Grassroots Organizer & Communications Coordinator - Gun Violence Prevention

We are searching for a dynamic grassroots organizer to help us build a strong gun violence prevention movement in Oregon. You’ll help us advocate for gun violence prevention policies at the state level as well as in the metro region, with a focus on preventing gun homicides, suicides and shootings. 

About the Oregon Alliance for Gun Safety

We are a nonprofit 501(c)3 and advocacy organization 501(c)4 and also run a PAC. Our mission is to end gun-related tragedies and build communities where all Oregonians have opportunities to thrive. 

We support and advocate for both community-led solutions as well as evidence-based policies that have been proven to save lives. This is our first year running a political program to elect candidates that champion gun violence prevention. 

Primary Responsibilities

• Build a strong storytelling program with survivors and those affected by gun related tragedies:  We know change happens when elected leaders and community leaders hear directly from those most impacted. Connect and build relationships with people who have lost loved ones to gun-related tragedies or who have personal connection to the issue. Support them in raising their voice and making sure their voices are heard. Create strategy for survivors and impacted communities to be heard by elected city, county, metro and state leaders. 
• In-Person Mobilization: Recruit, train, and work with community members and survivors to provide in-person testimony and support gun violence prevention policies at local city and county meetings, and Oregon  state legislature.
• Social media: Led our social media program, increasing following, engagement, and creating content that drives community members to participate in our digital and in person mobilization, and highlights voices of survivors.
• Digital Mobilization: Build a strong digital communications program through email, text, social media, and online petitions that build and mobilize a  base of support for gun violence and gun tragedy prevention. 
• Materials development: Create materials for community members, lawmakers, the public, and the media to educate our community on gun violence prevention and advance our work, including email campaigns, fact sheets, analyses, and presentations.
• Cultivate relationships with partner organizations:  Build connections to organizations that support gun violence prevention policies and seek opportunities for meaningful partnerships. 

Additional Responsibilities, in partnership with our broader team

• Volunteer management and retention: Recruit, train, and work with volunteers on a variety of projects across all of our organizational functions. Work closely with other members of our team to support effective volunteer management. Develop systems and programs to retain and recognize volunteers.
• Survivor support: Learn from experiences and stories of those most impacted by gun violence, and help us build programming and systems to better support survivors and their families and communities and remove current barriers to accessing support. Support survivors we work with to services and community support.
• Local representation: You’ll attend and represent the Oregon Alliance in the community, across the state, and in a variety of roles, coalitions, and/or events, which will include some evening and weekend work. 

About You

You care about Oregon and about Oregonians. You believe change is possible and a new approach to gun violence prevention and policy can make our state a stronger, safer place. Ideally, you:

Bring strong people skills: You can communicate effectively to people from different areas of the state and across different racial, ethnic, class and educational backgrounds. You like meeting new people and bringing them into a cause. You don’t mind reaching out or cold calling someone you haven’t met before.

Survivor-focused, trauma and empathy centered: You approach your work with a trauma-centered and empathy-centered lens. If you don’t have a background in this area, we will support the right person to gain skills in trauma-informed work.

Digital engagement: You have experience engaging in digital communications, whether through social media, video or other platforms. This can be professional experience or in your personal life.

Well-organized and take initiative: Able to work on multiple projects at once, and keep track of different projects, timelines, and communications. You are able to work independently and take initiative, while also being collaborative and communicate with the rest of the team.

Understand historic and structural racism: You understand, or have a willingness to learn, about how gun violence is connected to historic racism and is rooted in structural inequality. You care about treating all people fairly.

Excited to make change and address root causes: We know we can prevent gun violence and gun suicides. But it will take all of us. To be truly effective, we must work across issues as we know gun violence and gun suicide is deeply connected to a lack of resources in our communities. 

Valued and preferred experience (not required but any of the following are preferred):

Personal experience: We value the experience of individuals who bring direct personal experience with one or more of the Oregon communities most impacted by gun violence: Black and Latino community members; Veterans; Tribal community members; rural community members; and/or youth/young adults.

Prior grassroots organizing experience: Prefer a candidate with 2 years experience (volunteer included) in grassroots organizing or prior campaign or legislative experience, but not required. For the right candidate, we will provide comprehensive training.

Database experience: Prefer a candidate with prior experience working in EveryAction or a similar database, but not required.

e will provide comprehensive onboarding training to support the right person in understanding and eventually leading program planning and evaluation work.

We provide a generous paid time off package and believe in a healthy work life balance. We also support opportunities for professional development and community service for all staff.

Oregon Alliance for Gun Safety staff work remotely but the person in this role will be expected to regularly and actively participate in in-person activities in their community and surrounding communities. The role will require occasional travel. This role will also require some evening and weekend work.

Must live and work in Oregon.

Note: this position is funded for one year, with the possibility for an ongoing role.