WHO WE ARE

Underdog Strategies was founded in 2018 by community organizers with a mission to transform the New York City political and educational sectors. Our team has successfully led our clients to victories through large-scale mobilizations, community outreach, grassroots organizing, state and local level lobbying, public actions and overall campaign strategy. We are proud to support programs and schools advocating for more funding and resources for NYC public schools, first-time candidates, campaign staff, and grassroots leaders through our work. 

THE OPPORTUNITY

We are looking for part-time community canvassers to engage in areas of the Bronx, Brooklyn and Manhattan. This is an opportunity for outgoing and strategic communicators to impact acces to quality public schools for students in underserved communities. Your role will be to speak with parents and community leaders and gain interest in enrollment to public charter schools. 

Each Canvasser is assigned on-site zones to focus on and can expect to work five hours per day for two or three days each week. Our ideal candidate is an experienced canvasser/organizer or anyone who is passionate about improving access to strong schools in underserved areas and is comfortable speaking with strangers on the field.

This is a contract part-time position for 1-3 months with an opportunity to continue working with us in different seasons. Experienced Canvassers may be considered for a Lead Canvasser position. 

RESPONSIBILITIES

Responsibilities include but are not limited to: 

• Identify ideal locations to engage with parents (parks, supermarkets, churches, schools, door knocking, etc) 
• Become an expert on your assigned zone, keeping a pulse on community events and forming relationships with community leaders
• Communicate a compelling message that articulates information about the school, its offerings and the application process
• Persuade parents to take actions that lead to student enrollment
• Collect information from potential applicants and meet daily student recruitment lead generation goals
• Maintain accurate data and report on daily metrics
• Comply with school's goals, messaging, and safety protocols (including the use of PPE and compliance with daily health and safety guidelines)

WHO YOU ARE

Consider applying if you are or have any of the following:

• A strong belief that all students deserve access to excellent schools, and care about fixing New York's opportunity gap
• A natural people-person: you enjoy making conversation with strangers and aren't afraid to initiate dialogue
• Strong communicator: you have experience speaking with people of different backgrounds and are skilled at persuasive and action-driven follow-ups
• Excellent organization skills: you color-code your schedule, file information appropriately and have never missed a deadline
• Error-proof time management and prioritizing skills
• Ability to self-direct with minimal oversight and adapt in uncertainty
• Able and willing to independently travel throughout your assigned zone
• Flexible schedule: able to complete at least 5 hrs/day 2-3 days/week including weekends and at night
• Proficiency in Spanish is a plus

Note: This work requires you to be in person and interact with people outdoors to gather parent and student information. We provide PPE for each member of our team and are committed to your safety. We are happy to work out individualized accommodations for each of our team members.

Salary: $22.00 - $25.00 per hour + opportunity for performance-based bonuses