Illinois Digital Organizing Manager

THE ROLE

Your role stands at the intersection of organizing and the effort to make positive changes in educational equity and racial justice in Illinois. As a key member of Stand’s Illinois team at a moment of tremendous need and opportunity, you will be responsible for working with individuals to develop and create community engagement opportunities to leverage change using a team-organizing leadership model. The Organizer will be responsible for identifying, coaching, and training individuals using digital and traditional methods and building engaged communities committed to taking local, district, and state action in support of better education outcomes for students. To be successful, you will need to meet people where they are and be comfortable building connections both in person and remotely utilizing digital platforms and spaces. Through your dedication and passionate approach to the role, you get the opportunity to work with colleagues who not only care deeply about justice and equity but who are bold and strategic and take responsibility for achieving substantial progress toward our mission every year.

This position is remote, based in Chicago, IL reporting to the Illinois Executive Director.

THE ORGANIZATION

Stand for Children is a unique catalyst for education equity and racial justice, to create a brighter future for us all.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

Create and facilitate online and offline engagement opportunities for issue and electoral campaigns:

• Build relationships with online state and local education equity, racial justice, parent, and student groups.
• Build a network of advocates in assigned legislative districts.
• Proactively initiate or participate in social media conversations in spaces like Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook as assigned by the Executive Director in collaboration with the Marketing and Communications Manager.
• Conduct and manage all 1:1 outreach to people on the state list who are assigned by the manager and move people up a ladder of engagement.
• Develop, train, and coach people to build and engage their networks using relational organizing tools, authentic 2-way conversations, calls, organic social media, texting, and other digital tools.
• Identify storytellers in collaboration with the Marketing and Communications Manager, including videos and traditional stories for the affiliate to leverage and amplify on social posts, online ads, email blasts, etc.
• Create and facilitate online and offline engagement opportunities including webinars, informational meetings, trainings, skill-building, panel discussions, days of action etc.
• Fully participate in election affiliate work.
• Execute and own your part of the field plan.
• Accountable to your own weekly voter contact metrics.
• Manage volunteers and temporary election staff.
• Perform other duties as required to support the work of the affiliate.

Field planning and training:

• Developing and executing a field plan for your turf that outlines how you are:
• Building an expanded, diverse, and highly skilled base
• Achieving your FE&O, issue, and electoral goals
• Leveraging peak moments such as elections, legislative session, and school board votes to test distributive organizing, relational organizing, online advocacy, and other tools to analyze and adjust as needed.
• Developing mobilization strategies for both reactive and proactive advocacy scenarios and civic engagement—including engaging supporters on mobile platforms to grow and engage new audiences directly.
• Provide coaching and technical assistance to affiliate organizers and temporary staff to help them skill-build, develop and further their organizing goals by leveraging digital organizing platforms and best practices.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Passionate commitment and alignment to Stand for Children’s mission, vision, and values. 
• At least two cycles as an organizer and/or digital organizer.
• Demonstrable experience with the fundamentals of organizing, relational organizing, and distributive organizing model.
• Demonstrable experience developing leaders who drove change in an issue or electoral campaign.
• Demonstrable experience using social media in an issue or electoral campaign to increase an organization’s reach, relevance, and influence.
• Demonstrable facilitation and/or training experience.
• Experience with SMS, Hustle, Facebook Messenger, Instagram, and other social media for digital communications.
• Experience with some or all of the following tools: CRMs (ActionNetwork, SalesForce, NationBuilder), texting (Hustle, ThruText, Strive, Spoke), online advocacy (EveryAction, New/Mode, Phone2Action).
• Ability to be flexible and steadfast in the face of ambiguity; self-motivated problem-solver and critical thinker.
• Effective interpersonal communicator adept at building relationships online and offline; remotely and in person.
• Strong organization and time-management skills to keep projects moving, to make sure things don’t slip through the cracks, and to meet deadlines.
• Willingness to work flexible hours including some evenings most weeks and occasional weekends; full-time access to a car.
• The ability to be in multiple locations in a week, the ability to transport items, and set up and take down meeting equipment (chairs, tables, projectors, screens, etc.) may require climbing stairs.