Research and Policy Community Organizer
Job Description
About Denver Families for Public Schools (Denver Families)
Denver Families for Public Schools works to increase civic engagement and electoral participation in order to promote educational equity and empower communities. Families in Denver know that every student deserves a great public education at a school that puts their needs first regardless of zip code or income. We believe that public school families can contribute to a quality education by uniting as a powerful voice for children, our schools and our communities. At Denver Families we unite these voices to advocate for outstanding public school options for every child in our city.
Position Overview:
The Community Organizer will work with passion toward transformational change centered on empowerment, movement-building and representation. They will report to the Director of Programs and Advocacy to implement strategies that promote civic engagement and electoral participation in Denver. As a recently founded nonprofit, the professional hired to take on this role will have an exceptional opportunity to build the organization’s presence with school communities. The Community Organizer will work with school staff, parents, students, and community members to develop and execute advocacy-based programs and initiatives. Their efforts will focus on three core areas: grassroots organizing, leadership development, and event management.
Responsibilities:
- Grassroots Organizing – 70%: Empowering families, educators and community members to take an active role in shaping the systems and policies that define public education is the heart of our mission. The Community Organizer will encourage broader civic engagement and recruit, develop and equip education advocates to fight for educational equity. They will work directly within school communities; attending school and district events, attending school board meetings, and tabling and presenting in community settings across Denver. To be successful, the Community Organizer will collaborate with Denver Families staff, contractors, and school employees to develop and execute educational and advocacy-generating programs. They will be the face of Denver Families’ work and will be instrumental in building community-centered initiatives that encourage electoral participation and advocacy. The Community Organizer will consistently monitor the education landscape in Denver and implement campaigns to advocate for policies that further the effort to ensure that every student has access to a great public school option regardless of zip code or income
- Leadership Development – 20%: Denver Families seeks to identify community stakeholders with a passion for public education and equip them with the tools to be vocal leaders at all levels of policy formation. The Community Organizer will be responsible for implementing leadership and advocate training programs focused on building power and politically engaging public school families, educators and community members. Through their organizing activities, they will identify and recruit candidates for leadership development and lead trainings that will equip these individuals with the knowledge and skills to create change. The Community Organizer will manage data and track the success of their activities through CRMs.
- Event Support – 10%: As an advocacy and empowerment-centered organization, Denver Families will frequently host events, trainings, and meetings. The Community Organizer will assist in the planning and execution of all Denver Families events, from major convenings to smaller community gatherings and stakeholder meetings. The Community Organizer will also be responsible for identifying and executing events that will increase civic and electoral engagement within the communities they work in. Responsibilities will include identifying locations, arranging and producing event agendas and materials, creating post-event surveys, and direct event staffing.
Qualifications:
- Belief in the power of grassroots organizing, passion for educational justice and urgency around improving educational outcomes.
- Ability to operate with purpose and accuracy in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment.
- A minimum of 1 year of organizing experience, working through a community-based organization or electoral campaign. Comparative experience, especially within a public education setting, will also be considered.
- Ability to recruit and manage volunteers.
- Strong interpersonal, relational and organizational communication skills.
- Understand and appreciate the use of outcomes-based data and information to help drive performance. Experience utilizing campaign and voter file databases.
- Ability to build relationships quickly with diverse stakeholders.
- Ability to take initiative and a high level of ownership for outcomes and exercise sound judgment in day-to-day decision-making.
- Possess a spirit of flexibility, an openness to feedback and a commitment to learning.
- Strong orientation for service to others and empowering marginalized communities.
- Ability to work independently and function in a hybrid (remote and in-person) environment.
Nice to have:
- Proficiency in Spanish is a plus.
- Knowledge of education policy, education entrepreneurship and school governance models are a plus.
- Prior experience in public education or supporting public education is a plus.
Salary:
The salary range for this position is $55,000 – $65,000.
In addition to a competitive salary, Denver Families for Public Schools offers a comprehensive benefits package, including: an unlimited paid time off policy; paid sick leave; paid holidays; 401K retirement plan with a 5 percent employer-paid match; and competitive employee health, dental, short-term disability and caregiving and family leave plans.
At Denver Families for Public Schools diversity, equity and inclusion are at the core of our mission. We believe that diverse teams lead to better solutions. We understand that a greater depth in lived experiences promotes creative thinking and empowers us to address complex issues. We strive in our hiring to ensure that our candidate pool is diverse in terms of race, age, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic background, physical or mental ability, origin, and religion.
