Is social justice a passion of yours? Do you want to work in a grassroots environment that develops groups of low-to-moderate income people to fight for change? Then we want YOU to join the ACORN organizing team!
Your Job Title: ACORN Rent Control Campaign Field Organizer
Where you will work: Calgary ACORN offices in CommunityWise (223 12 Ave SW)
Wage: $19.12 per hour probation, than $19.59
Training is Provided: Those with experience may be able to start at a higher wage
ACORN is a community action group / union that punches above its weight class. If you want to actually win victories for tenants and working class people – and not just talk about it – ACORN is the place for you.
Recent ACORN victories: Rent caps and eviction protections in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick; anti-tenant displacement policies in Burnaby, Hamilton, Toronto, and Ottawa, lowering internet rates for 100’s of thousands of low income Canadians.
Job Summary: Rents are literally out of control in Alberta – your job will be to reach tenants bearing the brunt of the housing crisis and activate them in ACORN’s Rent Control and Eviction Protection campaign.
This is a field organizing position, not a desk job.
Three main roles of the job:
- Outreach: Door Knocking, Street Canvassing, Petitioning to bring new people into the organization and then linking them to the existing membership and campaigns.
- Fundraising: Maintain and grow ACORN’s existing base of monthly member dues and donations. Manage our medium and long term fundraising efforts from allied labour organizations and foundations.
- Learn how to be a community organizer: Work with your supervisors in ACORN’s National Office, and colleagues across the country, to learn the tried and true ACORN organizing model. You will be paid to travel to training and meetings.
Qualifications and Skills Sets:
- Strong social and people skills
- Work ethic and self discipline
- Ability to work in a team setting that you are sometimes leading, and sometimes following
- Listening skills
- Social media and communication skills
- Conflict resolution
Hours and Compensation:
- This is permanent employment
- 25 to 35 hours per week
- Work afternoons and evenings, Monday through Friday and some Saturdays (Semi-Flexible on days work, hours are in afternoon and evenings)
- Room for growth in the organization, full time positions will be made available, we prefer to hire from within
What is ACORN?
ACORN Canada, the nationwide community union of low-to-moderate income people, is expanding our organizing in Ottawa & Gatineau. Our purpose is to give low-to-moderate income people the power needed to have their voices effectively heard at the highest levels in the country.
How?
Organizers do direct outreach, listen to community residents’ concerns, and connect what they want to see changed to effective mass-based action. Organizing protests, developing campaigns, coordinating communications and research, and, most important, building powerful local groups all across the National Capital Region!
ACORN is a multi-issue, mass based union of low-to-moderate income people. ACORN is able to be both a local-based union winning local campaigns, as well as a large-scale organization combining forces to fight national corporations and governments that are at the root of most of our problems.
We are a tenants’ union. We are a disability action union. We are a worker’s union. We are a consumer’s union. We are whatever our members are. Our members pay dues so that the organization can be sustainable and not dependent on outside funding from government and corporations. Each dues member has a vote, and only members speak for the organization. Our members get elected to our board of directors and set our policy and help determine the tactics.
