Director of Organizing

Are you angry about the injustices your community faces? Do you want to learn how to build the people power necessary to fight those injustices and make real, local change? As the Director of Organizing with LIFE, you’ll learn how to bring together our area's diverse faith community to address the root causes of serious community problems.

LIFE (Lee Interfaith For Empowerment) is a constituent-led, grassroots organization that brings together faith communities to address the root causes of serious community problems across Fort Myers, FL.

LIFE is part of the Direct Action and Research Training Center (DART), one of the largest faith-based community organizing networks in the country. We believe that fighting for racial and economic justice is fundamental to our identity as people of faith, and we know that successfully fighting for justice requires having power in the public arena. DART’s been organizing interfaith coalitions to build power since 1982. A few of our victories include:

• Over $1 billion invested in affordable housing
• $950 million invested in public transportation 
• More than $22 million secured for communities to address the climate crisis and increase resiliency
• Criminal justice reforms resulting in 60,000 fewer arrests of children

Primary Responsibilities:

The Director of Organizing will direct the organization, including hiring and supervising all current and future staff at LIFE. The Director of Organizing reports directly to the organization's board of directors. Main duties include:

• Building engagement in the community
  • Train grassroots faith leaders how to engage others in the fight for justice & recruit new leaders and congregations into the organization.
• Drive forward campaigns on community problems
  • Train grassroots leaders to identify community problems, conduct research, and develop action plans for issue campaigns.
  • Organize public actions of over 1,000 people.
• Fundraising from local sources
  • Coordinate an annual 6-8 week fundraising drive with grassroots leaders who fundraise from individuals, small businesses, and major corporations in the community.
  • Ensure that dues from member congregations are collected.
• Organizational development & management
  • Work with the organization’s Board of Directors to map out the strategic direction and development of the organization.
  • Train, supervise, and evaluate Associate Organizers.
  • Ensure that the organization’s finances are in order. This includes maintaining accurate financial records, ensuring that all foundation proposals and reports are submitted in a timely fashion.

Who You Are

You're excited to direct a nonprofit organization and set the vision for its growth. You have a passion for justice, and are energized by the prospect of uniting people around a common cause. You are naturally curious and value strong relationships. You may or may not be personally religious. Either way, you have a genuine respect for all faith traditions and are excited about uniting faith communities to live out their call to “do justice”.

LIFE is a diverse coalition that includes communities of color, low-to-moderate-income communities and immigrant communities. We strongly encourage people from these backgrounds, as well as fluent Spanish speakers, to apply.

Qualifications:

• Core passion to win on local justice campaigns
• Excellent relationship-building skills
• Enthusiasm for working with diverse faith communities 
• At least three years of professional experience in community organizing, advocacy, congregational or non-profit leadership
• Experience leading teams of people
• Possession of a valid driver’s license and access to a car
• Ability to travel for training events throughout the year
• This role is based in Fort Myers. We are currently considering candidates that are based in Fort Myers, or are willing to relocate for this position.

Why Choose DART

DART invests heavily in training and development of our team members. During your first year, we provide comprehensive professional development through an initial five-day classroom-style training, one-on-one mentoring from experienced DART consultants, and three multi-day trainings with organizers across the country. Ongoing professional development continues through individualized coaching and mentoring, as well as local, regional, and national staff trainings.

Compensation and Benefits

The salary for this position is $70,000. We recognize that highly qualified candidates with more experience may be eligible for a higher salary, and we are open to discussing compensation based on individual qualifications and expertise.

Benefits include:

• LIFE makes generous retirement contributions of 12% after one year of employment - no match required.
• Four weeks regular paid vacation
• Paid holidays & sick leave
• Flexible scheduling
• Healthcare reimbursement
• Parental leave
• Mileage reimbursement for work-related travel
• Relocation assistance
• Comprehensive, on-the-job training through the DART Organizers Institute and individual mentoring and coaching