Our Community Organizer will be responsible for: staffing and supporting our current programming & organizing including the Rural Queer Community Care Network (including the Mutual Aid Fund), peer groups, Out in the Open Radio Hour, events like Pride Family Potluck, and Out in the Open Summits among others; alternatives to policing, and abolitionist organizing; supporting a new participatory community health & food justice research project; producing zines, toolkits, and other resources sharing about our work, and supporting other rural LGBTQ+ people using those tools to organize where they are. They will work on expanding new organizing and community building in accordance with our strategic plan. They will participate in coalition-building on behalf of OITO in local, regional, and national spaces. All while supporting community members working on these projects, and bringing new people into our work.
The person in this role will be the primary person responsible for generating content for our social media channels, with support from other staff. They will work as part of a small collaborative staff team building a powerful movement of rural LGBTQ+ people.
What You’ll Do
As Community Organizer, you’re often people’s first go-to when interacting with Out in the Open. You will have the space to create new projects, deepen relationships with long-time community members and collaborators, and bring your own brilliance & ideas to the role.
Specifically, you will:
Staff & support existing programs & organizing
- Manage OITO physical & virtual spaces for programming purposes
- Open/close spaces; welcome groups and participants for those meeting in our space
- Keep our Community Calendar up to date
- Lead groups and annual programming
- Act as primary point of connection for volunteers. Recruit/support additional volunteers when needed.
- Facilitate and further the work of the Health Justice Work Group in collaboration with Health Justice Organizer(s)
- Manage our Mutual Aid Fund process
- Act as project manager for our new health & food justice community participatory research project alongside community collaborators
- Collaborate with other staff members on creating and building out the Summits.
- Seek opportunities for policy-related organizing.
- Utilize our social media channels to engage current community, bring in new folks, and message our work.
Support creation/expansion of and facilitate new programming & organizing
- In collaboration with other staff and in accordance with our strategic plan, create, pilot, and evaluate new work – including development and implementation of ideas for new work, especially within these areas: Farming & Food Justice; Abolition & Alternatives to Policing; Health, Reproductive, and Gender Justice; rural organizing; and more as community needs continue to emerge.
- Create new organizing resources based on OITO work
- Produce and facilitate calls for community zine contributions
- Identify projects for new toolkit creation, write and design content (either digitally or analog), and get materials out into the world
- Connect with and support groups and individuals desiring more hands-on guidance when using toolkits to organize in their own communities
- Support volunteers to staff new programming and/or staff the work as needed
- Support community leadership development
- Offer support and insight on programming decisions
Support whole-organization development & fundraising
- In collaboration with other staff and the Board of Directors, support whole-organization efforts to financially and materially sustain our work
- Look for and create places for fundraising to exist within organizing work
Provide occasional one-on-one support to community members
- As needed, make referrals to other organizations and providers
- Share connections around grassroots/community member relationships
- Offer connection and support when possible
Other related duties as assigned
Who You Are
This is a fabulous, full-time opportunity to help shape the present and future of a growing, creative, rural, LGBTQ+ organization and community. People who are a good fit for us will have: experience developing, implementing, and facilitating programs; deep experience working with LGBTQ+ people, preferably in a rural setting; a willingness to learn; the ability to positively represent our organization in the community with individuals and in collaborations; experience in grassroots organizing; an ability to take big ideas and turn them into concrete, actionable projects; enthusiasm for trying new things; comfort working with a close-knit team; and an understanding of and commitment to (including their own continued growth) the movement building work, values, and mission of Out in the Open. We are looking for someone who finds joy in their work, in collaborating closely, and who makes time to laugh.
What Else You Should Know
In addition to a salary (range mentioned at the top of this document), our Community Organizer will receive benefits including paid time off, paid sick time, a work from home stipend (while remote during COVID), and a wellness stipend or a monthly HSA contribution. Additional benefits may become available during the course of employment.
Extensive use of computer (provided by OITO) required, including use of Zoom, Google Suite, Slack, and other similar programs. Some evenings and weekends will be required as well as occasional in-state and likely out-of-state travel. Regular in-person work in the Brattleboro area will be required. We are currently working primarily remotely and anticipate a return to in-person work as COVID-19 allows.
To Apply
If while reading this you keep thinking “this sounds like me!” please send your resume and a cover letter describing why you think you’d be great at this job to HB@WeAreOutintheOpen.org by June 30, 2022.
Applications are strongly encouraged from Black people, Indigenous people, people of color, trans people, Two-Spirit people, LGBQ+ people, and those with experience living in rural communities. OITO affords equal employment opportunity to all qualified persons.
Who We Are
OITO connects rural LGBTQ+ people to build community, visibility, knowledge, & power. We are guided by strong organizational values such as celebrating resistance, anti-racism, and joy. We believe that rural LGBTQ+ people have a critical role to play in the collective liberation of all people. More about us at WeAreOutintheOpen.org.
For us, equity, dismantling white supremacy, and creating belonging are constant practices. We have been building collective analysis among our staff and board by working through the Just Practice Mixtape together and "The Care We Dream Of: Liberatory and Transformative Approaches to LGBTQ+ Health." We have an accessible and flexible workplace where staff can care for themselves in ways they need including generous paid "sick" time (we need to rename that!). And we actively collaborate and build trusted relationships with QTBIPOC-led organizations. We have recently hired a full time Operations Director who is partially focused on continuing to build a strong internal culture and staff experience focused on equity and belonging (including updating internal policies to reflect our values).