Down Home North Carolina

The Opportunity

We Are Down Home (WDH) seeks full-time, temporary Organizing Fellows interested in growing and sharpening their organizing and base building skills while supporting our mission of building multiracial and working class power in small towns and rural communities.

In 2026, we want to build and deepen our base! Whatever comes our way this year, we know that organizing is our best chance to protect our people, build power, and win changes that improve the lives of our families. We want to invest in training and developing a cohort of working class leaders committed to multiracial organizing and help them gain essential skills and professional experience to serve our movements for the long haul. Through focused and ongoing classroom training and coaching, combined with on the ground experience gained by contributing to Down Home’s base building goals, fellows will leave with a foundation of principle and practice that will serve them for a lifetime.

The training program will include organizing skills, political education on power, race and class, campaign and electoral strategy, planning, and professional skills. The class of fellows will be embedded within Down Home’s Organizing team in established Chapter and expansion counties to advance our mission through base building, leadership development, and local issue campaigns.

The ideal candidate is a people person who is highly motivated to build a powerful multiracial base that wins changes for poor and working-class people in rural North Carolina. They have an organizer mindset, a willingness to learn, strong interpersonal skills, are a team player, are able to work independently, and are mission aligned. Previous experience as an organizer or a grassroots leader is preferred but not required.

About Down Home

Down Home is a growing statewide organization of rural and small-town communities that advocates for economic, gender, and racial justice. We move North Carolina toward the values of dignity, safety, and inclusion through leadership development, strategic campaigning, multiracial movement building, and civic engagement that advances positive, life-changing reforms for rural communities.

We are unique in our focus on building permanent, statewide organizing infrastructure in North Carolina’s rural places. Through our growing network of member-led, county-based chapters, we are engaged in year-round organizing. Our member-leaders, deeply rooted in their communities, are the heart and soul of Down Home’s work. Our organizational mission includes a deep commitment to building multiracial and working-class member leadership, and our chapter culture inspires the deep and necessary commitment required to transform small towns and rural places.

Founded in 2017, Down Home has built a strong organizational track record, including:

• Winning local campaigns to raise the minimum wage for city workers (Waynesville) and oppose the expansion of local jails
• Growing a statewide membership base that includes all 100 counties of North Carolina
• Anchoring the first southern, rural deep canvass and race-class narrative tests
• Driving statewide coalitions to fight for a just COVID-19 recovery and Medicaid expansion

Buckets of responsibility: 

1. Build a rural, multiracial, working class base of members and supporters

• Build trusting relationships and conduct one to ones with community members and leaders 
• Recruit a diverse team of new members and volunteers into Down Home, employing various outreach tactics, including door to door, site and phone canvassing
• Successfully invite and support members into organizing activities like meeting facilitation, door knocking, and member recruitment
• Apply the principles of leadership development to grow member ownership, responsibility, and confidence over time
• Ensure that key basebuilding metrics for outreach, recruitment, and leadership development are met.
• Maintain essential databases and other tracking systems

2. Develop and support Down Home’s member working groups and campaigns 

• Support local programing in alignment with statewide goals; adjusting programs as needed on the local level 
• Work with regional organizers and campaigners to support local community members to identify, develop, and execute strategic issue campaign strategy

3. Represent and embody Down Home’s mission and values 

• Represent Down Home with coalition partners, as a media spokesperson, and with other key stakeholders 
• Play a part in our diverse, dynamic, and inclusive team of organizers and fellow Down Home staff; contribute positively to the culture of the organization
• Be dedicated to building power with the multiracial working class of rural North Carolina

• Model Racial, Equity, and Inclusion (REI) competencies; bring equity and inclusion lenses to all aspects of work, and Inclusion (REI) competencies; bring equity and inclusion lenses to all aspects of work

Required skills and experience: 

• Organizer mindset: Committed to grassroots organizing and grounded in the importance of building a multiracial movement. Willing and able to build relationships quickly, have strong follow-ups, and move people to action. Willing to take chances, and solve problems creatively and independently. Determined to succeed and build power. Previous experience as an organizer or a grassroots leader is preferred but not required.

• Willingness to learn: Be willing to learn and/or adjust organizing techniques. Be able to take coaching from others and integrate advice into your work areas. Listen to community members and leaders to better understand their communities to ensure that the program is the most effective it can be on the local level. 

• Strong interpersonal skills: Be able to build relationships with community members and leaders. Have deep conversations built around self-interest. Be disciplined in accountability and follow-up conversations. Be able to manage relationships between members and volunteers. Resolve conflict and find consensus when necessary. 

• Team player: Contribute to a growing and fast-paced team. Take directions well and be willing to offer feedback and suggestions to co-workers and management. Offer support to teammates and ask for help when needed. 

• Independent worker: Ability to manage multiple projects at once, meet deadlines, and hit metric goals. Ensure that numbers are reported on time with data integrity at the top of mind. Attention to detail and ability to provide thoughtful solutions to problems that arise. Ability to work in a fast-paced environment where work areas are expected to change frequently. 

• Mission alignment: Committed to the vision of a powerful, inclusive, rural, multiracial, working-class movement-building as a path towards liberation for all people. Is aligned with the idea that building power takes both election programs and long-term base building and investment in communities. 

Personal or professional experience living in rural communities, living in the South, rural organizing, and/or organizing in the South are a plus but not required. 

Some irregular hours are required, including nights and weekends.  Applicants must be able and willing to travel regularly for work.

Compensation

Compensation for this full-time, temporary staff position is equivalent to $65,329 - $76,836.70 annually and includes best-in-class union benefits, including healthcare and paid time off. Locations vary throughout North Carolina. Applicants must be able and willing to travel regularly for work. In-person work will be required. This role will end on December 18, 2026. This position is eligible for inclusion in the bargaining unit of the Down Home staff union and reports to the Regional Organizing Manager. 

How to Apply

Down Home NC is committed to creating a dynamic, multicultural, diverse working environment. Candidates of color and diverse backgrounds are encouraged to apply. Down Home NC is an equal opportunity employer. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis. If this job description is posted on Down Home’s website (www.downhomenc.org), we are still accepting applications.

Please send a resume and a short cover letter that includes your experience via our JazzHR job link here.