Sister District GOTV Phonebank Training Fellowship
Interviews will be conducted in late July for a 12 week term beginning Aug 19 and ending on November 8. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and we encourage you to apply early.
GENERAL SUMMARY:
This is a 12 week training internship/fellowship. At 6 hours per week over 12 weeks, GOTV Fellows will be trained to and then assist Sister District National Phonebank leaders for Sister District’s endorsed state legislative candidates. Fellows will join two National Phonebanks per week. This program is designed to train and prepare aspiring organizers for staff and volunteer roles on campaigns and electoral-focused field programs. Through trainings, weekly cohort calls, and valuable hands-on experience, Fellows will learn how to have persuasion and turnout conversations with voters, how to work with political volunteers, and how to run an excellent phonebank program, and will help elect Democratic candidates in 2024. All work is performed via remote communication using Google Suite, phone, Zoom conference calls, Slack, email, and text. The specific work schedule is flexible. This fellowship is unpaid and provides a cost of living stipend in the amount of $1,440.
BACKGROUND
Sister District’s 70+ volunteer teams provide grassroots field and fundraising support to progressive state legislative candidates to build Democratic majorities at the state level. We continue to build robust and effective teams to maximally help elect candidates in 2024. Fellows have a significant role to play.
RESPONSIBILITIES
In collaboration with Organizing Department staff, Fellows will:
Attend orientation & training calls to learn field-proven best practices of the Sister District phonebanking model
Attend a 45-minute weekly Phonebank Fellow cohort call with Sister District staff focused on continuous training and improvement
Attend a weekly 15 minute one-on-one to track progress and development
Learn to and then practice co-hosting two recurring two-hour virtual phonebanks each week, providing support for the phonebank leader, training and engaging new phonebankers, calling voters, and helping with tech support as needed
Learn to and then practice following up and thanking volunteers for their participation
Learn to and then practice following up with volunteer sign ups who did not attend the phonebank to invite them to the next phonebank
Learn to and then practice recruiting new phonebankers
TIME COMMITMENT & LOGISTICS
Start: week of Aug 19th, 2024
End: November 8, 2024
Work remotely
6 hours per week
One weekly 45-minute cohort call with program coordinator, scheduled during cohort’s stated availability
Two weekly 2 hour phonebanks assigned based on stated availability (4hrs total/ week)
1 hour of community building and volunteer outreach per week, flexible schedule
One 15 min one-on-one with Sister District staff, flexible
Must have reliable, stable internet connection for Zoom + phonebank web interface
Use personal computer and phone for calls and texts
We use the Google Suite to track our work and Slack and Zoom to communicate
$1,440 cost of living stipend, disbursed in three payments over the term (September 9, October 14, November 11).
WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR
This fellowship is focused on training aspiring organizers in voter contact and volunteer capacity-building through personal connection and conversation. If you are interested in learning more about campaigns or looking to further or develop your organizing skills, please apply! We’re looking for applicants with:
Strong passion for electing Democrats to state legislatures in 2024
Energetic about engaging, appreciating, and building relationships with volunteers
Good communication skills, including ability to present a training articulately and accurately in front of an audience
Ability to troubleshoot basic phonebank tech issues
Patient and detail-oriented approach, particularly in working with others of all ages and abilities
Desire to communicate effectively with voters over the phone
Campaign experience not required
ABOUT SISTER DISTRICT
Since launching in the wake of the 2016 election, Sister District has grown to nearly 70,000 volunteers across the country. We have endorsed candidates in 167 races across 18 states, 107 of whom won and have gone on to fight for progressive issues in their state legislatures. We have raised more than $5.3 million in small-dollar donations directly for our candidates and State bridges organizations. Our organizing efforts have reached out to more than 4.1 million voters through phones, texts, postcards, and door knocks. We also partner deeply with our campaigns to provide professional training, advice, and guidance to help candidates and staff build winning campaigns.
Sister District not only helps to win urgent elections each year, but also builds Democratic infrastructure for the long term. We do this by training newly elected legislators and former candidates, conducting academic-quality civic research, supporting community-based organizations, and more.
We are open to volunteers and candidates of all genders, and we are proud to be an organization founded and led by women, including women of color.