Community Organizer

Who We Are

My Eden Voice is a member-based, base-building organization formed in 2018 to build power and win campaigns for racial, housing, economic, language, and environmental justice in the urban unincorporated communities of Alameda County. We believe power comes from a large membership with a shared political identity rooted in the liberation of our people. We are a small team that punches above its weight, and we are in this for the long haul.

The Role

You will lead our tenant rights organizing and support one to two grassroots groups. We are transitioning to a distributed "snowflake" model, where resident leaders recruit and run their own teams and are held accountable for building campaigns. You will help make that shift real by coaching, training, and leading alongside them.

Primary Responsibilities (about 80% of your time)

Base building

• Complete new one-on-ones every week to grow our membership and identify emerging leaders
• Co-develop site-based and neighborhood-based recruitment of tenants and residents, including targeted individual and institutional outreach especially to Asian American, Pacific Islander and Black diaspora communities
• Move people up the ladder of engagement, from first contact to member, active committee member, committee leader, and leader of leaders, with clear asks at each step
• Track conversations and commitments in our CRM and use the data to adjust your plan

Strategy and campaign leadership

• Work with Eden Renters United leaders, MEV grassroots groups, and allies to draft and carry out a base-building plan to advance tenant protections in unincorporated Alameda County (Ban Junk Fees, Rent Stabilization, Proactive Code Enforcement)
• Analyze power and County targets, including the District 3 and District 4 Supervisor offices, and develop messaging and strategies to win
• Lead campaign work from planning through escalation, public actions, and evaluation

Leadership development and coalition

• Coach and train resident leaders in one-on-ones, power analysis, meeting facilitation, and public speaking, and hold them accountable to their commitments
• Build and sustain relationships with allied organizations, working in coalition while staying accountable to our members' priorities
• Develop a culture of peer-learning and support

Supporting Responsibilities (about 20%)

• Support culture building of our membership through monthly political education workshops, and quarterly members' meetings
• Support other campaigns as needed
• Take on other activities as agreed

Qualifications

• 3-5 years of grassroots organizing, leadership development, and campaign experience, with a record of building a base
• Skill at one-on-one relational meetings, recruiting and coaching volunteer leaders, and moving people into action
• Experience working in coalition, and with diverse, low-income communities and people of color
• Comfort with door-to-door canvassing, workshop facilitation, and public speaking
• Humility, an inquisitive spirit, and a demonstrated commitment to racial equity and social justice
• Written and spoken fluency in English; proficiency in another language spoken in our communities preferred
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines, and to use CRM, communication, and project management tools
• Preferred: shared life experience and cultural competency with the unincorporated community; experience with distributed organizing models

Work Environment

We are a collegial team with a hybrid schedule. In-person work happens mostly in the urban unincorporated area, with some evenings and weekends and a flexible workday. Frequent local travel requires a car and a valid driver's license. The role involves regular movement between sites, long periods of standing or walking, sometimes in inclement weather, and lifting up to 20 pounds occasionally. We make reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities.