Community and Tenant Organizer

**Job summary**:We are seeking a passionate Climate Justice / Housing Organizer to help us lead campaign development around housing standards, energy poverty, tenant rights, and energy efficiency in rental housing.

The job of an ACORN organizer is to build formal groups of low-to-moderate income people so they can disrupt and change the systems that negatively impact their communities.

The on the job training provided allows someone to learn all the fundamentals of how to be a community organizer. This includes effective outreach, strategic research, campaign planning, communications, organizing events and actions, getting press to cover our actions and campaigns, and internal fundraising.

**About ACORN**

ACORN (Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now) Canada is a multi-issue, membership-based community union of low
- and moderate-income people. We believe that social and economic justice can best be achieved by building community power for change. Each member has a vote, and only members speak for the organization and have the authority to set the policy and determine the tactics of each group.

Our local and national boards are elected directly from our membership.

We have a long and deep history of organizing in low
- and moderate-income neighbourhoods, fighting and winning change through a variety of means - including doorknocking; petitioning; local, regional, and national meetings (both internal and public forums); and last but not least, peaceful direct actions - all building power in the process.

We have over 177,000 members organized into 31 neighbourhood chapters in 6 provinces across Canada. We have three levels of membership. Full members pay $15/month; associate members chip in what they can; provisional members join the vision of the organization. General community members wanting to participate are always invited to our community events

Since 2004 we have won several important victories including payday lending legislation, raises in the minimum wage, lowering the NSF fee, lowering the interest rate of predatory loans, housing rights by-laws across the country, affordable internet program, disability rights and more.

The current priorities laid out by ACORN’s leadership in BC are:

- Fighting Energy Poverty and Energy Inefficient rental housing
- Province-wide Anti-Tenant Displacement campaign
- Amend the RTA - Anti-Tenant Harassment Laws

Responsibilities and Duties
- Fundraising and asking for money is a fundamental part of an organizer’s job. We are structured like a union: ACORN members pay membership dues. While this is not the entire job, it’s fundamental that organizers sign up members and can ask for dues and donations.
- Door-knocking and doing fieldwork to expand awareness about ACORN's campaigns and bring in new contacts and members to the group

As a community organizer with ACORN, you will also be responsible for:

- Building/expanding neighbourhood groups by working directly in the communities we’re organizing
- Daily outreach into the community to engage new potential members through door-knocking in low and moderate income tenant communities
- Work with existing ACORN members and cultivating new leaders to expand both our neighbourhood and municipal campaigns.
- Work with our Head Organizer on a day to day basis to learn the basics of ACORN’s organizing methods and techniques
- Willing and able to travel to training, and staff meetings (some outside of Canada). Usually 3 times a year.
- Dealing with multiple tasks in the same day - flexibility and resilience are keys to success.
- Representing the organization in the neighbourhoods, as well as with our leadership at external meetings or events (allies or targets).

Qualifications and Skills
- No paid experience required; professional organizer training provided
- Have strong social and people skills.
- Another language is not required but considered an asset.
- Be self driven and the ability to work both independently but also follow direction.
- Ability to listen in order to identify issues that are affecting our people

**Job Types**: Full-time, Part-time

Pay: $42,000.00-$43,000.00 per year

**Benefits**:

- Casual dress
- Company events
- Flexible schedule

Application question(s):

- MUST ANSWER: Why do you want to be a community organizer at ACORN?
- MUST ANSWER - List any previous experience, including organizations or parties you have been involved with, that are relevant to ACORN's campaigns for housing and climate justice.
- What is your availability? Please be specific.

Work Location: In person