Volunteer Book Club Facilitator

Internetwork Expert; Portland (OR); On-site; USD 10,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A grassroots organization seeks a Volunteer Book Club Facilitator for its Reimagining Public Safety Book Club. This eight-month series will spur meaningful discussions on community safety, bringing together participants from diverse backgrounds. Ideal candidates will embody commitment to social justice and have experience in organizing. The role requires interaction in both in-person and virtual environments.

Qualifications

• Experience in guiding community discussions.
• Commitment to social justice and racial equity.
• Familiarity with Black Queer Feminist frameworks.

Responsibilities

• Facilitate small group discussions during book club sessions.
• Encourage an environment of peer-to-peer learning.
• Collaborate with education staff for continuous improvement.

Skills

Movement building

Community organizing

Public safety engagement

Job description

Position: Volunteer Book Club Facilitator

Department: Leadership Development

Supervisor: Chief of Leadership and Participatory Visioning (interim President/Executive Director)

Compensation: This is a volunteer position with the option to accept a $50 stipend per session to support your participation.

Location: The contractor is expected to attend somr virtual (Zoom) and in-person sessions. In-person sessions will take place in Old Town, Portland; the exact address will be shared during the volunteer agreement process.

Physical/Cognitive Details: In-person sessions will take place in moderately noisy environments, as multiple small group discussions may occur simultaneously in the same room. The contractor must be able to actively hold space for and facilitate conversations among small groups of participants, requiring sustained attention, emotional presence, and the ability to manage group dynamics in real time.

ABOUT IMAGINE BLACK

Imagine Black (formerly known as PAALF Action Fund) helps our Black community imagine the alternatives we deserve and build our political participation and leadership to achieve those alternatives. Since our start in 2009, we have envisioned a world where people of African descent enjoy the rights, resources, and recognition to be a thriving, resilient, and connected community.

At Imagine Black, we have strengthened our commitment to a Black Queer Feminist (BQF) theory and practice. BQF provides a more holistic understanding of our conditions and connectedness as Black people. As a result, we understand that liberation for all Black people can only be realized by lifting up the voices and experiences and prioritizing the issues of historically silenced and vulnerable groups within Black communities – specifically, queer, trans and GNC, femme, poor, disabled, working and undocumented people (adapted from BYP100).

Imagine Black is a 501(c)(4) multi-issue grassroots organization in partnership with our sibling 501(c)(3) organization, Imagine Black Futures. We have a staff of eleven.

More information about Imagine Black can be found at imagineblack.org.

POSITION SUMMARY

Imagine Black is seeking passionate volunteer facilitators to support our Reimagining Public Safety Book Club, an eight-month political education series grounded in Let This Radicalize You: Organizing and the Revolution of Reciprocal Care (Abolitionist Papers) by Kelly Hayes and Mariame Kaba.

This is a volunteer opportunity for experienced movement builders, organizers, and public safety champions who want to contribute to creating liberatory learning spaces. Facilitators will participate in small affinity group breakout discussions for Indigenous People of Color (IPOC) participants and other breakout groups for white accomplices to help guide conversations from personal reflection to collective action.

While this is a low-bono volunteer role, we are offering an optional $50 stipend per book club session for those who would like to accept it.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Support small group discussions during book club sessions to foster a welcoming and thoughtful environment that promotes popular education.
• Model and encourage peer-to-peer learning, ensuring that the small group feels like a collaborative space where everyone has something valuable to contribute.
• Bring movement-building insights and organizing experience to help participants explore tangible ways to engage in local policy, public safety, and community initiatives.
• Practice active listening, empathy, and accountability, upholding a space that centers Black and Indigenous leadership and aligns with Imagine Black’s values.
• Collaborate with Imagine Black’s Education Manager to provide feedback, share insights, and support the continuous improvement of the book club’s structure and facilitation approach.

We’re seeking volunteers who are deeply committed to movement building, community organizing, and reimagining public safety, especially those who understand the importance of centering the leadership of Black and Indigenous organizations in this work.

Ideal volunteers will bring:

• A grounding in Black Queer Feminist frameworks.
• Experience with the continuum of reimagine public safety strategies and tactics from reform to abolition.
• Experience in organizing, democracy, and civic engagement tactics.
• A practice of guiding people into meaningful, accountable action in solidarity with Black leadership.

Time Commitment: The Let This Radicalize You Book Club runs from August 2025 to February 2026.

Volunteer facilitators are asked to commit to:

• Attend the selected book club sessions, arriving one hour early for setup and staying after for breakdown.
• Completing a brief debrief survey after each volunteer shift to help us improve the experience.
• Occasional 30-minute check-in meetings.

TO APPLY

Please apply through the provided link by submitting your resume.

Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until the position is filled, with priority given to those received by Monday, August 4, 2025.

Please do not send emails or make phone calls regarding your application.

Racial equity is of utmost importance for our search. If you do not meet all of the required qualifications for this role but feel you can be a great addition to our team, please apply and let us know why we should meet you!

Imagine Black profoundly embraces diversity. We are committed to building a team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. We seek to recruit, develop, and retain the most talented people from a diverse candidate pool because we know the more inclusive we are, the better our work will be.