Criminal Legal Reform Field Organizer

ABOUT THE ACLU OF KANSAS

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Kansas is a non-profit and non-partisan organization dedicated to preserving and advancing the civil rights and legal freedoms guaranteed by the United States Constitution and the Bill of Rights. The ACLU of Kansas works in the state legislature, the courts, and local communities to protect the rights of all people living in Kansas. The organization’s work includes efforts to strengthen and defend First Amendment rights, voting rights, reproductive rights, racial justice, LGBT rights, immigrants’ rights, stopping government surveillance, and reforming the criminal justice system. The ACLU of Kansas often works in broad-based coalitions made up of individuals and organizations from across the political, partisan, and ideological spectrum. The ACLU of Kansas is an affiliate of the national American Civil Liberties Union, has an annual budget of approximately $2 million, and has more than 30,000 supporters across the state. The headquarters of the ACLU of Kansas is in Overland Park, Kansas, with a field office located in Wichita, Kansas.

The ACLU of Kansas comprises two separate corporate entities, the American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas and the ACLU Foundation of Kansas. Both entities have the same overall mission, and share office space and employees. The ACLU has two separate corporate entities in order to do a broad range of work to protect civil liberties. The ACLU Foundation of Kansas is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation that primarily engages in litigation and public education. The ACLU of Kansas is a 501(c)(4) non-profit corporation that primarily engages in lobbying and advocacy.

POSITION OVERVIEW

The ACLU of Kansas is building a strong organizing team within its Field Department, and now seeks to add a Criminal Legal Reform Field Organizer to the team. The ACLU of Kansas seeks an experienced organizer with initiative, independence, and strong interpersonal skills to enhance the ACLU’s ability to achieve public policy objectives by mobilizing grassroots supporters.

The Field Organizer will be tasked with mobilizing and developing the leadership of supporters across Kansas to achieve short- and long-term campaign objectives in the criminal legal reform campaign. The Field Organizer will report directly to the Field Director and work collaboratively with the policy, communications, development, and legal staff.

ORGANIZING APPROACH

The ACLU of Kansas has adopted a “campaign” approach for its work. Work is focused on pursuing specific integrated advocacy campaigns to achieve measurable goals that will expand civil liberties and civil rights, while building the long-term power of the ACLU and the civil liberties movement.

This is a full-time position that is responsible for executing the field components of the criminal legal reform campaign plan. This includes utilizing an interdependent leadership structure in a campaign that grows the ACLU of Kansas supporter base, develops leaders, and shows the power of ACLU of Kansas activists to influence changes at the local level and statewide.

For the foreseeable future, the ACLU of Kansas will focus on two campaigns: voting rights and criminal legal reform. The Field Organizer will be responsible for implementing the organizing plan within the criminal legal reform campaign in Sedgwick County. The campaigns in which the organization engages are about integrated advocacy, and include lobbying, communications, and litigation in addition to grassroots organizing.

As a result of this campaign approach, the ACLU of Kansas’s organizing model focuses on developing volunteer leaders for the civil liberties movement, mobilizing grassroots support for campaign objectives, and educating Kansas residents about campaign objectives through person-to-person field contact. ACLU of Kansas organizing is intended to engage both existing ACLU members/supporters/volunteers in the movement, as well as to reach new constituencies. Organizing at the ACLU of Kansas centers the experiences and leadership of directly impacted people and engages directly impacted people in the work, while also ensuring that non-impacted allies engage in effective and substantive action.

