Southwest Michigan Regional Organizer

The Michigan League of Conservation Voters (LCV) — one of Michigan’s largest, most impactful political advocacy organizations working to clean up our water and air, address climate change, and protect access to voting — is seeking a full-time Southwest Michigan Regional Organizer to build power, presence, and relationships on behalf of our organization; and organize citizens to get involved in making the protection of Michigan’s land, air, and water a political priority. 
 

This work is centered around the organization’s statewide #OurWaterOurVote brand, and the Southwest Michigan Regional Organizer will work as a member of our Advocacy & Outreach team. They will engage voters and community partners to grow our volunteer base and build collective strength in Southwest Michigan, with a focus on Van Buren County, Berrien County, Kalamazoo County, and Southern Kent County. Together, #OurWaterOurVote campaigns pressure our elected leaders to act on pivotal issues facing Southwest Michigan families — like toxic water contamination, aging infrastructure that pollutes our rivers and lakes, and the dramatic impacts of climate change. We then focus on that work at the local, state, and federal levels to have the fullest impact.    

The ideal candidate will be a rising community leader who can serve as Michigan LCV’s ambassador to new networks and who can build long-lasting relationships with our members statewide. They will be a key member of a statewide activist team, work on advocacy and electoral campaigns, and will be motivated to build a strong, diverse base of supporters for action on land, air, and water issues in the region. This position will advocate for strong environmental protections, and build and amplify the voices of communities of color and other key constituencies who are disproportionately impacted by environmental issues. 
 

About the Michigan League of Conservation Voters

The Michigan League of Conservation Voters is a statewide political organization whose mission is to elect pro-conservation candidates to office and to hold all decision makers accountable for protecting Michigan’s drinking water, attacking climate change, and expanding access to the ballot. We work closely with elected officials, business leaders, partner organizations, and advocates from across the state, and we have built a reputation as the leading, non-partisan political voice for Michigan’s land, air, and water.
 

Michigan LCV is an equal opportunity employer. We assure equal treatment in hiring selection, promotion, transfer, compensation, benefits, training, discipline, and other personnel practices and terms or conditions of employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, height, weight, marital status, genetic testing status, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender status, or any other protected class established by all applicable federal, state and local laws and ordinances.
 

Job Responsibilities 

This position reports to the Southwest Michigan Regional Coordinator, is ideally based in Kalamazoo, Allegan, Van Buren, Berrien or Cass County, and is responsible for the following:

• Recruiting, supporting, and training a robust team of volunteers to advocate for stronger protections for our air, land, water and public health
• Develop and maintain relationships with youth including, but not limited to, work at college campuses, high schools, churches, and other youth-led organizations
• Organizing and attending community events and meetings to engage and expand Michigan LCV’s member base in Southwest Michigan
• Keeping a steady pulse on the local political lay of the land and local environmental issues, sharing that knowledge with staff and key partners, and using those issues and opportunities to engage citizens in Michigan LCV’s work
• Participate in all Michigan LCV political, electoral, and issue based work — doing the hard work of community organizing, which means primarily phone banking in addition to door-to-door field canvassing, text banking, and engagement events. On average, Organizers will spend one-third of their time at various volunteer recruitment tasks and events. 
• Daily reporting of the region’s data to the Southwest Michigan Regional Coordinator
• Collaborating with other departments and supporting them in an effort to help reach organizational goals 

Qualifications

We are seeking candidates who excel at building genuine relationships, who are natural problem solvers, self-starters, and results-driven, and who are looking to become long-term community leaders. You should have: 

• Must live in or be willing to quickly relocate to the Southwest Michigan region
• One year of experience organizing and inspiring action in volunteers who represent a rich mix of people across race, gender, sexual orientation, and other group identities is preferred
• One year of experience working on electoral or issue campaigns in field operations is preferred
• An ability to build genuine relationships and lead conversations with a wide-range of stakeholders — especially those most impacted by environmental issues, including environmental justice organizations, communities of color, and underserved communities — through phone calls, in-person meetings, social media, events, and more, to broaden and deepen participation in the democratic process and to pass stronger laws to protect our natural resources and public health
• Experience managing multiple projects in a goal-driven, hard-deadline, focused environment
• Experience working with a variety of database systems, including Microsoft Excel, Google Suite, Voter Activation Network or Every Action
• Ability to work Mondays, Tuesdays, and Fridays from 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM, Wednesdays from 11:00 AM - 7:00 PM, and Thursdays 12:00 - 8:00 PM, with the ability to work many weekends and other evenings as needed
• Reliable access to transportation for travel across the state, the internet, and a phone to use for work purposes as well as the ability to participate in campaign activities, either phone banking or canvassing
• Cultural Competence:
  • Demonstrated awareness of one’s own cultural identity and the ability to learn and build on varying community norms 
  • Commitment to equity and inclusion as organizational practice and culture
  • Understanding of how environmental issues intersect with racism, economic and social inequality in the U.S. and has a passion for working to dismantle these systems
  • Willingness to learn and continue to develop cultural competence in line with organizational goals 
     

Time, Pay, and Location

This is a temporary position that runs through December 13, 2024. The organizer will work 40 hours per week at $19 per hour. This role will require some work from home, but the in-person responsibilities will be heavily based in Allegan, Van Buren, Berrien, and Cass Counties. We are looking for a candidate already based in those areas, or with connection in those areas. Organizer responsibilities include door to door canvassing events and volunteer recruitment in Southwest Michigan. Access to reliable transportation is a requirement for this position.

How to Apply

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. If you need accommodation or assistance with our online application process, please tell us how we can help by emailing jobs@michiganlcv.org or by calling us at (734) 222-9650.