Field Organizer

Detroit Action, a project of Tides Advocacy; Detroit (MI); On-site; USD 49,000 - 67,000; Full time

Job summary

Detroit Action is seeking Field Organizers to support year‑round campaigns, events outreach and leadership development in Detroit, MI. You will build a strong member base through relational organizing, recruit volunteers, and develop leadership across neighborhoods.

The role emphasizes engagement, follow‑ups, and turning recruits into DA members, with responsibilities for hiring and mentoring canvassers and coordinating campaign strategy.

Qualifications

• Experience and ability to work across racial and cultural lines.
• Experience doing community, labor, or political organizing.
• Experience working in a grassroots membership organization or other social justice organization.
• Knowledge of local community, history and issues affecting Detroiters.

Responsibilities

• Engage, activate and retain members/canvassers and develop a team of leaders.
• Develop an individual strategic plan to meet recruitment and outreach goals.
• Provide timely follow up with leads generated by field efforts and build relationships.
• Support neighborhood chapters, issue committees and caucuses.
• Attend actions, trainings and mobilization opportunities to activate members.
• Mobilize and track engagement of members and activists at events and field opportunities.
• Develop educational materials to raise political consciousness of leaders.
• Generate petition sign-ups advancing the organization's mission and goals.
• Engage new members through meetings and follow ups to convert recruits to DA members.
• Hire, training, and overseeing canvassers and plan canvassing strategy.
• Supervise canvassers who survey the public for data collection.

Skills

Relational organizing

Leadership development

Community organizing

Team building

Strategic planning

Job description

POSITION SUMMARY

Detroit Action is looking for Field Organizers to support year round campaigns, events outreach and leadership development. The Field Organizers are responsible for rapid follow ups of contacts generated by outreach teams, a wide variety of membership engagement and recruitment tactics, leadership development and other tactics geared towards building a thriving base of member-leaders and allies. Successful applicants will have experience engaging in the relational organizing model. Candidates must be experienced in building strong teams of members through leadership development.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

The person will be responsible for engagement, activation and retention of members/canvassers, developing a team of leaders, and executing campaign strategy. The responsibilities of the organizer include but are not limited to:

Develop an individual strategic plan to meet recruitment and outreach goals for the organization

Timely and aggressive follow up with leads generated by field efforts including one on one meetings to build strong relationships and identify and develop leaders into clear membership roles.

Support the building of neighborhood chapters, issue committees and caucuses.

Attend actions, training and mobilization opportunities in order to activate members and activists.

Mobilize and track engagement of members and activists at various events and field opportunities in the database.

Develop the political consciousness of the affiliate organizations’ leaders through popular education, reflection, leadership development and developing appropriate educational materials.

Generate petition sign-ups that build towards the organization's mission and goals.

Engage potential new members through meetings and regular follow ups to move new recruits to become annual DA members

Manage future canvassers (number to be decided based on finalization of electoral program) which includes, cutting turf for canvasser assignments, educating on best practices, and monitoring day-to-day activities

Hiring, training, and overseeing canvassers, as well as planning a canvassing strategy.

Supervise canvassers who survey members of the public for data collection.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

Experience and ability to work/organize across racial and cultural lines.

Experience doing community, labor, or political organizing.

Experience working in a grassroots membership organization or other type of social justice organization.

Knowledge of local community, history and issues affecting Detroiters

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES

Candidates should have a demonstrated commitment to taking action to improve your community or to address specific problems is critical. Experience with or understanding of issues faced by low income people is preferred. The person must have the ability to think strategically, make decisions, be an effective communicator, and be organized.

Proactive, self-motivated individual

Keen analytical skills and technologically savvy.

To be successful, the organizer must have a commitment to social justice, and a belief that those directly affected by issues in society must be at the forefront of changing them. Organizing is a practice, and the person must be dedicated to all aspects of it to be successful – recruitment, leadership development, mobilization and reflection.

ORGANIZATIONAL RELATIONSHIPS

Canvass Field Organizers are supervised by the Field Director and are peer-supported by the Community Organizers. Field Organizers also take direction from the Campaigns Manager and Organizing Director on campaigns. Field Organizers build up the leadership capacity and supervise members/volunteers.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

Must have the physical ability to carry items up to 10 pounds on occasion.

Must have the physical ability to navigate 3 flights of stairs daily in case of elevator breakdown.

Must be able to move around the office to communicate with staff daily.

Must be able to travel domestically on an airplane up to 6 times per year.

Must be able to be outside in the elements 5 hours continuously per day year round.

Must have reliable transportation to assess field daily.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

The position is a full-time position that works up to 40 hours per week.

This position is based in an office building in Detroit, MI.

The position occasionally requires weekend work (Saturday and Sunday).

The position requires work outside up to 75% of the time and will be exposed to the elements and inclement weather.

The position requires occasional national travel up to 20% of the time.

SALARY

Hourly. $58,656 Annually.

About the Organization

Detroit Action and its sister organizations, Detroit Action Education Fund and Michigan Action, are hosted projects of Tides Center and Tides Advocacy. We are affiliate partners of the Center for Popular Democracy (CPD) and the Alliance for Youth Action. The successful candidate will receive generous benefits as provided by Tides.

Detroit Action is an equal opportunity employer. We assure equal treatment in hiring selection,

promotion, transfer, compensation, benefits, training, discipline and other personnel practices

and terms or conditions of employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national

origin, height, weight, marital status, genetic testing status, veteran status, disability, sexual

orientation, gender status, or any other protected class established by all applicable federal,

state and local laws and ordinances.