With offices in Harris, Dallas and Hidalgo Counties, the Texas Organizing Project (www.organizetexas.org) works to improve the lives of low to moderate income Texans by building power through community and electoral organizing. Our organizing efforts are anchored by dues paying members and a base of leaders from the community committed to fighting for improved conditions for their families and their communities – quality schools, access to health care, livable housing, safe neighborhoods, living wage jobs and electoral change in the state.
Job Description: We are seeking a Campaign Organizer to spearhead our "Safe Schools: Strong Academics Campaign" in Dallas. This campaign was started in late 2009 by TOP neighborhoods leaders – parents and grandparents - to put a stop to the school to prison pipeline in Dallas ISD schools, where students of color make up more than 96% of total district enrollment. Since then TOP leaders, along with a local coalition of 14 community and faith-based organizations called the Coalition for Education not Incarceration, has made great strides by organizing for and winning a district wide Task Force on the issue and a pilot program at a local high school to test out an alternative approach to student discipline, building a base of organized parents and community members from local neighborhoods.
The campaign organizer's primary responsibility is to organize a base of TOP members and allied organizations to win improvements in our DISD schools that lead to a quality education for all students. The Campaign Organizer is an employee of the Texas Organizing Project (TOP) and reports to the Dallas TOP Organizing Director. As an organizer for TOP, the Campaign Organizer is expected to head up the Safe Schools Strong Academics campaign while working to fulfill the mission of the organization—building power for low- and moderate-income families in Texas.
Responsibilities:
- Together with the Organizing Director, TOP leaders, and Coalition partners, develop and implement a strategic campaign plan to meet the goals of the campaign.
- Build a base of parents to fight for a lower dropout rate, better academics, safer school climate, and a quality education for every student in DISD schools.
- Build relationships with and develop leadership skills of TOP community leaders to support campaign goals and organizational goals.
- Work with and grow existing TOP schools campaign committee to develop and carry out strategic campaign to improve DISD schools.
- Drive work of existing Coalition for Education not Incarceration, a coalition of nearly 20 community, civil rights, religious, and advocacy organizations that TOP convened to fight toward ending the Pipeline to Prison.
- Recruit additional strategic partners to join the Coalition for Education not Incarceration.
- Mobilize base and coalition partners to actions and meetings to further Safe Schools Strong Academics campaign and other priority TOP campaigns.
- Develop and meet monthly and weekly goals (both quantitative and qualitative) set together with Organizing Director.
- Manage and develop relationships with DISD Trustees, school administrators, reporters, and other key stakeholders and decision makers.
Requirements:
- Commitment to social justice
- Strong communications, interpersonal, organizational, and presentation skills
- Ability to work well with all religious, cultural, ethnic and social groups
- Willingness to work long and often irregular hours including evenings and weekends;
- Fulltime access to a car
- Computer competency – Word, Internet required; Experience in working with database systems a plus
