Job Title: Community Organizer

Location: Louisville

Employment Type: Full-time

Kentuckians For The Commonwealth (KFTC) is hiring a Community Organizer in Louisville to support and strengthen local grassroots leaders, issue campaigns, organizing strategies, chapter(s), and ally relationships in ways that reflect KFTC's vision and values. 

WHO WE ARE

KFTC is a grassroots organization with thousands of members and more than a dozen chapters across Kentucky organizing for a racial and economic justice, a healthy environment, and an honest democracy. We believe in the power of community organizing – people working together to achieve common goals. KFTC members and staff use a range of organizing strategies to build grassroots power and make change, including leadership development, strategic communications, integrated voter engagement, grassroots fundraising, and alliance building.

Through a participatory process involving 140 staff and grassroots leaders, KFTC's leadership adopted the following vision and goal to guide our work through 2031:

Kentuckians For The Commonwealth is a collective light, leading the way to a thriving, joyful, intergenerational, multi-cultural society where people are free from oppression and where equity, health care, and racial, economic, and social justice exist for everyone. We are a beloved community, where all people are connected and affirmed through healthy relationships, and dedicated to achieving mutual liberation.

Guided by Black, Indigenous, People of Color and impacted communities, we will recruit, equip, and activate a network of 100,000 members and partners across all 120 counties to dismantle racism and all systems of oppression, to develop a robust democracy and transform the future of Kentucky.

WHAT YOU'LL DO

KFTC seeks a community organizer based in Louisville who is highly motivated, creative, and committed to social justice. Working directly with a team of local organizers - and in coordination with a KFTC's statewide staff team - this position is responsible for developing relationships with grassroots leaders and allies, building active, diverse local chapter(s), and supporting effective direct-action organizing for racial, economic, and environmental justice and for a healthy democracy. This position may be asked to support KFTC's local organizing efforts in both Jefferson and Shelby counties.  

Key job responsibilities include:

• Build a growing, diverse base of skilled, active, and politically conscious grassroots members and leaders within assigned chapters or geographic region.
• Facilitate effective group communication and decision-making processes to support the development of local chapters and issue campaigns.
• Help plan and carry out effective local and statewide direct action organizing campaigns.
• Organize and drive turnout to events including neighborhood meetings, public hearings, and forums on a regular basis.
• Use voter engagement strategies, including phone calls, tabling, and door-to-door canvassing, to build grassroots power and change Kentucky's political landscape.
• Build relationships and collaborate with local ally organizations.
• Support strategic communications about KFTC's goals, issues, and activities.
• Conduct and inspire effective, consistent grassroots fundraising.
• Contribute constructively and positively to the KFTC organizing and staff teams.
• Efficiently fulfill administrative tasks.
• Be available to travel locally and within the state and accommodate a work schedule that includes some evenings and weekends.
• Contribute to a positive, diverse, and high performing staff culture and team.
• Other duties as assigned.

WHO YOU ARE

You must demonstrate a deep commitment to the vision and values of KFTC and grassroots organizing as an approach to change. 

Prior paid experience as a community organizer or as a field organizer in political campaigns is not a requirement, but is valuable. You should have experience working with groups and developing other people as leaders, and be able to relate to Kentuckians from all walks of life and move people to action. 

Strong interpersonal communication, group facilitation, and listening skills are essential. You should be organized, strategic, able to cope with changing and uncertain circumstances, collaborative, courageous, and compassionate. 

You'll need to work well independently; this job is very self-directed. You should also be skilled at working collaboratively in teams with volunteers and co-workers. And you should be comfortable using (and/or learning to use) technology, including Microsoft and Google platforms, databases, email and Slack communication, and various social media platforms. 

In addition, you should excel in three areas:

1. COMMITMENT AND SKILLS FOR ADDRESSING EQUITY: We're looking for a person who thoughtfully navigates issues related to diversity, equity, power, and inclusion and brings a deep commitment to advancing these values. You should be good at building trust, goodwill, and mutual respect with diverse people in the community. You should also be intentional about creating opportunities for yourself and others to reflect, learn, and unlearn perspectives on race, class, gender, sexuality, physical disabilities, and more.
2. CRITICAL THINKING AND PLANNING SKILLS: A core function of this job is to guide and support groups of people to dream big, identify meaningful goals, build and implement plans, and move through obstacles to make progress. You will need to be good at analyzing situations to see and create possibilities beyond current challenges and uncertainty. You'll need to be comfortable not having all the answers, but instead facilitating a process that generates strategic and creative thinking and builds shared leadership. 
3. SELF-DIRECTION, RELIABILITY, AND RESILIENCE: You must be highly organized, focused, and have a strong work ethic. You'll need to be able to maintain a flexible and productive work schedule, advance multiple projects and objectives, communicate proactively with co-workers and volunteers, and reliably keep your commitments. You should also be able to deal with difficult situations and people with grace, and be able to ask for help.

WHAT ELSE YOU SHOULD KNOW

1. This position will be open until filled; ideal start date is mid-November 2022.
2. This position requires a full-time, flexible, 40-hour/week schedule with frequent in-state travel, some overnight travel, and some work on nights and weekends. A valid driver's license and a vehicle that can be used for work are also required.
3. This position is based in Louisville and has access to a KFTC office in Louisville. 
4. All employees are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and comply with the organization's COVID safety policies and procedures. Employees in need of an exemption from this policy due to a medical reason or because of a sincerely held religious belief must submit a completed Request for Accommodation.
5. KFTC's salary structure starts at $39,215 for a new employee without a 4-year college degree and zero years of relevant experience. Each year of relevant experience a successful candidate brings to the table - taking into account higher education plus paid and unpaid work experience - adds an additional $1,401 to the starting salary. For example, a successful candidate with a 4-year degree and 3 years of relevant work experience would have a starting salary of $44,818.
6. KFTC's staff currently receive an annual cost of living pay adjustment plus an additional flat pay raise (currently valued at $1,401) on their work anniversary.
7. KFTC currently provides free full family health, dental, and vision coverage. We have a comp time policy, 15 paid vacation days, 9 paid sick days, 3 paid personal days, and 11 paid holidays. We offer 40 days of paid parental leave for the birth or adoption of a child, and 20 days of paid family care leave. All staff are eligible for a month paid sabbatical after 5 years. KFTC contributes to a Simplified Employee Pension plan after 3 years of employment.
8. This position is in the bargaining unit of the staff union, which is represented by Chicago-Midwest Regional Joint Board, Workers United, an affiliate of SEIU.
9. KFTC is an equal opportunity employer, and does not discriminate based on race, ethnicity, religion, color, marital status, veteran status, national origin, age, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, physical size or weight, status as parent or caregiver, pregnancy status, ancestry, or physical or mental disability that can be reasonably accommodated without undue hardship.

Our equal employment opportunity philosophy applies to all aspects of employment, including recruitment, training, promotion, transfer, job benefits, pay, and dismissal.

KFTC aims to be guided by people most-impacted by the issues at the center of our work. People of color, people from working class backgrounds, women and LGBTQ people are encouraged to apply.

HOW TO APPLY

Please apply with a resume, cover letter, and contact information for three professional references here on Breezy.

KFTC is currently seeking to fill two organizing positions in Louisville: an organizer and a lead organizer. You are welcome to apply for the role you believe best fits your experience. We may consider you for either role. 

Be sure to include a name, title and organizational affiliation, email and phone number for each of your references. This position is open until filled. We'll review applications starting on the morning of October 24, 2022 and begin reaching out to schedule first round interviews.