Canvasser

As a canvasser with Fund for the Public Interest, you’ll work out of a campaign office in one of a dozen cities across the country. You’ll go out into communities, knock on doors and talk to people about the issues to raise awareness, build our membership, and raise money for the organizations we work with.

As a field manager you’ll canvass every day, but you will also work closely with the canvass director to meet the goals of the office and build even more skills.

Field managers oversee a team of staff and are responsible for recruiting, training and motivating their team to hit its goals. They also map out canvassing territories, keep good financial records and help carry out other campaign work (such as working with the media, coalition building and petitioning).

What's canvassing like?

Canvassing is challenging, but it’s something you get better at the more you do it. We’ve been running canvass offices for more than 40 years, so we’ll make sure you learn the skills you need to be successful. In addition, many of the issues that we work on are commonsense policies supported by a sizable majority of people. Canvassing is less a matter of changing someone’s views on an issue, and more trying to get the people that are with us to support our work and get more involved in the campaigns we’re working on.

How do we decide which groups, which campaigns?

We work on campaigns and issues that we think are the most pressing, and set up our ground operations where we think we can make the biggest difference. We work with groups like Environment America and PIRG to take on polluters, save wildlife and wild places, and get pesticides out of our food supply. These groups have counted on us for 40 years to generate the people power they need to win.

Canvasser pay and benefits

For canvassers and field managers: Staff earn a base pay between $15 and $21.30 depending on location, plus staff can earn 20% of what they raise over our minimum standard, which means staff have the opportunity to earn over $20 per hour. Staff never earn less than minimum wage for the hours that they work. So, depending on performance and location, you could earn an average of between $15 to $30 per hour.

Benefits*:
Medical, dental and vision insurance for employees and dependents

Commuter benefit program

401(k) with employer match

Paid time off. For holidays, full time canvassers are eligible for paid holidays after 80 shifts canvassed. For vacation, full time, year-round canvassers accrue 1 vacation day for every 372 hours worked (approximately 48 days), but they can't use that time until they complete 1,860 hours (approximately 240 days or 1 year).

Short-term disability insurance

Excellent training program

Opportunities for advancement

Paid sick leave (1 hour for every 30 hours worked, which they can use after 90 days of employment except in Colorado where canvassers can immediately draw upon accrued paid sick leave.)

• Eligibility for benefits depends on your position, location and other factors.

Fund for the Public Interest is an equal opportunity employer.

Los Angeles-based positions: Fund for the Public Interest will consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring.