The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) Foundation of Florida seeks a Field Organizer to join our Field Department and help achieve the organization’s goal of protecting the liberties that define our democracy. This position is based in Tallahassee, Florida, with a primary focus on the Leon County region.

The American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Florida (ACLU of Florida or ACLU-FL) is an affiliate of the national ACLU, a national public interest organization devoted to the defense of the Bill of Rights. For over 100 years, the ACLU has served as the nation’s primary protector of the liberties that define our democracy. The organization implements its vital civil liberties mission in all 50 states, in large part through affiliate entities such as the ACLU of Florida.

The ACLU of Florida, the state’s largest civil rights and civil liberties organization, employs litigation, public policy advocacy and organizing, and public education to protect and promote a broad range of constitutional values and individual rights, such as freedom of speech, racial justice, right to privacy, religious liberty, criminal justice reform, voting rights, reproductive rights, LGBTQ+ rights, disability rights, and immigrants’ rights. The ACLU of Florida litigates a broad range of complex constitutional cases in federal and state courts through direct representation, filing amicus briefs, and submitting administrative complaints to state and federal agencies.

This is a regular, bargaining-unit position represented by the National Organization of Legal Services Workers/United Auto Workers Local 2320 (NOLSW/UAW Local 2320), under the terms of the ACLU of Florida’s collective bargaining agreement.

OUR ORGANIZING APPROACH

The ACLU of Florida has adopted a “campaign” approach for its work. Work is focused on pursuing specific integrated advocacy issue-area campaigns to achieve measurable goals that will expand civil liberties and civil rights, while building the long-term power of the communities served by the affiliate and the civil liberties movement.

At the moment, the ACLU of Florida is focused on three strategic imperatives: First Amendment Freedoms; Equality, Justice & Dignity; and Democracy & Accountability. The priorities in which the organization engages are integrated advocacy, and include policy, communications, and litigation in addition to grassroots organizing.

As a result of this campaign approach, the ACLU of Florida’s organizing model focuses on developing volunteer leaders for the civil liberties movement, mobilizing grassroots support for campaign objectives, and educating Florida residents about campaign objectives through person-to-person field contact. Organizing at the ACLU of Florida centers the experiences and leadership of directly impacted people and engages directly impacted people in the work, while also ensuring that non-impacted allies engage in effective and substantive action.

The Field team works with Florida residents to influence decision-makers, and by holding events and actions. Organizing at the ACLU of Florida is oriented toward systemic change and policy action — moving people to take strategic actions that influence decision-makers to advance specific campaign objectives across electoral, legislative, legal, and community education contexts. It is also designed to build long-term political and community power for the civil liberties movement.

WHAT YOU’LL DO

Reporting to the ACLU-FL Program Manager and working in close collaboration with the ACLU-FL Field team, the Field Organizer will mobilize ACLU of Florida supporters, volunteers, and voters to build power across the state. The goal is for Floridians to understand, be prepared to advocate and vote, and to expand state policies that support priority issues in Florida. This includes organizing volunteer-led teams, hosting Know Your Rights trainings, leading advocacy and skills trainings, hosting phone banks and canvassing events, coordinating community events, supporting rallies, and providing voter education to turn out voters to the polls during elections.

While this position is primarily based in the Leon County area, travel is anticipated. Although our organizers work across all of our priority issue areas, we expect this position to have a strong focus on our Free Speech and Democracy issue areas.

YOUR DAY TO DAY

• Under the direction of the Program Manager and in collaboration with the Policy & Advocacy, Communications, and Legal Departments, help inform and implement clear organizing strategies that achieve the organization’s integrated campaign objectives.
• Facilitate the ACLU-FL’s presence at community events to mobilize and expand support for state-based civil liberties issues among ACLU-FL supporters, and others and to recruit volunteers to engage with our work, with a focus on the Leon County region.
• Work alongside members from directly impacted communities, including building and maintaining strong working relationships with community partners and grassroots coalition members to find opportunities for collaboration and learning.
• In collaboration with the Field Director, Database Manager and Program Manager, develop strategy and field organizing activities.
• Assist the Communications team and Policy Strategist in developing advocacy materials, including fact sheets, toolkits, action alerts, blog posts, and social media content.
• Work with NGPVAN, Asana, and the suite of ACLU of Florida tools — including e-mail, text, and phone calls — to increase engagement.
• Organize and conduct volunteer trainings.
• Support local RAISE network needs in collaboration with partner organizations and the RAISE Fellow.
• Grow and support Field programs like our Banned Book Club, Free Speech Team, Legal Observer for Protest and Rallies Tallahassee Team, and Tallahassee Volunteer Team among others.
• Provide on-the ground support for legislative session, supporting coalition events, statewide mobilizations, and volunteer testimonies.
• Work closely with staff across departments using an integrated advocacy approach.
• Work with the Field team to track progress toward goals, produce reports and highlights, and adjust field plans as necessary.
• Perform other tasks as needed to advance the work of the Field Team and strategic objectives of the affiliate.

