Jobs

Minnesota Youth Collective is a 501(c)(4) organization powered by young people to build a more representative and progressive state for all Minnesotans. We empower the next generation of leaders to take our rightful seat at the decision-making table, elect people who reflect our values, and shape legislation to better the lives of Minnesotans.

We do this by:

Supporting and investing in the leadership of young people from underrepresented communities—communities of color, native communities, LGBTQIA2S+ folks, women, and working-class people.
Centering young voices and stories around issues that matter to us, and driving real change around these issues.
Giving young people opportunities to exercise their political power at every level of government, from working to make local schools more equitable all the way up to holding our representatives in Congress accountable.
Making voting more accessible for young people—from registering them to vote to giving them the tools to get their friends out to vote.
Weaving art, music, and culture into democracy to make it more approachable and more awesome!

Board Member, 501(c)3 and 501(c)4

Position Overview

The Board of Directors is the policy making body of the organization. To effectively meet the organization’s challenges, the Board and the Executive Director must function together as a leadership team. We are looking for board members who care about their communities, and want to ensure young people have access to political power in all its forms.

Responsibilities

Actively support and promote our mission
Commit to an initial two-year term
Attend at least 75% of all regularly scheduled monthly Board meetings annually.
Read and review Board materials and actively participate in discussions.
Understand, accept, and promise to discharge Board member fiduciary responsibilities; study financial reports, and be knowledgeable about the organization’s financial status and Board policies surrounding financial matters.
In partnership with fellow Board members and management, help advance the organization’s Development Plan.
Recruit at least 1-2 new monthly donors per quarter, with a minimum monthly donation per donor of $10.
Make annual financial contribution(s) to the organization commensurate with personal ability to contribute.
Participate in 75% of large-scale organizational events per year– examples include fundraisers, forums, and significant programmatic events.
Abstain from any action that might lead to or be perceived as a conflict of interest, and annually sign a No Conflict of Interest Statement.
Support and mentor organizational staff.Logistics

Qualifications

A commitment to social justice, anti-oppression, and undoing institutional racism, as well as prioritizing the leadership of young people at all times
Previous board experience is not required, but a familiarity with community or political organizing is helpful
Knowledge of and influence in the community, whatever that means to you
Creative and flexible
Willing and able to engage in discussion while prioritizing the mission and vision of the organization
Comfortable engaging with people from diverse backgrounds and those you don’t know

Details

Send a one page (or less) letter of Interest via PDF to Rahhel Haile, Executive Director, at jobs@mnyouthcollective.org. Please include “MNYC Board” in your subject line. This position is open when filled, but qualified applicants should expect a brief 30-minute phone call with our ED to discuss the position.

Campus Organizing Manager

Organization Overview

The Minnesota Youth Collective is an organization powered by young people to build a more representative and progressive state for all Minnesotans. We empower the next generation of leaders to take our rightful seat at the decision-making table, elect people who reflect our values, and shape legislation to better the lives of Minnesotans.

We do this by:

Supporting and investing in the leadership of young people from underrepresented communities — communities of color, native communities, LGBTQ* folks, women, and working-class people.
Centering young voices and stories around issues that matter to us and driving real change around these issues.
Giving young people opportunities to exercise their political power at every level of government, from working to make local schools more equitable all the way up to holding our representatives in Congress accountable.
Making voting more accessible for young people — from registering them to vote to giving them the tools to get their friends out to vote.
Weaving art, music, and culture into democracy to make it more approachable and more awesome!

Position Overview

As the Campus Program Manager, you will work with the Political Director to support the development of program and advocacy plans on college campuses throughout Minnesota to expand the impact of young voices in our democracy through civic engagement and community work. You will lead and be the main facilitator for our campus organizing fellowship, ensuring the program is running as intended, and troubleshooting when necessary. You will ensure leadership development goals are woven into the fabric of the work on campus, with both staff and volunteers. You will also ensure they have access to all trainings and resources they need to succeed. Programming with Campus Organizers will have a training focus in addition to electoral work.

You will be managing Campus Organizers at UMN – Twin Cities, Carleton, St. Olaf, Winona and UMN Duluth. You will be helping to facilitate MNYC trainings each week, ensuring that campus organizers feel prepared to carry out campus goals. Each campus will have an active MNYC Student Group chapter with regular meetings throughout the year. Meetings will have a training focus, making MNYC trainings available to more students on campus. Campus organizers will be putting together a town hall event, as well as completing weekly field work and base building activities. The ideal candidate for this position will have organizing experience and comfort in training on these subjects.

Candidates should also have a commitment to social justice, anti-oppression, and undoing institutional racism and seek to use the Campus Program Manager role to further internal organizational goals around these efforts. Staff leadership development is a key piece of the organization’s vision, and you will have access to significant training and learning resources.

Tasks and Responsibilities (including, but not limited to):

Program Development and Administration (25%)

Work with the Political Director to develop an in-depth civic engagement and advocacy plan on campuses to ensure young people’s voices are heard in their communities
Lead in managing and training campus fellows
Maintain tracking and reporting systems, and hold staff accountable to using these systems
Report out to the Political Director on a regular basis

Program Execution (75%)

Train campus fellows in all things organizing- using existing MNYC trainings as well as helping build new ones
Regularly communicate with fellows, making sure that they are clear on what programming looks like
Develop organizational culture within the campus organizing team
Manage campus program staff, helping them troubleshoot electoral and training programming when necessary, and holding them accountable to programmatic goals
Develop leadership skills in organizers, and work with them to individualize programmatic components when applicable
Register and pledge voters with organizing team on a regular basis, as determined in coordination with the Political Director

Skills and Experience

(If you don’t have every one of these, please still apply!)

