Lead Community Organizer

Are you angry about the injustices your community faces Do you want to learn how to build the people power necessary to fight those injustices and make real local change As a community organizer with LIFE youll learn how to bring together our areas diverse faith community to address the root causes of serious community problems.

LIFE (Lee Interfaith For Empowerment) is a constituent-led grassroots organization that brings together faith communities to address the root causes of serious community problems across Fort Myers FL.

LIFE is part of the Direct Action and Research Training Center (DART) one of the largest faith-based community organizing networks in the country. We believe that fighting for racial and economic justice is fundamental to our identity as people of faith and we know that successfully fighting for justice requires having power in the public arena. DARTs been organizing interfaith coalitions to build power since 1982. A few of our victories include:

• Over $1 billion invested in affordable housing
• $950 million invested in public transportation
• More than $22 million secured for communities to address the climate crisis and increase resiliency
• Criminal justice reforms resulting in 60000 fewer arrests of children

Primary Responsibilities:

The Lead Community Organizer will direct the organization including hiring and supervising all current and future staff at LIFE. The Lead Community Organizer reports directly to the organizations board of directors. Main duties include:

• Building engagement in the community
  • Train grassroots faith leaders how to engage others in the fight for justice & recruit new leaders and congregations into the organization.
• Drive forward campaigns on community problems
  • Train grassroots leaders to identify community problems conduct research and develop action plans for issue campaigns.
  • Organize public actions of over 1000 people.
• Fundraising from local sources
  • Coordinate an annual 6-8 week fundraising drive with grassroots leaders who fundraise from individuals small businesses and major corporations in the community.
  • Ensure that dues from member congregations are collected.
• Organizational development & management
  • Work with the organizations Board of Directors to map out the strategic direction and development of the organization.
  • Train supervise and evaluate Associate Organizers.
  • Ensure that the organizations finances are in order. This includes maintaining accurate financial records ensuring that all foundation proposals and reports are submitted in a timely fashion.

Who You Are

Youre excited to direct a nonprofit organization and set the vision for its growth. You have a passion for justice and are energized by the prospect of uniting people around a common cause. You are naturally curious and value strong relationships. You may or may not be personally religious. Either way you have a genuine respect for all faith traditions and are excited about uniting faith communities to live out their call to do justice.

LIFE is a diverse coalition that includes communities of color low-to-moderate-income communities and immigrant communities. We strongly encourage people from these backgrounds as well as fluent Spanish speakers to apply.

Qualifications:

• Core passion to win on local justice campaigns
• Excellent relationship-building skills
• Enthusiasm for working with diverse faith communities
• At least three years of professional experience in community organizing advocacy congregational or non-profit leadership
• Experience leading teams of people
• Possession of a valid drivers license and access to a car
• Ability to travel for training events throughout the year
• This role is based in Fort Myers. We are currently considering candidates that are based in Fort Myers or are willing to relocate for this position.

Why Choose DART

DART invests heavily in training and development of our team members. During your first year we provide comprehensive professional development through an initial five-day classroom-style training one-on-one mentoring from experienced DART consultants and three multi-day trainings with organizers across the country. Ongoing professional development continues through individualized coaching and mentoring as well as local regional and national staff trainings.

Compensation and Benefits

The salary range for this position is $63000 to $70000 based on experience. We recognize that highly qualified candidates with more experience may be eligible for a higher salary and we are open to discussing compensation based on individual qualifications and expertise.

Benefits include:

• LIFE makes generous retirement contributions of 12% after one year of employment - no match required.
• Four weeks regular paid vacation
• Paid holidays & sick leave
• Flexible scheduling
• Healthcare reimbursement
• Parental leave
• Mileage reimbursement for work-related travel
• Relocation assistance
• Comprehensive on-the-job training through the DART Organizers Institute and individual mentoring and coaching