FUTURE ACLU’ERS WILL

• Be committed to advancing the mission of the ACLU of Florida and the broader civil liberties movement.
• Center and embed the principles of equity, inclusion, and belonging in their work, using a personal approach that values all individuals and respects differences in race, ethnicity, age, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, religion, ability, and socio-economic circumstance.
• Be committed to working collaboratively and respectfully toward resolving obstacles and conflict.

WHAT YOU’LL BRING

While no one person will have all of the qualities enumerated below, the successful candidate will bring many of the following qualifications and attributes:

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent combination of education and experience in a related field.
• Demonstrated commitment to and an understanding of civil rights, civil liberties, social justice, and the ACLU-FL mission, goals, and programs.
• Alignment with the values of the ACLU-FL and a professional commitment to advancing them.
• Understanding of the current political landscape.
• Experience in community/field organizing and base building; experience with a “snowflake” organizing model preferred.
• A history of working collaboratively and successfully with people and organizations from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds and a broad range of ideological positions and religious views.
• A flexible team player who works collaboratively and shares responsibility and credit.
• Excellent communication skills, with a willingness and ability to speak in public and to facilitate meetings and trainings.
• A compassionate, approachable, and sociable disposition, with enjoyment of spending time with supporters, volunteers, and other staff.
• A high level of professionalism.
• Commitment to meeting a high bar, with a history of getting things done even in the face of obstacles.
• Ability to work on fast-paced campaigns with many moving pieces and to adapt to changing circumstances.
• Experience managing multiple projects and overseeing volunteers and leaders.
• Initiative to think through challenging scenarios creatively.
• Ability to self-motivate, create a daily schedule, and build an annual work plan.
• A valid driver’s license and regular access to a car; ability to drive outside of the county as necessary and to work evenings and weekends when needed.
• Ability to lift 50 pounds and transport materials to events.
• Unwavering commitment to the mission and goals of the ACLU, including a demonstrated commitment to racial justice and civil rights issues.
• Fluency in another language is a plus but not required.

COMPENSATION

The ACLU of Florida is committed to equity, transparency, and clarity in pay. Compensation will be commensurate with experience, within the range of $61,240 to $63,100 (Pay Grade 4).

The ACLU of Florida provides excellent benefits, including health and dental insurance with generous vacation, holiday, and sick leave policies, as well as a Defined Contribution 401(k) Retirement Plan. Base vacation leave is five weeks per year, increasing to six weeks per year after five years of service.

WHY THE ACLU OF FLORIDA

Founded in 1955, the ACLU of Florida has spent seven decades defending and preserving the individual rights and liberties guaranteed by the Constitution and laws of the United States for the people of our state. Whether it's ending mass incarceration, achieving full equality for the LGBTQ+ community, establishing new privacy protections for our digital age, or preserving the right to vote or the right to have an abortion, the ACLU of Florida takes up the toughest civil liberties cases and issues to defend all Floridians.

We know that great people make a great organization. We value our people and know that what we offer is essential not just to their work, but to their overall well-being. At the ACLU of Florida, we offer a broad range of benefits designed to support the whole person — from time away to focus on the things that matter, to comprehensive healthcare coverage, retirement planning, and opportunities for professional growth and development.

OUR COMMITMENT TO ACCESSIBILITY, EQUITY, DIVERSITY & INCLUSION

Accessibility, equity, diversity, and inclusion are core values of the ACLU of Florida and central to our work to advance liberty, equality, and justice for all. For us, these are not just check-the-box activities, but a chance to make long-term, meaningful change. We are a community committed to learning and growth, humility and grace, transparency and accountability. We believe in a collective responsibility to create a culture of belonging for all people within our organization — one that respects and embraces difference, treats everyone equitably, and empowers our colleagues to do their best work. We are as committed to anti-oppression, anti-ableism, and anti-racism internally as we are externally. Because whether we’re in the courts or in the office, we believe ‘We the People’ means all of us.

With this commitment in mind, we strongly encourage applications from all qualified individuals without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, marital status, citizenship, disability, veteran status and record of arrest or conviction, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

If you need an accommodation to participate in the application or interview process, or to perform the essential functions of this job, the ACLU of Florida will provide one. We make every effort to ensure that our recruitment and employment efforts provide people with disabilities full opportunities for employment in all positions, and we undertake affirmative action strategies to help make that a reality.