Faith Community Organizer

Arise Chicago, a nationally recognized workers’ rights organization, seeks a full-time Faith Community Organizer to lead and expand its work in engaging faith leaders (clergy and congregations) to advance workers’ rights.

Arise educates, organizes, and develops the leadership of low-paid, immigrant workers to improve working conditions and advance pro-worker policies.

Arise Chicago is a progressive nonprofit organization that brings together low-paid immigrant workers, faith leaders and congregations, union leadership and rank-and-file members, elected officials and government agencies, academics, legal advisors, and community leaders to create economic justice and social change.

Arise seeks a candidate who aligns with our mission, produces excellent work, and values and contributes to a collaborative workplace culture.

We value our staff by offering competitive salaries, excellent benefits, flexibility, comp time, a fully-paid sabbatical, and remote work on Fridays.

Responsibilities

Develop and Organize Faith-Based Strategies for Campaign Work

• Organize faith leaders into geographically-based groups for Arise’s Worker Center campaigns
• Attend Workers Rights Workshops to educate and engage workers about their faith community’s involvement in Arise campaigns
• Organize with worker members to reach out to their own faith leaders
• Map worker members’ congregations for strategic outreach
• Organize faith leaders’ support for union solidarity and public policy campaigns
• Organize faith leaders’ participation in press conferences, religious leaders statements, prayer vigils, employer delegations, etc.
• Support Arise staff requests to secure meeting space in congregations as needed
• Develop theologically-based written materials and speeches addressing Arise’s work
• Coordinate annual Labor in the Pulpit program with Chicago Federation of Labor

Organize Congregational Members

• Create relationships, expand involvement, and add new Congregational Members
• Annually meet with the Social Justice Committees of Congregational Members
• Track and solicit annual donations from Congregational Members
• Create a map of Congregational Members and graph participation in giving, hosting, attending, supporting, etc. to share with staff semi-annually
• Speak at semi-annual Catholic Archdiocese Pastoral Migratoria event

Organize Groups of Faith Leaders

• Develop and maintain relationships with judicatories, deaneries, ministerial associations
• Support and expand the diversity of Arise’s faith leader membership
• Organize faith leaders to host workers’ rights workshops and other Arise events
• Organize faith leaders to attend and speak at Arise actions, trainings, press conferences, worker gatherings, annual Encuentro and Breakfast fundraiser
• Expand relationships and attend events of other faith-based institutions and non-profits

Support Faith-Based Fundraising

• Initiate, grow, and maintain relationships with religious funders
• Partner with faith-based Board Members to explore faith-based grant opportunities
• Coordinate religious leaders’ letters of support for religious grants
• Collect data on faith-based participation for grant applications and reports
• Coordinate speakers for annual CCHD fundraising and other religious funders’ events
• Support the mailing of donation thank you letters to faith-based funders
• Support the functioning of Arise by completing other duties as assigned

Requirements

• Minimum 3 years of faith-based organizing experience
• Bilingual in English and Spanish, spoken and written, an absolute must!
• Experience interacting with immigrant community
• Ability to address the work of Arise Chicago in a theological framework
• Commitment to respect and be comfortable in all faith tradition settings
• Excellent interpersonal communication skills
• Excellent writing and speaking skills
• Ability to collaborate with and support a committed team
• Ability to keep up-to-date with fast-paced developments within the organization
• Demonstrated ability to set and achieve multiple goals under deadlines
• Commitment to grassroots organizing and social justice and faith values
• Computer proficiency in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Google Drive, social media, databases

Preferred

• Ordained clergy
• Experience in workers’ rights, knowledge of and relationships with unions
• Extensive Interfaith experience
• Demonstrated leadership in one’s own faith community
• Consecutive or simultaneous translation ability

Compensation & Benefits

A generous, competitive salary and excellent benefits including :

• Salary range $60,000 - $75,000
• 100% family health and dental insurance coverage
• 403b Retirement plan
• Generous vacation
• Sabbatical policy
• Remote work on Fridays

Arise Chicago offers a unique, collaborative and supportive work environment, with a talented and dedicated team.

Arise Chicago is an equal opportunity employer. In order to best reflect our membership, immigrants, first generation, people of color, and women are especially encouraged to apply.

To Apply

To apply, send resume and cover letter to : [email protected]

Please include Faith Community Organizer Application in the subject line