Table of Contents

Canvass Director and Assistant Director Job Description

A Day in the Life of an Assistant Director, AM Office

A Day in the Life of an Assistant Director, PM Office
  

Canvass Director and Assistant Director Job Description

Grassroots Campaigns, Inc is a progressive political consulting firm that specializes in running face-to-face citizen mobilization campaigns for political parties, candidates, and advocacy groups. By running campaigns on behalf of groups such as the National Democratic Party, MoveOn.org, the American Civil Liberties Union, and Amnesty International we can focus on building up their membership and volunteer bases while running field campaigns for candidates and other organizations to win progressive victories on the local, state, and national level and mobilize citizens to be more actively involved and engaged in politics.

Canvass Directors and Assistant Canvass Directors manage our 30 grassroots fundraising field offices across the country, with bottom-line responsibility for all local operations.

Job Responsibilities:

- Recruitment: Build a team of 15-50 canvassers by recruiting from within the local community. Interview prospective staff and make hiring decisions.

- Staff Management: Teach canvassing/fundraising skills. Work with your staff in individual and group settings, with a particular eye towards developing leaders. Cultivate a welcoming and motivating atmosphere.

- Canvassing: Canvass in the field for four days per week, to train new and experienced staff in the field and meet personal fundraising requirements.

- Administration: Carefully track income and expenses. Manage the budget for your office. Process staff payroll. Maintain records for future organizing efforts.

Qualifications:
Strong communication and motivational skills, work ethic, and desire for political change are essential. Candidates must be able to work within a team, have proven leadership ability and an orientation towards handling a lot of responsibility. Strong self-direction and the ability to take initiative are also necessary qualifications. Previous field or canvassing experience is a plus, and may qualify candidates for additional leadership positions.

Training:
Newly hired directors will typically spend three weeks doing field training, working intensely alongside experienced directors and will also attend a week-long national classroom training. Additionally, directors receive support from regional management staff throughout their time on staff. After one year in the position, staff will have learned the basics of running a successful grassroots campaign, including, but not limited to, fundraising and donor recruitment, hiring and supervising staff and/or volunteers, and turf management.

Expectations:
Positions last through November 6, 2012. Campaign hours can run 80-100 hours per week, including work on weekends.

Salary/Benefits:
Annual salary for Assistant Canvass Directors begins at $24,000. Staff may opt into our health care plan (PPO). Paid training, vacation and sick days are included; student loan assistance is available.

Timing and Location:
Positions are available in cities nationwide. Currently hiring in MA, CT, NY, PA, OH, IL, IN, MN, MO, CO, CA, WA, OR, TX and Washington, D.C.

A Day in the Life of an Assistant Director, AM Office

8:00 a.m.: Arrive in office. Meet with co-director to debrief on previous day’s canvassing. Analyze overall recruitment and canvassing results, assess performance versus weekly goals, and adjust your plan to make improvements.

9:00 a.m.: Run orientation with new canvassers, teaching them the basics of canvassing and practicing how to best talk about the campaign. Other directors train more advanced staff to develop canvassing skills.

10:00 a.m.: Staff announcements. Set team goal for the day, announce results from the evening before, read key updates from daily clippings and news stories.

10:15 a.m.: Meet up with the other two people in your canvassing crew and take the bus to a busy pedestrian site. Set individual goals for crew members and get started!

11:00: Begin canvassing with a new trainee, with a goal of signing up 6 donors and two volunteers, and raising $200 for the campaign. Give tips and feedback to build new canvasser’s confidence.

4:00 p.m.: At end of shift, meet up with rest of crew and head back to the office.

4:45 p.m.: Arrive in office. Debrief your staff individually on their shifts, giving advice on how to improve results. Analyze and report canvassing results.

5:15 p.m.:Meet with leadership team (field managers). Get feedback on your plan for staff recruitment, discuss strategies for motivating crews and training specific canvassers on fundraising skills. Develop a plan to increase number of volunteers identified through canvassing.

6:00 p.m.: Interview prospective candidates for your staff. Describe the current campaign: a nationwide grassroots effort to overturn racial profiling laws in Arizona and prevent these laws from spreading to other states. Conduct individual interviews and make hiring decisions.

7:00 p.m.: Quickly complete administrative tasks such as updating staff payroll, depositing fundraising proceeds, and running recruitment ads for the following week. Spend some time on ongoing projects: develop a training plan for your staff, hang up recruitment posters on your local college campus or create a strategic plan to reach new parts of your community.

9:00 p.m.: Leave office to go hang out with staff and grab a bite to eat.

A Day in the Life of an Assistant Director, PM Office

9:30 a.m.: Arrive in office. Meet with Lead Director and co-Assistant Director to debrief on previous night’s canvassing. Analyze overall recruitment and canvassing results, assess performance versus weekly goals, and adjust your plan to make improvements.

10:00-11:00 a.m.: Quickly complete administrative tasks such as updating staff payroll, depositing fundraising proceeds, and running recruitment ads for the following week. Spend some time on ongoing projects: develop a training plan for your staff, hang up recruitment posters on your local college campus or create a strategic plan to reach new parts of your community.

11:00 a.m.: Meet with prospective candidates for your staff. Describe the current campaign: a nationwide grassroots effort to overturn racial profiling laws in Arizona and prevent these laws from spreading to other states. Conduct individual interviews and make hiring decisions.

1:00 p.m.: Meet with leadership team (field managers). Get feedback on your plan for staff recruitment, discuss strategies for targeting neighborhoods and training specific canvassers on fundraising skills. Develop a plan to increase number of volunteers identified through canvassing!

1:30 p.m.: Run orientation with new canvassers, teaching them the basics of canvassing and practicing how to best talk about the campaign.

2:00 p.m.: Staff announcements. Set team goal for the day, announce results from the evening before, share key updates from daily news stories. Run focused skills training for advanced canvassing staff.

3:00 p.m.: Meet up with the other four other people in your canvassing crew, get lunch and drive out to a nearby town. Set individual goals for crew members and get started!

4:00 p.m.:Begin canvassing with a new trainee, with a goal of signing up 6 donors and two volunteers, and raising $200 for the campaign. Give tips and feedback to build new canvasser’s confidence.

9:00 p.m.: At end of shift, meet up with rest of crew and head back to the office.

9:45 p.m.: Arrive in office. Debrief your staff individually on their shifts, giving advice on how to improve results. Analyze and report canvassing results.

11:00 p.m.: Leave office; go hang out with staff and grab a bite to eat.

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