Common Ground & Tenants United: Associate Organizer

Common Ground & Tenants United:
Associate Organizer

Milwaukee, WI

$50,000 - $70,000 (Yearly)

Spanish — Second Language Preferred

Common Ground & Tenants United

Organizing

Non-Profit

Entry Level

Organization Overview

Common Ground (CG) is a multi-racial, multi-faith, non-partisan alliance of 44 member organizations with 50,000+ everyday people dedicated to building power to advance racial equity and economic justice, hold elected and corporate officials accountable, and create positive change in the Greater Milwaukee area. CG's success is rooted in the commitment of our member organizations: congregations, neighborhood groups, nonprofits, small businesses, unions, and schools.

We've won tens of millions from big banks to repair damage caused by predatory lending, created our own nonprofit healthcare cooperative, secured permanent statewide funding for driver's ed, and gotten new leadership at the Housing Authority. We listen deeply, set daring goals, create savvy strategies, and are willing to stand up to powerful interests. We get results.

Tenants United (TU) is a member-driven organization of public and private housing tenants and allies who are building power to address housing-related issues across Greater Milwaukee. TU is unique because it grew out of, and is deeply connected to, Common Ground. In 2023, after a high-profile, 3-year campaign to reform the Milwaukee Housing Authority, we won hundreds of building and unit issues fixed from removing black mold to exterminating bed bugs;

city jurisdiction to inspect and fine HACM for unresolved maintenance issues; and a new HACM executive staff and board focused on reform. Now, we're taking on private corporate landlords, currently "evicting" David Tomblin of Highgrove Holdings LLC—a large private equity investor landlord—and continuing to build power to advance tenant interests.

Position Summary

The TU Associate Organizer is responsible for helping grow and develop a unique tenant organization in Greater Milwaukee that focuses on building and wielding power to address issues facing tenants. The CG Northside Associate Organizer will work to identify and develop community leaders in the Northside of Milwaukee to build power, and take action for racial justice and the common good.

Both Associate Organizers will be supported and coached by Common Ground staff.

Common Ground and Tenants United offer a unique opportunity to build broad-based lasting power, get significant wins, develop as an organizer, and find a lasting career with ambitious, caring colleagues.

Why you'll love working with us:

• We strive for a culture of learning, growth, and development in both staff and members.
• Developing leaders and professional organizers is central to our mission. We provide coaching, shadowing, mentoring, and training. We "run" with you and have you run with us each week.
• 91% of our funding comes from dues and individual gifts from our member organizations and leaders—local, "hard" money. Because we are not dependent on grant funding, we are free to take on the campaigns and targets that we choose, and to continue a campaign as long as necessary.
• We are offering the chance to try and learn our style of organizing, grow as an organizer, and pursue a rewarding, challenging, and secure career with us and our network, The Just Power Alliance.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with community members, tenants, allies, and other staff to build the organization and campaigns.
• Set up and conduct 15 one-to-one meetings per week or the equivalent in canvassing. Meetings are to build relationships, listen for issues, and look for leaders.
• Canvass in target neighborhoods or properties to build an organizing team.
• Find and develop leaders.
• Build and work with teams of leaders through the…