Community Organizer

~ Northern Plains is a grassroots organization of people from the plains and mountains, cities and towns. We are everyday Montanans who love where we live. We stand up, shoulder-to-shoulder, to protect this place we all call home. ~

We believe that true prosperity begins with healthy land, water, and air. We believe that our families, farms, ranches, schools, businesses, governments, and communities thrive when we are good stewards of these resources. We believe that if we look beyond our fences, listen to one another, and keep our minds open, we will find creative solutions to secure a clean, healthful environment for all.

We are working toward a future where we live in harmony with nature, where our economy serves the people rather than the people serving the economy, where neighbors work side-by-side to build a world that lives up to our ideals of fairness, inclusion, and justice.

For 48 years, Northern Plains Resource Council has helped Montanans organize to protect water quality, family farms and ranches, and our unique quality of life.

Position Overview

This is very much a “people” job!

Each of our organizers works with Northern Plains’ grassroots membership as a whole, with our local affiliates (mostly in small, rural communities), and with our issue task forces to further the mission of Northern Plains. As a Northern Plains Community Organizer, you won’t be tied to a desk, you’ll meet lots of people, and you’ll make change happen at the grassroots level.

Community organizers will need to organize remotely during the Coronavirus outbreak. This requires having access to reliable internet from your home, convening and attending virtual meetings, conducting phone calls, and engaging in creative problem solving. Building relationships is a challenge during this strange time, and you need to be up for that challenge. Relationships are what make our work possible.

• Location: Billings, Montana.
• During non-pandemic times, overnight travel averages perhaps 2-3 times a month.
• This is a permanent, salaried, and exempt position.
• Check out our website for more information on this position, our organization, and our staff: https://www.northernplains.org/about-us/careers/ .

PANDEMIC PRECAUTIONS:

Northern Plains exercises due caution in our day-to-day work as long as the Covid-19 pandemic threatens peoples’ health, and we will not knowingly put an organizer in a dangerous situation. We will expect our staff to exercise similar caution in working with our staff, members, legislators, and others.

Responsibilities

Specific Duties Include:

• Plan, coordinate, and implement strategy on issue campaigns;
• Conduct research;
• Participate in grassroots fundraising efforts;
• Train members in organizational skills;
• Organize and run meetings and events;
• Communicate clearly, orally and in writing;
• Recruit new members;
• Generate turnout for events;
• Help members make contact with public officials and the press;
• Assist with duties such as member renewal, special events, and routine office tasks; and
• Help produce earned media in the form of letters to the editor and press coverage.

Qualifications

• Commitment to Northern Plains’ issues and values;
• Commitment to the democratic process, including a willingness to hear diverse opinions and build consensus among groups;
• Ability to get along well with people from diverse backgrounds and with a wide range of personalities;
• Strong speaking and writing skills;
• Ability to drive a car safely;
• Ability to travel and be away overnight;
• Ability to stand or walk for long periods of time, move equipment, and work in all weather conditions; and
• Ability to operate a computer, learn and adapt to new technologies.
• Willingness to work long hours when needed.

ALSO HELPFUL:

• Experience (either as a volunteer or staffer) with a nonprofit organization working for social; change or on environmental issues;
• Experience on a political campaign;
• General familiarity with the workings of legislative bodies and agencies;
• Familiarity with environmental and agricultural issues, or familiarity with broader movements for social, economic, and environmental justice; and
• Experience with the media and fundraising..

Compensation

Salary & Benefits:

• $35,500 starting salary;
• Health insurance;
• 4 weeks paid vacation;
• Retirement benefits after 2 years;
• 8 paid holidays;
• Paid sick leave;
• Flex time; and
• Opportunity for advancement.

To Apply

• Applications will be received and reviewed on a rolling basis. Position open until filled. Early applications encouraged to apply.
• Please click "Apply" below to email the following to Caitlin Cromwell, Deputy Director of Organizing and Campaigns:
  • Cover letter (tell us why you want the job);
  • Resume;
  • Short writing sample; and
  • Contact information for 3 professional references.

The Northern Plains Resource Council is committed to a policy of non-discrimination in both its employment practices and in its membership. Northern Plains does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or gender identity.