritized year-round civic engagement on progressive issues and mobilizing electorally in support of candidates who back our agenda.

Most recently, Citizen Action played a leading role in organizing the network merger that created People’s Action, and has a leading role in the strategy and governance of this fast-growing organizing network. We are also affiliated with Power Switch Action (formerly the Partnership for Working Families).

Citizen Action is a social justice group organizing a deep and multiracial membership base across the spectrum of urban, rural, and suburban Wisconsin. Citizen Action’s theory of building influence is to work on big issues that can be the basis for creating a community of interest across the state. We are dedicated to economic, racial, and environmental justice, and achieving a Wisconsin and an America where every human being has an equal opportunity to live a meaningful and fulfilling life. We believe that organizing is the only pathway to unlocking the true potential of democracy to fundamentally transform our society in the human interest and overcome structural racism, sexism, xenophobia, corporate domination, and other forms of oppression.

Citizen Action employs an integrated strategy of grassroots organizing, educational programming, earned media, voter engagement, and political lobbying to advance progressive solutions and shape the public and political debate around health care, economic development, climate equity, and racial justice.

Citizen Action is spearheading the development of innovative new grassroots organizing and electoral techniques and seeks candidates who are interested in embracing new dynamic approaches.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Work with Citizen Action’s Movement Politics Director and Organizing Director and Citizen Action Southeast Co-op organizer to support our direct voter contact work in the Milwaukee area.
• Work with Citizen Action’s Movement Politics Director and Organizing Director and Citizen Action Southeast Co-op organizer to implement our volunteer 2023 electoral and issue-based volunteer field program: Doors, phones, texting, etc. The program will center our issues, recruiting membership in the organization, and moving voters to our endorsed candidates.
• Utilize the Voter Activation Network (VAN) and other technological tools to implement and track field activities and generate project reports as well as embrace and effectively utilize new communications technology.
• Where appropriate, represent Citizen Action of Wisconsin at progressive partner electoral tables (People’s Action, America Votes, etc.).

 

Desired Experience:

• Experience in successful election (candidate and/or Independent Expenditure) campaigns.
• Community, labor, political or faith-based organizing.
• Commitment to working on racial justice issues, working with communities of color, and with a multicultural base of individuals.
• Experience training and managing volunteer field staff.
• Ability to play a leadership role in developing and implementing volunteer phone and field canvass operations.

 

Required Qualifications:

• Demonstrated commitment to true structural reform at every level of government needed to create a just and sustainable multiracial democracy. This means not only supporting but working effectively to realize in the world the progressive values of economic, gender, racial, environmental justice, and equity for all.
• Either paid or volunteer experience on a candidate campaign, and or experience running for office.
• Experience managing volunteers and/or staff.
• Experience training either staff or volunteers to implement political campaigns.
• Ability to undertake travel in the Milwaukee area to conduct door canvassing.
• Strong creative strategic thinking skills and willingness to innovate in fast-moving issue campaigns and meet deadlines.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Excellent listening, interpersonal and problem-solving skills, strong personal time management skills, organization skills, the ability to work under pressure, and the ability to resolve conflicts while maintaining effective relationships. We are looking for team players who work effectively to create the internal and external solidarity needed to win transformational reforms.
• Intermediate computer skills including email, composing documents, designing flyers, working with databases, and social networking (Familiarity with EveryAction/VAN, GoogleDocs, Google Analytics, as well as managing Facebook pages and/or Twitter accounts).

 

Salary and Benefits: This is a full-time position which runs until December 2023. The position includes cell phone allowance. Some weekend and evening hours are required. The salary is $20/hour and is negotiable based on experience and qualifications.

Application Process: Email cover letter and résumé to Priscilla Bort (Movement Politics Director) at [email protected]. The hiring team will review applications as they come in. The Interview process will begin as soon as we feel we have a diverse and qualified applicant pool. Please, no calls or in-person inquiries, as we want to ensure a fair hiring process.

Women, trans, and nonbinary folks of color, youth, members of the LGBTQIA+ community, veterans regardless of discharge status, formerly incarcerated individuals, people with disabilities, and those facing barriers to employment are strongly encouraged to apply.