LA Voice Community Organizer

Organization:

LA Voice believes all people have power and a voice. Every day we amplify that power by uniting diverse faith voices and equipping grassroots leaders to organize for what their communities need, winning systemic changes that improve the lives of all county residents. We are an interfaith, multi-racial, multi-cultural organization of 70 faith and spiritual communities that represent more than 50,000 families in Los Angeles County. (See our Facebook page L.A. Voice or website www.lavoice.org). Our core strategic values are: exponential growth of grassroots leadership; bridging to belong across difference; and confrontation with power for social transformation.

Our diverse and experienced team works with communities across the county to create a Los Angeles with racial equity and abundant life for all.

LA Voice is a member of Faith in Action (formerly PICO National Network, www.faithinaction.org), the largest grassroots spiritual and congregational organizing network in the U.S. and a member of PICO California, an effective, highly respected grassroots organization playing a significant role to turn the tide toward inclusion and equity and create a true state of belonging.

Position Summary:

LA Voice is seeking a full-time community organizer to support and develop faith-based / spiritually-centered grassroots leadership and power in Los Angeles County. Candidates should have a passion and track record of doing justice and supporting grassroots leaders in building power for change. The ideal candidate will have experience and training in community organizing; effective communication skills relevant to the communities we organize; time management skills; emotional intelligence; comfort or fluency in multiple ethnic and religious communities; a passion for people’s leadership and spiritual growth; a track record of developing other people’s leadership; and clarity that undoing racism is central to the struggle for our shared future. This is an amazing opportunity to be a part of a diverse and growing organization and team that is creating positive, systemic change in Los Angeles and California. 

Essential Functions (to include, but not limited to):

• Build relationships with congregational leaders across a wide geography
• Ten to fifteen 1:1’s a week to identify potential leaders, interests, values, and potential commitment. 
• Organize five to seven local organizing committees at member congregations
• Recruit new congregations and build relationships with clergy and grassroots leaders, supporting them to grow and strengthen organizing committees/ministries
• Develop and conduct training on effective community organizing: research meetings, team building, turnout, power analysis, voter engagement, coalitions, structural racism, storytelling, one-to- ones, etc.
• Train and support grassroots leaders in LA Voice collective campaign work, including preparing leaders for visits to advocate with elected officials, gathering signatures, and turning out their friends and family for actions, press conferences, etc.

Qualifications Required:

• Minimum one year professional or volunteer experience in community organizing or related social change field
• Ability to work with diverse religious, racial, and geographic communities
• Self-motivated, self-disciplined and flexible; able to work independently and on a team
• Group facilitation skills; experience nurturing, managing, and guiding a team of people
• Facility working with clergy and people of faith, in traditional and non-traditional spaces
• Cultural competence and emotional intelligence to support and nurture a culture of belonging in multi-racial and multi-faith spaces
• Effective interpersonal and relational skills
• Able to prioritize and set goals, and to design work plans with support from fellow staff
• Time management; reflective and intentional about time

Other possible qualifications

• Familiarity and experience working on issues of housing, criminal justice or immigration
• Experience organizing in Long Beach, Southeast LA, or San Gabriel Valley 
• Experience organizing within African-American churches
• Fluency in Spanish or other language relevant to our organizing
• Experience doing integrated voter engagement work, including canvassing, phone banking, and using PDI
• Experience organizing with people who have been incarcerated, people without immigration documents, or people experiencing homelessness/housing displacement/severe rent burden
• Life experience with incarceration, being without immigration documents, or homelessness/housing displacement/severe rent burden
• Bachelor’s degree, or other college level coursework 

Compensation and Benefits:

This is a full-time, salaried position.

The job includes regular evening work and some weekend work. The role requires frequent travel within LA County to meet with grassroots leaders, in addition to weekly staff meetings at our offices in Downtown LA.

Salary is competitive for the region and based on experience and demonstrated capacities, in a range from $55,000-$80,000. LA Voice’s compensation structure was developed from best practices in equitable and transparent compensation, and includes a generous benefits package including matching 401(k); 15 days paid vacation increasing to 20 after three years of service and 25 after five years (plus holidays, including the week between Christmas and New Year); and medical, dental, and vision insurance. 

LA Voice is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate against any employee or applicant because of race, creed, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, national origin, disability, age, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, pregnancy or related condition ((including breastfeeding), or any other basis protected by law.