Community Organizer

Description

Movement Labs is seeking charismatic, trusted local leaders to serve as Neighborhood Captains for a scaled-up, research-backed organizing program called Community Rising. Building on a successful 2025 pilot, this role focuses on long-term relationship building with disengaged neighbors who did not vote in the 2024 election.

Community Rising is an initiative that aims to mobilize disengaged voters through relationship-based outreach led by local leaders. The program combines traditional organizing tactics with digital tools to build durable community power and generate evidence for what works in long-term organizing.

About the role:

As a Neighborhood Captain, you will focus on becoming a trusted neighbor and civic resource provider. You will organize lower turnout voters using door-to-door canvassing, phone calls, personalized texts, and neighborhood gatherings to build trust, identify community needs, and bridge the gap between barriers to vote and civic power in your area ahead of the 2026 General Election.

The roles are located in Detroit.

This is a temporary hire for the 2026 election cycle that will run from late July to November 15, 2026.

Responsibilities:

Voter Outreach and Relationship Building: Develop relationships with, and manage a target list of approximately 1,000 high-potential voters within your community. You will conduct high-quality outreach through door-to-door visits, phone calls, and peer-to-peer texting, aiming for at least 3 meaningful interactions with each voter. This will also include prioritizing outreach to folks that you may already know or have relationships with.

Neighborhood Gathering and Community Event Planning: Organize and execute local gatherings or community events to provide low-pressure opportunities for neighbors to connect and engage.

Detailed Data Entry: Utilize outreach tracking platforms to document interaction and engagement details, and make note of community concerns (e.g., specific neighborhood issues, personal interests) to ensure every follow-up feels like a continuation of a single, long-term friendship. Make note of voter feedback and insights on key issues and resources needed by each voter reached.

Reporting & Quality Control: Collaborate with Organizers for outreach reviews, feedback sessions, and verification of engagement standards.

Requirements

Community Trust & Charisma: You should be a "grasstops" or “grassroots” leader—someone with deep roots in your neighborhood, and the ability to engage easily with strangers.

Emotional Intelligence: High empathy and "radical listening" skills, with the ability to listen 80% of the time and speak 20%.

Experience: Prior experience in community organizing, door-knocking, or census work (e.g., enumerator) is preferred but not required. We’re also looking for folks that may have more informal or unconventional community outreach and organizing experience.

Tech Savvy: Comfortable using mobile apps and relational databases for tracking engagement and data entry.

Reliability: A commitment to the full duration of the program and a track record of following through on community support.

You’d be a great fit for this role if:

You want to engage civically with your neighbors, and care deeply about your community

You genuinely enjoy meeting strangers and can make people feel welcome and heard within minutes

You know your block, your building, or your community — and people know you

You're curious, coachable, and open to learning on the job

You've shown up for your community in some way, even if you've never called it "organizing"

Benefits

Why Join this Program?

Proven Impact: Work with a program that has measured the largest turnout effects in one of the most impactful and innovative programs in our 6 years of testing.

Professional Development: Receive specialized training in relational organizing, boundary management, and data-driven campaigning.

Community Investment: Get paid to identify and help meet the actual needs of your neighbors while strengthening local social capital.

Stipends: In addition to hourly pay, Captains receive small stipends included in their regular paychecks.

Flexible Hours: Most of the work of this program can be done at a time that works best with your existing schedule

Compensation and Benefits

This position includes occasional weekend work and possible on-call requirements.

This is a temporary cycle role and runs through November 15, 2026.

This position is not eligible for the collective bargaining unit.

About Movement Labs

is a political innovation incubator that uses, data, and experimentation to stop fascism and build progressive power. We help progressives win and defeat MAGA extremists through year-round work grounded in research and real-world testing. Our team partners with leading advocacy groups, grassroots organizers, and electoral campaigns to develop innovative tactics, win elections, and shift power for the long term.