Base Building Canvasser (Lexington KY)

Organizational Background

VOCAL-KY is a grassroots membership organization dedicated to building the power of low-income people affected by the drug war, mass incarceration, HIV/AIDS and homelessness to create healthy and just communities. We accomplish this through community organizing, advocacy, direct services, and strategic communications. You can learn more about our work through our website and Facebook and Twitter pages.

Position Description

The GrassRoots Organizing to Win (GROW) Canvasser role is a part-time position, with the opportunity to become full-time. The GROW program is VOCAL-KY's base-building program, dedicated to growing the organization's membership and power. We do this through regular outreach, new member recruitment, and mobilizing members and leaders to meetings, protests, and other events. GROW Canvassers are a vital part of VOCAL-KY's organizing infrastructure, strengthening the organization's base and expanding capacity across campaigns. Examples of active campaigns include advancing policies to reduce criminalization and incarceration and increasing access to housing, services, and care for people who use drugs, people experiencing homelessness, formerly incarcerated people, and people living with HIV/AIDS.

Base Location: Lexington, KY

Job Responsibilities:

Other duties may be assigned. On an ongoing basis regular duties include the following:

• Base Building: Conduct daily community outreach among people directly impacted by HIV/AIDS, drug use, mass incarceration, and homelessness.
• Phone Banking: Conduct mass phone calls to new contacts made during outreach, and to existing members and leaders to mobilize them to action.
• Data-entry: Manage data input from base building and phone banking by using VOCAL-NY’s custom CRM database.
• Grassroots fundraising: Conduct occasional fundraising via “phone banking” to existing donors, and/or through street outreach.

Requirements / Qualifications:

The ideal candidate will have strong communication and leadership skills, and be eager to be in the community talking to new people every day. Candidates must be organized and believe in and support VOCAL-KY’s community organizing model. Candidates must also demonstrate a deep commitment to social justice and be committed to building the power of low-income people living with HIV, drug users, the formerly incarcerated, and the homeless.

The ideal candidate must have:

• Valid driver's license, reliable access to a vehicle, ability to drive, and willingness to occasionally operate a 15-passenger van.
• Ability to conduct 2–3 hours of community outreach, 1–2 hours of data entry, and 2–3 hours of phone banking, four days per week, between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.
• Experience in community organizing or a related field, including community outreach and phone banking.
• Willingness and enthusiasm to conduct street-based, site-based, and door-to-door outreach multiple times per week, for several hours at a time, in all seasons.
• Proficiency with common business software, including Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and email applications.
• Direct lived experience with, or demonstrated commitment to, one or more of VOCAL-KY's core issue areas.

This is not a remote position and requires regular in-person work, including participation in staff meetings and supervision, which may take place in person or virtually. Occasional travel to Frankfort and throughout the region is required.

This position reports to a Louisville-based Senior Organizer and works collaboratively with other members of the community organizing team.

VOCAL-KY is an equal opportunity employer. Women, people of color, people who are LGBTQ and people with disabilities are encouraged to apply. We are especially interested in hiring those who have been adversely affected by HIV, drug use, mass incarceration and/or homelessness.

VOCAL-KY offers a generous benefits package, which includes

• Paid Vacation Time (up to 20 days per year, prorated based on hours worked)
• Paid Wellness Time (up to 15 days per year, prorated based on hours worked)
• Paid Holidays & End of Year closing period (payable when falling on one’s regular work hours)
• Summer Fridays (payable if scheduled to work on Fridays)
• Commuter reimbursement
• $30 monthly cell phone reimbursement or company phone
• Ongoing professional development and training opportunities including $500 in annual professional development funding after one year of employment.