Education Deep Canvasser

*** Aug. 18, 2023: We are no longer accepting applications for this position.


The Opportunity

Down Home North Carolina seeks multiple part-time Deep Canvassers. The Deep Canvassers will work directly with the Deep Canvass Management Team and contribute to a positive, inclusive culture and work environment. The Deep Canvasser will assist with script iteration by having Deep Canvass conversations with calls to a select universe of community members. The Deep Canvass script will change frequently, and the Deep Canvassers have to be flexible. Responsibilities include daily and weekly reporting utilizing spreadsheets and databases. 

Down Home North Carolina is creating and instituting a Deep Canvass Academy this year. In 2023 Down Home North Carolina plans to offer large-scale training sessions on the methodology of Deep Canvass and the skills associated with Deep Canvass organizing. In addition, Down Home will anchor large-scale education Deep Canvass in conjunction with partners state and nationwide. 

Who We Are:

Down Home North Carolina is a growing statewide organization of rural and small-town communities advocating for economic, gender, and racial justice. We will move North Carolina toward the values of dignity, safety, and inclusion through leadership development, strategic campaigning, multiracial movement-building, and civic engagement that advances positive, life-changing reforms for rural communities.

We are unique in our focus on building permanent, statewide organizing infrastructure in North Carolina’s rural places. Through our growing network of member-led, county-based chapters, we are engaged in year-round organizing. Our member-leaders, deeply rooted in their communities, are the heart and soul of We Are Down Home’s work. Our organizational mission includes a deep commitment to building multiracial and working-class member leadership, and our chapter culture inspires the deep and necessary commitment required to transform small towns and rural places.

Founded in 2017, Down Home has built a solid organizational track record, including:

    • Electing Diamond Staton-Williams in House District 73, the first black woman to represent Cabarrus County in the General Assembly as well as temporarily preventing a Republican Supermajority 

    • Led a years-long statewide campaign to Expand Medicaid, which was passed by the General Assembly in 2023

    • Helping to elect the first Latinx state legislator in NC history

    • Growing a statewide membership base that includes all 100 counties of North Carolina

    • Anchoring the first southern, rural deep canvass and race-class narrative tests

    • Driving statewide coalitions to fight for a just COVID-19 recovery and Medicaid expansion

Keys to Success (the must-haves) and Responsibilities:

    • Relationship builder: Comes across as genuine. Ability to build authentic relationships across lines of difference, such as race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, class, ability, gender identity, citizenship status, or other identities. Able to put people at ease, especially when there are lines of difference. Listens closely to understand needs or concerns and takes steps based on that input. 

    • Highly organized, motivated, and detail-oriented: Manages a high volume of work efficiently. Has a system for keeping tasks from slipping through the cracks. Able to juggle competing demands and prioritize while maintaining quality. Strong sense of ownership over goals and metrics, ensuring data integrity is a priority. Paying strict attention to detail regarding Deep Canvass team reports and systems. Proficiency in Google Suites and general knowledge of databases. 

    • Knowledge of race equity and inclusion: You recognize how race and other identities intersect in our work, especially in rural, multiracial communities. You are comfortable talking about identities such as race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, class, ability, or gender in plain, specific terms. You understand the historical context for racial inequity and its present-day implications. You recognize how your identities show up in work and welcome, reflect on, and act on feedback with an eye toward continuous learning about race, ability, and other lines of difference.

    • Excellent communication and listening skills: Can engage deeply with people they have just met. Be able to listen to community members and understand their concerns. Can build rapport quickly and is comfortable having deep empathetic relational conversations and sharing personal experiences.

    • Organizer mindset: Committed to grassroots organizing and is grounded in the importance of building a multiracial movement. Is willing and able to build relationships quickly, have strong follow-ups, and move people to action. Is willing to take chances and solve problems creatively and independently. A determination to succeed and build power. Previous experience as an organizer or a grassroots leader is preferred but not required.

    • Aligned with the mission and values of Down Home NC: Committed to the vision of a  powerful, inclusive, rural, multiracial, working-class movement-building as a path towards liberation for all people, aligned with the idea that building power takes both election programs and long-term base building and community investment. 

Responsibilities: 

    • Support Deep Canvass Program
        • Participate in script iterations, deep canvass measurements, maintenance of data, and reporting to meet metric goals and deadlines, ensuring data integrity.

        • Have multiple persuasive deep canvass phone conversations with voters per shift. 

        • Track conversations via database, spreadsheets, and CallHub [predictive dialer].

        • Debrief conversations daily with the canvass team. 

        • Participate in ongoing training to learn deep canvassing tactics and methodology. 

        • Listen without judgment so voters feel comfortable sharing their views honestly. 

        • Listen actively and ask follow-up questions. 

        • Be willing to share your own stories to help voters feel more comfortable. 

        • Connect around shared values based on common experiences.

        • Participate in a team culture that is inclusive, cooperative, and emotionally supportive of the work.

        • Knowledge of VAN, CallHub, Spoke, and Google Suites is a plus

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS: 

    • Excellent listening and communication skills include asking multiple follow-up questions to elicit stories. 

    • Empathetic and motivational in conversation. Comfortable sharing stories about your own experiences. 

    • Capacity to listen without judgment. Ability to find common ground with people who have different opinions. 

    • Candidates must strongly commit to social, racial, and economic justice and are passionate about our issues. 

    • Serious about achieving qualitative and quantitative goals. 

Compensation

The compensation for this contract position is $22 per hour, with an expected end date in December 2023. This role is mainly virtual; however, it may require some travel within North Carolina. 

How to Apply

Down Home NC is committed to creating a dynamic, multicultural, diverse working environment. Candidates of color and diverse backgrounds are encouraged to apply. Down Home NC is an equal opportunity employer.

Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis, prioritizing applications received by August  15th. We are still accepting applications if this job description is posted on Down Home’s website (www.downhomenc.org).

Please send a resume and a short cover letter that includes your experience to: [email protected]