Job Description

ACORN International

Cleveland Community Organizer

Based in Cleveland, OH

Pay: From $35,000 – $40,000 per year

Position: Cleveland Community Organizer

Is economic justice a passion of yours? Do you want to work in a grassroots environment that develops groups of low-to-moderate income people to fight for change?

Then we want YOU to join the ACORN organizing team!

What is ACORN?
ACORN is an international community union of low-to-moderate income people. Our purpose is to give low-to-moderate income people the power needed to have their voices effectively heard at the highest levels in the country.

How?
Organizers do direct outreach, listen to community residents’ concerns, and connect what they want to see changed to effective mass-based action. Organizing protests, developing campaigns, coordinating communications and research, and, most important, building powerful local groups in Cleveland and around the country.

ACORN is a multi-issue, mass-based union of low-to-moderate income people. ACORN is able to be both a local-based union winning local campaigns, as well as a large-scale organization combining forces to fight national corporations and governments that are at the root of most of our problems.

We are a tenants’ union. We are a disability action union. We are a worker’s union. We are a consumer’s union. We are whatever our members are. Our members pay dues so that the organization can be sustainable and not dependent on outside funding from government and corporations. Each dues member has a vote, and only members speak for the organization. Our members get elected to our board of directors and set our policy and help determine the tactics.

*APPLY WITH COVER LETTER*

Community Organizer

• Building/expanding neighborhood groups in Cleveland by being directly in the communities we’re organizing.
• Develop building, neighborhood, and Cleveland citywide campaigns with the current ACORN leadership and new leaders from the community that you help develop.
• Are responsible for your own projects such as organizing neighborhood meetings, press conferences, townhalls, protests, sit-ins and other direct actions. This includes all of the strategic planning, logistics, leadership development, media relations, communications and outreach.
• Represent the organization in the neighborhoods, as well as with our leadership at external meetings or events (allies or targets).
• Work with our Lead Organizer on a day-to-day basis to learn the basics of ACORN’s organizing methods and techniques.
• Fundraising and asking for money is a fundamental part of ACORN staffs’ jobs. We are structured like a union: ACORN members pay membership dues. While this is not the entire job, it’s fundamental that community organizers sign up members and can ask for dues and donations.
• 42 hours per week – working in afternoons and evenings between 12-8pm. Salary with benefits, transit reimbursement, sick days and paid vacation.
• Willing and able to travel to training, and staff meetings (some outside the U.S.).
• Dealing with multiple tasks in the same day – flexibility and resilience are keys to success.
• Lots of opportunity for growth. Organizers are advanced quickly who do a good job.

Qualifications and Skills

• No paid experience required.
• Have strong social and people skills.
• Multilingual candidates are encouraged to apply.
• Be self driven and the ability to work both independently but also follow direction.
• Ability to listen in order to identify issues that are affecting our people

Starting Salary: $35,000 – $40,000

To Apply:
Send your résumé and a brief cover letter outlining your interest in economic justice to: field@acorninternational.org .

Job Type: Full-time
Ability to Commute: Cleveland, OH 44109 (Required)
Ability to Relocate: Cleveland, OH 44109: Relocate before starting work (Required)
Work Location: In person

WHEN APPLYING: Be sure to indicate that you saw this information at .

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