California State Organizer

URGE is looking for a full-time, temporary (12-month term) California Organizer—a committed individual who is passionate about social justice and is energized by our work of building a movement for Reproductive Justice that centers the leadership of young people and builds power through organizing, shifting culture, and advocating for meaningful policy change. In this role, you will engage our Northern and Central California chapters, be a member of the Field team, and represent the organization in the movement ecosystem. You will work collaboratively across the organization to hold our shared vision for a world where all people can live justice, freedom, safety, and joy. Join us!

About Unite for Reproductive & Gender Equity

URGE is a Reproductive Justice organization driven by young people, for young people. URGE envisions a liberated world where we can live with justice, love freely, express our gender and sexuality, and define and create families of our choosing.

URGE centers the leadership of young people 18-30 years old who are Black, Indigenous, and other people of color, women, queer, trans, nonbinary, and people working to make ends meet and infuses Reproductive Justice principles and values throughout our work. Working across the progressive landscape, URGE works together to build strong communities where sexual health is valued, Reproductive Justice is sacrosanct, and each body is celebrated and supported.

As a state-driven national organization, URGE organizes our communities, provides a political home for young people, advocates for meaningful policy change, and shifts culture, working in states where the challenges and opportunities are greatest.

Position Overview

URGE’s Field program identifies, organizes, and mobilizes young people who care about issues of sexual health, reproductive justice, racial justice, LGBTQ liberation, and gender equity. We provide programming, engagement, and leadership opportunities that enable young people to build visibility and political power to impact policy and culture change across the state and nationally. See URGE’s Young People’s Reproductive Policy Agenda for more information on our issue areas, which include abortion access, defending trans youth from attacks, protecting democracy, access to healthcare, comprehensive sex education, and economic justice.

The Organizer will work in collaboration with the rest of our Field team to support campus-based URGE chapters in Northern and Central California. This role will be responsible for building leadership among these chapters while also supporting coalition and partner relationships. This position will report to the Midwestern States Field Director and work closely with the Senior California State Organizer. Responsibilities include:

Chapter Management

• Sustain and manage existing URGE chapters in Northern and Central California and support the building of new chaptersthrough participation in grassroots civic and voter engagement campaigns, providing guidance and management support for chapter leaders
• Track and report chapter progress, leadership development and all outreach activities, including coordinating and managing chapters grant application activity

Chapter Campaign Development

• Identify, build, train and develop a diverse base of young leaders and activists to create, run local, state, and national reproductive justice campaigns
• Spearhead training and internal educational resource building for chapters in collaboration with Field and Integrated Voter Engagement colleagues
• Inspire grassroots activism for the purpose of building active, visible local support for sexual health, reproductive rights, and gender justice

Facilitation

• Skillfully facilitate both virtual and in-person workshops with various sized groups, including staff, membership, and external coalition partners
• Articulate and teach reproductive justice values-based programming
• Moderate trainings for audiences of varying levels of experience and education
• Develop subject-specific programming including curriculum, agendas, meeting notes, work plans, etc.

Base Building and Outreach

• Continuously outreach to communities to promote events and recruit new URGE membership
• Move event attendees into deeper engagement via URGE’s leadership ladder
• Build an URGE base of supporters through social media and other digital tools
• Maintain relationships with URGE Alumni

Qualifications

• 2+ years experience with national and/or state organizing, some experience with issue campaigns, member development, civic engagement and/or related fields. (Experience with digital organizing is a plus.)
• Strong alignment with URGE’s mission and values, including commitment to reproductive and gender justice, abortion access for all, queer and trans liberation, dismantling white supremacy, and building young people’s political power.
• Experience and expertise organizing and working with people of color and LGBTGIA+ individuals and communities.
• Knowledge of California state reproductive, gender, and racial justice issues, political landscape, and cultural complexity
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English (Bilingual English/Spanish is a plus but not required.)
• Flexible, adaptable to change, meeting obstacles and opportunities with a problem-solving mindset
• Genuinely enjoys working and learning with colleagues and in community; welcomes direction and feedback, and shares skills and knowledge with others
• Strong project management skills with the ability to initiate and follow-through with independent project implementation while tracking multiple details and deliverables
• Growth mindset with an ongoing commitment to continuously learning and modeling our organizational culture, co-creating a work environment that is just, equitable, and inclusive to all, including Black, Indigenous, and other people of color, LGBTQIA+ people, women, and people with disabilities.
• Ability to excel in a fast-paced, team environment as well as work autonomously. Prepared to work remotely with long-distance supervisory relationship.
• Proficiency with a range of digital tools: social media platforms (including Tik Tok, Instagram), Microsoft Office, and Google Drive. Experience with VAN/EveryAction a plus.
• Candidates must be able to drive, have personal transportation and the ability to travel to organizing sites across the state. Candidates must be prepared to work from a home office with equipment provided by URGE.

Location, Compensation & Benefits

This is a full time, temporary (12-month term), exempt, remote position based in California with a $72.5K annual salary + benefits. The California State Organizer must reside in Northern or Central California. In-region travel will be required roughly 40% per month. Candidates must be able to drive, have personal transportation and the ability to travel to organizing sites across the state, including by plane.

Additionally, FTE employees receive a benefit package, including the following items and more: 100% employer-paid health coverage for employee; dental and vision insurance; life insurance; Flexible Spending Accounts for Health and Dependent Care; 401k Plan; and generous PTO that includes Flexible Fridays, sick leave, vacation leave, holidays plus two-weeks of organizational-wide office closure per year. To further support wellness, URGE contributes $4,000 per year to a Health Fund for each FTE.

All staff receive a monthly stipend of $125 for home office support. Staff who use personal vehicles for organizational purposes will be reimbursed at a rate of [currently IRS has as 72.5 cents per mile]

Staff at URGE are members of Nonprofit Professional Employees Union excluding, however, management and certain other categories. This position is in the bargaining unit.

APPLY AT THIS LINK by uploading these items:

1. A resume
2. A cover letter that thoughtfully addresses your alignment with the role and answers the following prompt: Please see our list of core values and answer this question: What are one or two of URGE’s values that align with your values and past work experience?