Neighbor & Community Organizer

CAPITAL AREA FOOD BANK•Washington, DC

2d•$31 - $40•Hybrid

About The Position

It is an exciting time at the Capital Area Food Bank (CAFB) as we continue to undertake our mission. We know that creating long-term solutions to food security requires more than meals. It requires education, training, and collaboration. We are seeking people with strong ideas and a passion to come together to address the complex interrelated issues of food security, poverty, and equity. We are expanding in multiple ways: providing food for today and addressing the root causes of hunger by partnering with organizations that provide critical services like job training programs, healthcare, and education. The food bank is also actively engaged in advocacy. Across every level of government, our focus is on increasing the awareness and understanding of hunger and food insecurity, and enacting change on issues that will have the greatest positive impact on the lives of our clients. We are actively building upon our food distribution efforts, by advocating for thoughtful policy and empowering members of our community to ensure greater food security. Food has the power to transform lives and move everyone forward. Find out how on our website at capitalareafoodbank.org. The purpose of the Advocacy Department is to enact policy change, enhance operations, and empower neighbor voices to build brighter futures through advocacy. CAFB’s service area includes DC, Maryland, and Northern Virginia, and this position is responsible for building the advocacy power of community stakeholders and clients across several jurisdictions. This is an exempt position and will report to the the Senior Manager of Advocacy & Public Policy. The Neighbor & Community Organizer will conduct the day-to-day operations of the Client Leadership Council, a nationally recognized, ten-month advocacy training program for food bank clients designed to further empower neighbor voices in policy, press, and programming. The position will conduct grassroots organizing with food bank distribution partners to amplify the food bank’s advocacy messages. Additionally, this position will network and engage with other community-based organizations with client advisory groups to collaborate on common goals. Strong candidates for this role will have a sharp understanding of community organizing models, familiarity leveraging grassroots momentum to build the power of traditional advocacy-oriented policy strategies, and experience working with neighbors experiencing food insecurity. Spanish fluency and lived experience with food insecurity are a plus.

Requirements

1 to 3 years of community organizing and policy experience.
Bachelor’s Degree or relevant experience.
Detail-oriented with the ability to juggle multiple projects for different stakeholders.
A team player with the ability to do what is needed to achieve organization/team goals.
Strong organizational skills and ability to juggle multiple tasks at once.
Strong written and verbal communication skills.
Creative, strategic, and a self-starter with an ability to work with diverse stakeholders, clients, and organizations.
Interpersonal skills
Displays humility, patience, compassion, and respect to the Food Bank’s clients.
Maintains a customer service mindset in all circumstances.
Possesses a friendly, positive, and energetic demeanor and a can-do attitude.
Self-organization and management
Utilizes strong organizational skills to prioritize and manage multiple tasks through frequent interruptions and rapidly changing policy environments/timelines.
Demonstrates confidence working independently.
Exhibits strong attention to detail and organization.
Demonstrates reliability, including punctuality and adherence to in-office schedule (hybrid schedule, in office 3 days a week);
Demonstrates a strong sense of pride and ownership over their areas of responsibility.
Understands the structure and programmatic intent of various social safety net programs.
Demonstrates intermediate capability with data entry, analysis, and visualization.

Nice To Haves

Personal experience with food insecurity is a plus.
Spanish fluency is a plus.

Responsibilities

Client Leadership Council – 60%
Conducts day-to-day operations of the CAFB’s Client Leadership Council and alumni engagement.
Maintains regular contact with council members to track actions, schedule meetings, oversee payments and reimbursements, and support programmatic feedback into annual operating plan.
Leads planning and logistics of CLC skills calls and in-person convenings.
Drafts correspondence to class members regarding advocacy opportunities, upcoming CLC events, or class updates.
Assists the Senior Manager in planning advocacy actions, including identifying and preparing CLC members for testimonies, meetings, and advocacy days.
Works with the Marketing and Communications Team to identify and prepare CLC members for media appearances.
Supports movement and community building efforts between CLC classes and advocacy stakeholders.
Supports group policy work to further empower client voice and build momentum for CAFB’s annual policy agenda.
Community Organizing – 40%
Grassroots organizing of CAFB distribution partners to engage in our advocacy efforts through meetings with public officials, testifying before legislative committees, sign-on letters, and other direct communications to policymakers.
Coordinates calls to actions on behalf of CAFB volunteers and other community stakeholders.
Engage and network with other community-based organizations with client advisory groups.
Develops advocacy opportunities to conduct joint activities with other client advisory groups on common policy goals.
Attends community events for CAFB presence.