A strong facilitation background
Demonstrated experience with community or electoral organizing (bonus points if that experience is with young people!)
Comfort in facilitating both in person and virtually
Demonstrated commitment to social justice, anti-oppression, and undoing institutional racism
A self-starter, comfortable with taking initiative and ownership over projects
A knowledge of higher education institutions in Minnesota
Demonstrated success in staff management or significant volunteer management
Ability to multitask, and know when to ask for help
Demonstrated willingness to be flexible when program and organizational needs shift
Creative and flexible, able to think outside the box and react to situations quickly
Willing to work irregular hours when necessary
Interest in developing the leadership of young people in an intentional way
Strong knowledge of Microsoft Office and Google Suite products
Reliable access to a vehicle

Details:

Send a resume and three references in an email explaining your interest in the position to our Political Director, Natalie Somerson (hey@mnyouthcollective.org); please include “Campus Program Manager” in your subject line. Applications are to be submitted by July 13th, 2024. Compensation is $56,000 as well as a retirement plan, unlimited PTO and benefits. This is a full-time, permanent position with varied evening and weekend requirements and is a part of MNYC’s union. This position also requires occasional travel throughout Minnesota, and reports directly to the Political Director. The ideal start date for this candidate is August 5th.

Minnesota Youth Collective is deeply committed to social, racial, gender, and economic justice. We strongly encourage persons of color, women, LGBTQ individuals, and those who are unemployed or underemployed to apply.

2024 Campus Fellowship

Organization Overview:

We do this by:

Supporting and investing in the leadership of young people from underrepresented communities—communities of color, native communities, LGBTQ* folks, women, and working-class people.
Centering young voices and stories around issues that matter to us and driving real change around these issues.
Giving young people opportunities to exercise their political power at every level of government, from working to make local schools more equitable all the way up to holding our representatives in Congress accountable.
Making voting more accessible for young people—from registering them to vote to giving them the tools to get their friends out to vote.
Weaving art, music, and culture into democracy to make it more approachable and more awesome!

Position Overview:

As an Campus Fellow, you will work with young people in a cohort to receive training on all things community organizing! Our 13 week curriculum will cover different topics like organizing theory, civic engagement, mutual aid, direct action, power mapping, and more. During the fellowship, you will have the opportunity to bond with your cohort through creative projects and activities that develop your leadership skills. As a Campus Fellow, you will work with young people on your campus to organize around important on-campus issues, developing your leadership skills in the process. You will also work on base building on your campus to expand MNYC’s reach. You will work together with other MNYC organizers on your campus to put on events around on-campus issues and voter registration events during election cycles. This position will have a training focus to it as well, and you will be given significant training throughout your time at MNYC.

Fellowship Pay is $21/hr, and Fellows will work 15 hours/week
The fellowship will run for 13 weeks from August 26th, 2023 to December 3rd, 2024 – with a in person training program in St. Paul during the weekend of August 17th

The ideal candidate for this position does not need to have previous organizing experience but does need to be a student at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, U of M Duluth, Winona State, St. Cloud State Carleton or St. Olaf. This is a great opportunity to learn the power of voter registration drives, youth civic engagement and the building of issue campaigns. This is a great opportunity to receive mentorship and build community with other young people who are interested in movement work.

Tasks & Responsibilities (including but not limited to):

Leadership Development (55%)

Participate in trainings by MNYC staff and others on all things organizing
Collaborate with the other 2 MNYC student group leaders on your campus and meet with other campus leaders
Work 15 hours a week, with varying evening weekend requirements

Program Execution (45%)

If applicable, help run student group meetings on your campus
Canvass campuses and surrounding neighborhoods to engage and turn out young Minnesotans for upcoming elections
Use tracking and reporting systems, report to the organizing team on a regular basis.
Develop relationships with other community organizers through 1:1 conversations
Plan and host an town hall on your campus
Host voter registration drives on campus during election season

Skills & Experience:

If you don’t have every one of these, please still apply!

A commitment to social justice, anti-oppression, and undoing institutional racism
A self-starter, comfortable with taking initiative and ownership over projects
Creative and flexible, able to think outside the box and react to situations quickly
Willing to work irregular hours when necessary
Comfortable engaging with people from diverse backgrounds & those you don’t know
Strong time management skills, or the willingness to learn those skills
Ability to ask for help, and drive to find solutions to challenges
Ability to work in a group setting and to manage their own workload
Willingness to learn more about a topic even if already familiar
Willingness to talk to people they don’t know; this position will require relationship building on campus
Understanding of the importance of electoral politics and the role of voting as part of a long-term strategy for policy change

Details:

Send a resume and three references in an email explaining your interest in the position to Natalie Somerson (hey@mnyouthcollective.org) by July 21st. This is a temporary, part-time position with varied evening and weekend requirements. This position reports directly to the Campus Manager, with mentorship from the Community Engagement Organizer and Political Director

MINNESOTA YOUTH COLLECTIVE IS DEEPLY COMMITTED TO SOCIAL, RACIAL, GENDER, AND ECONOMIC JUSTICE.

WE STRONGLY ENCOURAGE PERSONS OF COLOR, INDIGENOUS FOLKS, WOMEN, LGBTQIA2S+ INDIVIDUALS, AND THOSE WHO ARE UNEMPLOYED OR UNDEREMPLOYED TO APPLY.