Organizing at the ACLU of Kansas is intended to complement the approaches used by some other groups — especially those that connect individuals to resources, build community/social capital, primarily react to unanticipated or emerging community concerns, or educate the public about important issues—but not to replicate those approaches. Organizing at the ACLU of Kansas is instead oriented towards systemic change and policy action—moving people to take strategic actions that lead to decision-makers making different decisions, ones that result in the advancement of specific campaign objectives. These strategic actions can take place in the electoral, legislative, legal, and community education contexts. Organizing at the ACLU of Kansas is also designed to build long-term political and community power for the civil liberties movement, so that civil liberties and civil rights are better protected and strengthened.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES

Building relationships and cultivating volunteer leaders

• Cultivate a supporter base that is empowered and connected to each other.
• Identify and train volunteer leaders throughout Kansas to share ownership of campaign objectives.
• Develop and implement training that builds the capacity of ACLU members, supporters, and activists to be strong leaders, advocates, and messengers for the civil liberties and civil rights movement.
• Maintain relationships with volunteer leaders through consistent coaching and leadership development.

Building the base of ACLU of Kansas supporters

• Develop and implement strategies to expand the ACLU of Kansas’s volunteer corps through recruitment, training, recognition and thanks, and ongoing engagement.
• Build the base of new supporters through events, engagement with community partners, digital organizing, and outreach.
• Execute programming that offers a consistent opportunity for new supporters to take action.
• Expand support for state-based civil liberties issues among ACLU of Kansas members and non-member supporters.

Executing the field components of the criminal legal reform campaign plan

• Volunteer data management in EveryAction/VAN.
• Power mapping decision makers and the supporter base.
• Develop and execute tactics to serve campaign goals including:
• 1-on-1 meetings
• Facilitating meetings with elected officials/other decision makers
• Monthly calls to action
• Political education trainings
• Phone banking, canvassing, digital organizing, storytelling and letter to the editor trainings, tabling and crowd canvassing
• Lobby days
• Relational organizing
• Earned media

QUALIFICATIONS

• At least two (2) years of experience in organizing, political, ballot initiative, and/or legislative campaigns, with an emphasis on implementing effective field organizing strategies.
• Bi-lingual Spanish preferred.
• Knowledge of and familiarity with organizing and advocacy software and tools, especially EveryAction and VAN.
• Knowledge of current political and movement landscape in Kansas.
• A history of working collaboratively and successfully with people and organizations from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds and a broad range of ideological positions and religious views.
• Strong communications and interpersonal skills.
• Strong organizational skills; the ability to manage competing priorities and timelines.
• Creative, results-oriented, self-starting, and willing to learn.
• Strong task and time management skills.
• Ability to travel across Kansas, as necessary, and participate in regular evening and weekend meetings.
• A commitment to centering organizing work around the experiences of directly impacted people.
• Unwavering commitment to the mission and goals of the ACLU, including a demonstrated commitment to equity and racial justice.

HYBRID/REMOTE OFFICE SCHEDULE

The ACLU of Kansas uses a hybrid office schedule, where employees have the option of working remotely up to three days per week. Employees are required to work in person in office two days per week.

COMPENSATION

The position is a full-time, exempt, & salaried position. This position is a part of the bargaining unit. Salary is based on the ACLU of Kansas’s comprehensive compensation scale. Compensation will be commensurate with experience, with a salary of $51,000. The ACLU of Kansas offers excellent benefits, including medical and disability insurance (fully paid by employer), a 401(k) match program, professional development and vacation, holiday, and sick leave.

APPLICATION PROCESS

To apply, send a cover letter, resume, and writing sample via email to:

Vanessa Phipps,

Sr. Human Resources Consultant

vphipps@aclukansas.org

Include in the subject line: “Field Organizer.” In your cover letter, please indicate where you learned of this posting.

Applications will be accepted until the position is filled. No phone calls or in-person applications, please. The ACLU of Kansas strongly encourages formerly incarcerated individuals to apply.

This job description provides a general but not comprehensive list of the essential responsibilities and qualifications required. The ACLU of Kansas reserves the right to change the job description and/or posting at any time without advance notice.

The ACLU of Kansas is an equal opportunity employer. We value a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture. The ACLU of Kansas encourages applications from all qualified individuals without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, marital status, citizenship, disability, or veteran status. The ACLU of Kansas undertakes affirmative action strategies in its recruitment and employment efforts to assure that persons with disabilities have full opportunities for employment in all positions.