C4D Hartford Organizer

Connecticut Students for a Dream (C4D) is the only undocumented youth-led statewide organization in Connecticut that fights and builds power for the rights and dignity of immigrants and communities of color. We do this by organizing, empowering, and advocating with undocumented young people and those impacted by the immigration systems so that together we win lasting real change for our communities. Whether we’re organizing in the streets, clearing pathways to education and fighting for education equity, stopping deportations, running advocacy campaigns to win legislation, or creating alliances across social movements, C4D puts immigrants and youth of color at the forefront. We are driven by the priorities and needs of our members and our community.  

C4D is a fast-paced, collaborative, and dynamic organization with a solid membership of youth leaders, a strong history of organizing wins, and committed and passionate staff and board team. Our grassroots-driven approach has a proven record of accomplishment and C4D has become a leading voice in social change in Connecticut.   Since our founding in 2010, C4D has proudly grown to a staff size of 8 full-time staff people, and we now work in 4 areas in Connecticut: New Haven, Danbury, Hartford, and New Britain. For more, see our website: www.ct4adream.org .

C4D is fiscally sponsored by United We Dream (UWD), the largest immigrant youth-led network in the country.  

Position Overview: 

C4D is seeking a dedicated and passionate Organizer committed to building power with and for young people of color while centering experiences of undocumented youth and their families. 

The position will be responsible for re-establishing C4D membership in Hartford and growing the organizing power of C4D in Hartford. We have not had a full time organizer for Hartford for a few years, a key part of the role is establishing a presence in Hartford and cultivating a base that will take action and organize around the organization’s campaigns. The ideal candidate is committed to building the long term  power of young immigrants and supporting their growth as organizers and life long political workers. 

Reporting to the Organizing Director, the Organizer will serve as a key strategist for the work in  Hartford. Together with the Organizing Director, they will develop a long term strategy that works to develop the base and power of Hartford. This position will work closely with the Organizing Director and requires collaboration with all departments of C4D. 

Responsibilities: 

• Develop the organizing strategy for Hartford
  • Work with Organizing Director to develop strategy in 6 month blocks that encompasses, recruitment/outreach, leadership development, and campaign engagement
  • Develop political analysis of Hartford and its relation to statewide politics and campaigns
• Lead the growth of a member base in Hartford
  • Re-establish a base of active members in Hartford
    • You will be on boarded onto a plan that sets milestones for Hartford base building including metrics of members per month
  • Build a multiracial base of young people aged 14-25, that centers undocumented youth as well as those who have been impacted by the immigration system
• Support the recruitment AND leadership development of members
  • Onboard at least 4 members a month
  • Support the develop of 2 members into member leaders a month
  • Support the development of 1-2 member leader(s) into a member organizer(s) per quarter
  • Support the development of member organizers into long term political workers in and outside of C4D
• Manage the organizing engagement of Hartford 
  • Managing engagement of  Hartford during and outside of legislative session, this includes building community supports, member support for campaigns, and local actions that move us closer to campaign goals
  • This includes turnout (of ~15 people) to regular statewide meetings and events
  • This includes turnout (of ~7-10 people) to actions and mobilizations
• Legislative Session Engagement 
  • Engage in HUSKY for Immigrants work through the CT legislative session
    • Engage members in campaign launch, public hearing, member led advocacy, and other campaign activities as required
• School based/University based engagement
  • Engage students through relationships with established schools/universities and school districts 
    • Conduct school/university based outreach and recruitment
  • Work alongside our College Access Program Coordinator to build list of potential members based on CAP engagement
• Summer Organizing work
  • Work with organizing team to implement summer organizing project with the goal to build base, develop organizing skills, and move forward our campaigns
• MISC
  • Participate in building coalitions and key relationships with community organizations, agencies, and schools
  • Mobilize members to campaign events, actions, and other organizational activities.
  • Attend regular, bi-weekly staff meetings, programming meetings as needed, and regular check-ins with supervisor 
  • Keep up-to-date on e-mails, slack, and other forms of communication
  • Ensure that data is collected and inputted and written reports are completed 
  • Work flexible hours, mostly during the regular workday but some evening/weekend hours may be needed, with adjusted time off for hours worked on the weekends

Ideal Candidate Skills, Experience, and Attributes

We recognize all qualified candidates will possess a mix of the ideal qualifications below. Candidates willing to grow and learn in the role are strongly encouraged to apply. 

