Description

United Today, Stronger Tomorrow  

Western Montana Campaign Organizer 

Contract Position

www.unitedtoday.org 

United Today, Stronger Tomorrow is a five-year-old regional organizing initiative restoring public confidence in democracy and the ability for government and communities to address the biggest challenges of our time. Launched during Covid, UTST first ensured public health measures were deployed effectively and equitably in rural areas. When federal funding started to flow to states and localities, we turned our focus on government accountability and transparency to significantly improve the likelihood that federal funding targeted community-identified priorities, good jobs, and long-term economic development. Today, our work makes both government and corporations accountable to people and communities. We do this by convening important stakeholders together to align around a set of solutions and then work to build power collectively and to engage a new base of people into our work. We are particularly focused on activating and developing people who feel like they lack a “political home”.

UTST’s Montana Program involves:

Statewide Federal Work: Convening key stakeholders such as trades unions; community organizations; and clean energy, environmental, Native, and farmer/agricultural groups into statewide work focused on how to ensure federal policies meet the needs of all communities, create good jobs for local residents, and invest in long term economic development and healthcare.
Building a Community Organizing Project in Western MT/Flathead County: Over the last two years, UTST convened meetings of Flathead County residents to identify local issues and begin to develop campaigns. Affordable housing, equitable and sustainable development, and health, especially mental health services, were all identified, and campaigns developed. 
Job Description: The Campaign organizer will build and manage a member-run, local, organizing committee in Flathead County. This will include working with its members to conduct campaigns on issues that are widely and deeply felt across a diverse MT constituency. In addition to base building, the organizer will develop relationships with existing organizations who are potential campaign coalition partners. The organizer will develop and train committee members, build a campaign plan, and manage the campaign in collaboration with the project partners. The issues, demands, targets, and strategies will be developed by the local organizing committee. 

Job Responsibilities: 

• Build a base of people and organizations and then move them into local campaigns that deliver concrete benefits to Montanans.
• Identify new pipelines of leaders and activists for campaigns.
• Conduct one-on-ones with potential leaders and build leadership development programs.
• Convene issue committees to be co-facilitated by member leaders.
• Manage a texting program.
• Moderate Facebook groups and other social channels specific to the project.
• Identify leadership roles and support leaders in doing community organizing work (training, check-ins, and management, for example).
• Organize and work with leaders to lead meetings and briefings.
• Implement an earned media strategy to garner local press and media attention.
• Organize research teams that can identify policy solutions and communicate them to a general audience.

Requirements

• One to three years experience in base-building and developing community leaders.
• Experience working on a campaign - preferably an issue, administrative, corporate, or unionization campaign.
• Experience managing projects, programs, or an organizing committee.
• Experience working in coalitions and/or with a set of organizations and partners.
• Ability to build and manage relationships with a wide array of stakeholders and to multitask different pieces of work.
• Experience building diverse teams and staffing workgroups and/or committees.
• A track record of recruiting, developing, and managing leaders and volunteers.
• The ability to implement digital organizing tools, tactics, and strategies.
• Strong writing skills.
• Experience working with media (writing press releases, pitching, and organizing press events) is preferred, but not required.
• We are looking for people who live, and or are willing to relocate to the Flathead region of the turf.
• Technical qualifications include working knowledge of EveryAction, Action Network, Spoke texting tool, and some Facebook advertising experience. 

Qualifications: The ideal candidate will have strong experience in base building and leadership development, especially with diverse communities; experience on an issue, policy, corporate, union, or administrative campaign; and interest in leading a campaign. We are open to considering people who do not have paid experience but a deep desire to learn community organizing and to improve their local community. 

Women, Native/Indigenous people, people of color, and LGBTQIA+2S people are strongly encouraged to apply.
The ability to drive long distances and attend national gatherings is required. All expenses incurred from work travel are reimbursed. 
Compensation: This position starts off as a contract position for the 4 month probationary period then transitions to a salaried position. Contract position rate ranges from $35-50 per hour dependent on experience and $60-75K depending on experience when salaried, including benefits. 

To apply, please send a resume and cover letter to jobs@unitedtoday.org that includes why you are interested in this position and how your experience can help build the project. PLEASE PUT “MT ORGANIZER” IN THE SUBJECT LINE.