Description

Position Location: Employee must be based in West Michigan, with a preference for the Grand Rapids or Holland areas.

About We The People: We The People Action Fund (WTPAF) (501c4), along with and through its sister organization, We The People Michigan (WTPMI) (501c3), works to build a multi-racial, working-class constituency across the state that is engaged in community organizing, the development of leaders, and the building of a unified, proactive agenda rooted in economic, racial, and social justice for all Michiganders. In 2018, people from all corners of Michigan came together to outline The People’s Agenda, a vision for a Michigan in which all people have dignity, that is safe and sustainable, and that protects our democracy and acknowledges our history. Since then, We The People Action Fund and We The People Michigan have been organizing across the state in support of this living, evolving vision.

About the Position: WTPAF seeks a full-time organizer that will work to develop relationships with immigrant community leaders in Grand Rapids and Holland. The organizer will work with the WTPAF team to build a leadership team with local leaders and drive immigrant justice campaigns that center West Michigan residents. The WM Organizer will report to the West Michigan Lead Organizer.

Primary Responsibilities: 

--Deeply invest in key, impacted community members, and develop 1-3 core teams of immigrant leaders in key districts in the Grand Rapids and Holland areas that are committed to working together on local and statewide immigrant justice campaigns;

--Build a base of immigrant Western Michigan residents that identify WTPAF as their political home and will drive local and statewide campaigns that are nested in the long term vision of immigrant justice, and winning back driver’s licenses for undocumented immigrants;

--Engage their key leaders through 1:1s, house meetings, town halls, political education sessions, cultural strategy, and building relationships with elected leaders;

--Support Leadership School, a yearly movement school of community members, where they learn the basics of organizing, develop a shared strategy, and connect to statewide goals;

--Collaborate with Policy & Research, Communications, and Data teams to advance the collective learning and capacity of our immigrant justice campaigns;

--Achieve goals and metrics as determined by both a Lead Organizer and collective goal setting by the WTPAF Organizing team;

--Attention to administrative details like data and hours tracking that allow us to learn from our work and be compliant with legal requirements;

--Other duties as assigned.

WTPAF is a diverse team of people, and we believe that our diversity makes us stronger. As we work to build a multi-racial, working-class constituency across the state, we believe that representation from diverse communities is crucial to our shared success. We also recognize that people who are women, trans, non-binary folks, and BIPOC are less likely to apply for jobs unless they believe they meet all qualifications. We believe in leadership potential and development and encourage people from these groups to apply if you meet some but not all of these qualifications.

Requirements

The ideal candidate would have these knowledge, skills, and abilities: 

--Personal connection to our existing Drive SAFE campaign (campaign to restore driver’s licenses for undocumented immigrants).

--Spanish fluency - written and spoken.

--English fluency - written and spoken.

--Proven track record of building teams of diverse groups of people that can work together to accomplish a shared goal.

--The ability to help leaders learn, reflect, and take collective risk and action.

--A natural sense of curiosity about people and the ability to relate to them. Being an active listener to hear about community members’ stories, hopes, fears, and challenges.

--A growth mindset:

     --Ability to pay attention to the details, be vigilant about tracking goal progress, and meeting deadlines.

     --Willingness to speak up, suggest new ideas, receive feedback, adjust plans to ensure successful completion of goals, and be part of the solution.

     --Comfort advocating for oneself.

--Computer literacy and creativity supporting the growth of community leaders over time:

     --Excellent communications skills through a variety of channels, including written and oral.

     --Experience with Google Suite.

--A deep commitment to the values and vision of WTPAF. An interest in being an engine for learning, fostering stable, long-term alliances, and building long-term organizing infrastructure.

--Ability to work evenings and weekends, occasional travel throughout the state is also required. 

Compensation: This is a full-time permanent position with a salary range of $52,850-57,850 annually, commensurate with experience. Salaries are adjusted based on federal COLA at the end of each year, not to exceed 5% (budget permitting); and staff have the opportunity to increase their level and pay each year based on an evaluation of their skills.

Benefits include 100% coverage of health insurance for employees and 75% coverage of eligible family members; 100% coverage of dental and vision for employees and eligible family members; 401(k) with a 5% employer match; and a generous PTO package, including a minimum of 30 paid days off per year for holidays and observances, and 2 weeks paid vacation.

This position is included in the bargaining unit of WTPAF employees represented by the Newspaper Guild of Detroit – CWA Local 34022.

Work Conditions: Work schedule is standard business hours with flexibility. Evenings and weekends may be required. There may be occasional travel around the State of Michigan, and prolonged periods of sitting in a car and driving. Must be able to lift up to 15 pounds at times.

How to Apply:

--Please submit a cover letter and resume through our jobs page. Applications will be accepted until August 24, 2026 or until the role is filled.

--In the cover letter, which may be written or spoken, please address the prompt below. Responses should be 1-2 pages or 4-8 minutes in length. Any basic word processing, video, or voice recording formats are fine for this exercise (ex: voice memo app on a phone or Google Docs).

--Cover Letter Prompt: Tell a story about a time when you had to fight for something that you or a loved one needed because of economic, racial, gender inequality, or another form of injustice. Who was involved? Why was it important to you to act? What actions did you take? Why? What was the outcome?

--The anticipated start date for this position is early to mid-September.

We The People Action Fund is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Women, people of color, persons with disabilities, and LGBTQ people are strongly encouraged to apply.