• Must be a self­-starter with strong interpersonal, organizational, and record-keeping skills
• 2-3 years minimum experience in community or grassroots organizing required
  • Experience with member based organizations a plus
  • Full time organizing experience a plus
  • Experience working with young people 14-25 a plus 
• Previous experience planning and facilitating meetings or events of at least 20 people
• Previous experience with state legislative advocacy or coalition work preferred
• Strong commitment and understanding of social justice and to dismantling systems of oppression
  • Strong commitment to the immigrant community/immigrants’ rights
• Ability to work in a collaborative leadership approach and across departments
• Enthusiasm for open communication and building relationships with staff, members, partner organizations, and coalition partners
• Familiarity with CRM tools like action network, action builder, every action, mobilize or similar platforms a plus
• Bilingual a plus
• Reliable transportation a must - this role requires travel across the state minimum 3-4 times a month

LOCATION: This is an in-person role, and requires regular and ongoing in-person time with members, staff, and partner organizations. The majority of this role will require you to be in and familiarize yourself with Hartford, including organizations, schools, and community groups. When not doing in-person work, staff can work from home or at one of the C4D offices. We have 24/7 access to the Bridgeport Office and scheduled access to our office @ the New Haven Pride Center.

PERIOD: Start of position would be in August, 2024 and would start with a 90 day onboarding and evaluation period.

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS:

ANNUAL SALARY: $54,000

The position is a full-time exempt salaried position with benefits. The base salary is $54,000 in accordance with CT Students for a Dream’s payscale.  

BENEFITS: C4D/UWD offers a comprehensive benefits package including paid vacation, health insurance, retirement plans, and life insurance:

• Time-off benefits: 
  • Employees who have completed less than 3 years of service: 10 Vacation days per year
  • Employees who have completed at least 3 years of service: 15 Vacation days per year
  • Annual paid summer organizational closure for 1 week during July
  • Annual paid Winter / Holiday closure for last 2 weeks of December
  • 12 Paid holidays throughout the year
• Medical/Dental/Vision/ life coverage + dependents
• 4% 403(B) employer discretionary contribution
• Sick leave
• 12 weeks of paid family leave
• $100 monthly stipend for cell service/data and utilities 
• $500 Reimbursement for office supplies working from home annually

LOCATION:  CT Students for a Dream currently works on a hybrid (in person and virtual) schedule for most staff.  C4D has an office in Bridgeport, CT available for staff use. This role requires regular and ongoing in-person time with members, staff, and partner organizations. The majority of this role will require you to be in and familiarize yourself with [insert city], including organizations, schools, and community groups. Staff are able to work remotely from home when not working with members, staff, and partner organizations with a minimum of biweekly in person meetings required in the Bridgeport office. 

COVID: C4D takes the threat of COVID-19 seriously. C4D requires all employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, though reasonable accommodations will be made in accordance with applicable law. 

CT Students for a Dream (C4)  is fiscally sponsored by United We Dream (UWD). UWD is an equal opportunity employer; people of color and individuals from diverse backgrounds are encouraged to apply. UWD does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, ethnic background, citizenship status, religion, political orientation, genetic information, sexual orientation, age,  disability, or any other characteristic protected by law

Interested in working with C4D but don’t quite fit the box we’ve described? We are committed to the development of undocumented youth, womxn of color, Black immigrants, and individuals from diverse backgrounds and directly impacted communities. Contact us and we can work with you on your development