San Diego Field Organizing Fellow

Interviews will be conducted in mid April 2026 for a 27-week term beginning May 18 and ending November 22. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis with priority given to candidates who apply by April 3, 2026.

This is an in-person role based in San Diego with work taking place across the city and nearby communities within approximately a one-hour radius.

GENERAL SUMMARY

This is a 27 week training internship/fellowship. At 15 hours per week over 27 weeks, Field Organizing Fellows will serve as the on-the-ground catalyst for building new States Win chapters. Fellows will activate existing volunteer leads, recruit new supporters, develop local leadership, and build the infrastructure needed for volunteer-led teams to thrive beyond the fellowship term.

This role is ideal for someone who is energized by building relationships in their community, relational organizing, and developing leaders. They are excited to connect with people face-to-face, and are hardworking, organized, and proactive. The ideal candidate combines professionalism with warmth, communicates with confidence and thrives in a fast-paced, goal-driven environment. They are excited to engage community members through one-on-one meetings, county gatherings, school events, and tabling opportunities to expand outreach and strengthen local engagement.

Fellows will learn and hone vital organizing skills with the support of seasoned campaign operatives experienced in electoral organizing. All work is performed in-person in San Diego and the surrounding areas within an hour drive. Must have general availability across weekday and weekend mornings, afternoons and evenings. The specific schedule will vary based on operational needs and will include a combination of both set hours and limited flexibility. Attendance at scheduled meetings is required.

This fellowship is unpaid and provides a cost of living stipend in the amount of $8,100.

BACKGROUND

States Win is building powerful, volunteer-led teams that organize year-round to strengthen democratic participation and electoral impact. Our volunteer teams provide grassroots field and fundraising support to progressive state legislative candidates to build Democratic majorities at the state level. Fellows will have a significant role to play in building robust and effective volunteer teams to maximally help elect candidates in purple districts, with a focus on swing states in 2026.

RESPONSIBILITIES

In collaboration with Organizing Department staff, Fellows will:

• Conduct one-on-one conversations with prospective volunteers
• Reach out to existing volunteer leads via phone, text, and email
• Identify volunteers with leadership potential
• Plan and host in-person (and virtual) recruitment events
• Build a welcoming, inclusive volunteer culture
• Create a States Win volunteer team
• Train and mentor volunteers to take on organizing roles
• Support volunteers in planning and leading meetings and events
• Support the creation of defined volunteer leadership roles
• Establish basic team infrastructure (communication channels, calendars, meeting norms)
• Gradually transition responsibility from staff-led to volunteer-led efforts
• Maintain accurate organizing data and activity tracking
• Ensure continuity and sustainability of the local chapter
• Learn and carry out field-proven best practices for volunteer recruitment and team-building
• Learn how to develop, and then practice developing organizing strategy, goals, and tactics with a focus on creativity and continuous improvement to meet States Win’s goals
• Learn to and then practice drafting and editing effective recruitment scripts for phone, text, and email
• Learn best practices for phonebanking and practice those new skills by supporting national phonebanking efforts to maximize effective direct voter contact in critical state legislative districts

PROGRAM STRUCTURE

All cohort calls will be scheduled with attention to fellow availability:

• First two weeks/onboarding: Group training and orientation sessions led by Organizing Department staff. Goals: learn and practice essential organizing and phonebanking skills; understand States Win’s systems and structures.
• Organizing weeks: 4 hours a week drafting/editing/executing plans with a heavy focus on volunteer recruitment; 2 hours a week of hosting and supporting States Win phonebanks , 2 hours of cohort meetings, to include a weekly group strategy/update call, weekly 30-minute training workshop; weekly 30-minute 1:1 call with staff cohort leader; 2 hours of drafting, editing and sending emails to mailing lists; 5 hours of recruiting and attending meetings with volunteer leads and hosting engagement events.
• Total: 15 hours a week.
• Final week: post election debriefs with team, wrap-up and handoff, progress-to-goal review, program evaluations and exit interviews.

WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR

This fellowship is designed to train aspiring organizers in voter contact and volunteer capacity-building through personal connection and conversation. Prior campaign experience is not required. We welcome applicants who enjoy meeting new people, building relationships in the community, working as part of a team, are strong writers, good listeners and do well speaking on the phone and at in person events. Applicants should be patient, diligent, and flexible, able to build and nourish personal connections, and ready to deliver compelling messages that are tailored to each volunteer. Must be fluent in Google Suite (e.g., Google Sheets, Google Docs). If you are a people person who wants to become an organizer, or an organizer who wants to hone your skill set, please apply!

REQUIREMENTS:

• Strong interpersonal and relationship-building skills
• Energetic about engaging, appreciating, and building relationships with volunteers
• Ability to motivate, support and develop volunteer leaders
• Ability to work independently with remote supervision
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to present a training effectively and accurately in front of audiences of various sizes and skill levels
• Patient, detail oriented, and comfortable working with volunteers of all ages and backgrounds
• Strong passion for electing Democrats to state legislatures
• Commitment to States Win mission and values

We encourage candidates who meet many—but not necessarily all—of the following:

• Ability to troubleshoot basic phonebank tech issues, or willingness to learn
• Experience in grassroots organizing, field campaigns, or volunteer management
• Experience with volunteer recruitment or management a plus
• Familiarity with the local community is a strong plus
• Experience with volunteer recruitment or management a plus, but not required
• Experience with OpenVPB a plus, but not required
• Campaign experience not required

TIME COMMITMENT & LOGISTICS

• Start Date: May 18, 2026
• End Date: November 22, 2026
• 15 hours per week – specific schedule includes both set and flexible hours. Standing weekly meetings and phonebanks will be scheduled/assigned according to Fellow availability
• Work in assigned region
• Attend weekly hour-long call with cohort and staff cohort leader
• Attend weekly 45 minute training workshop with Organizing Staff
• Attend weekly 30-minute call with staff cohort leader
• Attend 1 weekly States Win phonebanks, totaling 2 hours
• Must have reliable, stable internet connection for Zoom + phonebank web interface
• Must have personal computer and phone for calls and texts
• Must have car/access to reliable transportation
• We use Google Suite to track our work and Slack to communicate
• $8,100 cost of living stipend, disbursed in every three weeks, with nine equal payments over the term
• One virtual interview will be conducted and 1-2 references will be requested, for finalists.

States Win values a multicultural, diverse working environment. Our Racial Equity statement is available on our About Us page at https://stateswin.org/our-approach/#about-us. Applicants of diverse backgrounds and marginalized identities are welcomed and encouraged to apply.

THE ORGANIZATION

Since launching in the wake of the 2016 election, States Win has grown to over 100,000 volunteers across the country. We have endorsed 185 candidates across 18 states, 167 of whom won and have gone on to fight for progressive issues in their state legislatures. We have raised more than $8.1 million in small-dollar donations directly for our candidates. Our organizing efforts have reached out to more than 7.9 million voters through phones, texts, postcards, and door knocks. We also partner deeply with our campaigns to provide professional training, advice, and guidance to help candidates and staff build winning campaigns.

States Win not only helps to win urgent elections each year, but also builds Democratic infrastructure for the long term. We do this by training newly elected legislators and former candidates, conducting academic-quality civic research, supporting community-based organizations, and more.

We are open to volunteers and candidates of all genders, and we are proud to be an organization founded and led by women, including women of color.