***DURING THE COVID-19 CRISIS, THIS POSITION WILL WORK FROM HOME AND
ENGAGE IN PHONE CANVASSING***

Part-Time/Temporary

Time Period:  Now - November 3, 2020. Applications accepted on a rolling basis

Location: Michigan and Illinois
Compensation: $15/hour. Phone, internet, and health insurance stipend

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Job Summary 

Michigan United is looking for phone canvassers to participate in a civic engagement program focusing on immigration, health care, race, class, and the 2020 elections.

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Phone canvassers will work from home and call voters throughout the state. Canvassers will discuss important community and political issues with voters, encourage them to register to vote, apply to vote by mail, to vote early, or to vote on election day. Canvassers will be contacting voters in cities, suburbs, and small towns and rural areas. There will be opportunities for promotion to canvass lead or other leadership positions. 

This position has a workweek that includes Saturday mornings and afternoons, and weekday afternoons and evenings. Phone canvassers work 3-5 days per week. Hours and workdays may fluctuate based on progress towards goals. 

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This position requires phone bankers to feel comfortable with long conversations and build relationships with voters by sharing their personal experiences.

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ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS: 

• Have multiple long-lasting phone conversations with voters per shift. 

• Track conversations in MiniVAN  [voter database] and Thru Talk [predictive dialer]

• Debrief conversations daily with the canvass team and canvass lead. 

• Participate in ongoing training to learn deep canvassing tactics and scripts. 

• Listen without judgment, so voters feel comfortable sharing their views honestly. 

• Listen actively and ask follow-up questions. 

• Be willing to share your own stories to help voters feel more comfortable. 

• Connect around shared values based on common experiences.

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MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS: 

• Excellent listening and communication skills, such as asking multiple follow-up questions and elicit stories. Empathetic and motivational in conversation. Comfortable sharing stories about your own experiences. 

• Capacity to listen without judgment. Ability to find common ground with people who have different opinions. 

• Experience using MiniVAN or Thru Talk is a plus, but not required. 

• Strong commitment to social, racial, and economic justice, and passion for our issues. 

• Serious about achieving qualitative and quantitative goals. 

 

APPLICATION DETAILS: 

• Michigan United members and leaders will be prioritized. 

• Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until positions are filled. 

• To apply for a paid or volunteer position, please fill out this brief form.

 

ORGANIZATIONAL BACKGROUND: 

Michigan United is a statewide organization of community members and institutions fighting for economic and racial justice. We use the tools of community organizing, leadership training, advocacy, media work, and civic engagement to run strategic campaigns that win real change. We're committed to winning a better world for all of our communities, not just the privileged. 

We are the largest community organizing group in the state, with offices in Detroit, Kalamazoo, Grand Rapids, and Flint. We represent 100 member community organizations. 

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Michigan United organizes in the following issue areas: immigrants’ rights, criminal justice reform, environmental justice, universal family care (including health, child care, elder care, and paid sick time), and civic engagement. We work to build the capacity of community members who are directly impacted by these issues to lead and win concrete reforms that will change their own lives and shift the balance of power in our state. 

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Michigan United, along with Michigan People’s Campaign, our affiliated 501(c)(4), is serious about building long-term political power with the aim of transforming our political and economic system into one that puts people and the planet first. Our main office is in Southwest Detroit, with additional offices in Kalamazoo, Grand Rapids, and Flint. As a racial and economic justice organization, we actively encourage underrepresented individuals on the basis of race, ethnicity, income, and sexual orientation, and those who share the life experiences of the members we serve to apply.

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