Title: Membership Director
Location: Remote, U.S.
Compensation: NEC uses a staff-affirmed transparent compensation calculator to determine exact rates. Salaries are non-negotiable and are calculated from the same base rate for all positions, with adjustments upward for factors like geographic location. Most salaries currently fall between $75-90,000 per year. We also offer a generous benefits and PTO package, including fully paid health insurance and an automatic 3% 401k employer contribution.
Time Commitment: Full-time Salaried Position (32 hours per week).
Application Deadline: March 15, 2024.
Start Date: Ideal start date is Late May-June 2024.

POSITION SUMMARY

NEC is seeking a Membership Director to coordinate and lead our Membership Circle, the primary circle (team) that supports and maintains connection with our network. This position plays a critical leadership role in developing the vision, strategy, programs, and governance structures that bring together the member network that is NEC. As such, our ideal candidate has considerable experience building coalitions and organizing with warmth and empathy, especially in the solidarity economy movement. They also have strong facilitation skills, experience in democratic groups, and significant program and team management skills.

The focus of this role is to develop, maintain, and deepen relationships within our membership, as well as the broader solidarity economy movement. The Membership Director will work closely with the Resource Mobilization, Communications, and Train Our People Circles, helping develop strategic programs, trainings, and gatherings that support the specific needs of our membership.

This is a full-time (32 hrs/week), salaried position, and can be performed remotely from anywhere in the U.S. This position requires someone to be able to perform tasks on a computer for up to eight hours a day, inclusive of paid breaks. Our work is rigorous, but we prioritize space for joy, for healing, and for connection. The ideal candidate will contribute to the creation of a liberatory work culture in which folks can bring their whole selves to the work.

WHO IS NEC?

New Economy Coalition (NEC) is a membership-based organization working to build the power and scale of the solidarity economy movement in the United States. We exist to organize our network of 150+ member organizations into a more powerful and united force, in order to accelerate the transition of our economic system from capitalism to a solidarity economy. We aim to be a connecting thread between regions and sectors, facilitating relationships and exchanges of skills and lessons to strengthen the connections between emerging solidarity economy ecosystems. Our members’ work spans various solidarity economy sectors, including co-ops, community land trusts, participatory budgeting, public banks, credit unions, energy democracy, and more.

NEC is a worker self-directed nonprofit. This means we operate under a peer-management and collective governance framework. Prior experience in these areas is a plus, but not a requirement. The person who fills this role should be interested in learning about and building their collective governance muscles over time! 

NEC is committed to building an inclusive and liberatory organization. We value having a diversity of life experiences, identities and perspectives on our staff. NEC is an equal opportunity employer that does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion or belief, disability, gender, nationality, ethnicity, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, or any other status protected by law (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions). People of color, women, working class, and LGBTQ candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Deepen relationships with our membership to collectively develop high-level network vision and program strategy (40%) 

• Lead staff to develop, maintain, and deepen strategic relationships with our members, gaining clarity on the needs of regional solidarity economy ecosystems throughout the U.S.. 
• Coordinate our team to organize members into deeper political alignment, connectivity, collaboration and leadership through regular online member calls, trainings, and resource redistribution.
• Lead on vision and programming for quarterly and annual membership meetings, including playing a key role in developing and executing plans for a 2025 in-person membership convening.
• Represent NEC within the larger solidarity economy movement by providing strategic guidance and identifying opportunities to recruit new members, sustain NEC movement partnerships, and facilitate consent in endorsement processes.

Develop and implement processes and systems that support staff, membership, and working groups (25%)

• Support the vision around NEC’s membership structure and governance practices, including member recruitment, administration of member dues, and development of a member code of conduct.
• Build channels for communication, input and accountability among and between members, board and staff.
• Support adherence to best practices for maintaining member data in our CRMs and communication channels.
• Lead staff to develop infrastructure that supports existing member working groups and encourages more members to self-organize into standing or ad-hoc groups that meet collective needs.  

Coordinate Membership Circle, maintaining circle practices and structures that support efficient collaboration (20%)

• Coordinate the Membership Circle, which includes:
  • Supporting circle staff members to plan and execute the collective work plan, including assessing and making adjustments when necessary.
  • Preparing meeting agendas that relate to executing the strategy and facilitating circle meetings. 
  • Leading the process to draft the circle’s annual budget.

Participate in organizational governance (15%) 

• Participate in collective decision making and governance – this may mean preparing, editing, providing feedback and eventually voting on a wide range of proposals related to our work conditions, strategy, and programming. 
• Eventually take on discrete governance and organizational stewardship roles that come with being a Worker Self Directed Non-Profit. This may include joining our HR, IT, Finance, Culture & Care, and/or General Circle(s).
• Participate in ongoing professional development.
• Support year-round fundraising at the request and coordination of the Resource Mobilization circle.

   

SKILLS & QUALIFICATIONS

Any combination of formal education, paid work experience, unpaid/volunteer experience, and life experience will be considered to meet the following:

• Experience developing and/or leading a coalition or network, especially within solidarity economy movements. Prior knowledge of and/or experience working with NEC members or the network as a whole preferred.
• Experience developing and implementing a strategic vision, translating vision into practical, inclusive, and sustainable programs and systems.
• Familiarity with the breadth of organizational functions in multiracial movement organizations, including team building, strategic planning, organizing, budgeting, fundraising, communications, building culture, human resources.
• Direct experience with community or network organizing.
• Virtual and in-person event planning including but not limited to creating agendas/program, considering different access needs, selecting venues, budgeting.
• Strong racial justice and decolonial analysis, holds a commitment to abolition and cooperativism, and has experience with establishing and strengthening networks and coalitions. 
• Strong relationship-building skills; listening to and taking an interest in others. 
• Commitment to building a culture of self-direction, mutual accountability, liberation, respect, and joy.
• Tech savvy and proficient with Zoom, Google Workspace, Slack, Action Network, CRMs (NEC uses Powerbase and Airtable), Asana, GoogleGroups.
• Commitment to solidarity economy values, such as racial, economic, and climate justice; cooperative ownership; democratic governance; and systems change. 
• Strong time management skills: self-motivated with accuracy and attention to detail.
• Desire and ability to work in a remote environment for 32 hours a week.
• Willing to learn from mistakes, receive feedback, and give feedback to others. 

NOTE: NEC is a fully remote organization. The person in this position may be expected to travel within the United States several times a year to staff retreats or conferences. This role requires extended use of a computer. Working hours are flexible but everyone on staff is generally expected to be available between 12-4pm EST Monday through Thursday.

BENEFITS

Full benefits including healthcare, dental, short and long term disability, retirement fund, employer-provided laptop and home office stipend, flexible schedule, and 20 wellness days, 16 vacation days, 3 floating holidays, and summer and winter office closures (in addition to federal holidays).

HOW TO APPLY

To apply please submit this form, and upload the following documents as PDFs: 

1. Resume 
2. A cover letter or statement of purpose describing your interest and qualifications. We want to get a sense of your magic! 
3.  A work sample you feel helps us get to know you 

The application deadline is March 15th, and we hope to schedule first round interviews in late-March. Position will remain open until filled. 

We will confirm receipt of each applicant’s materials. Once the application deadline passes, a staff hiring committee for the position will review applications and determine which applicants will move forward in our hiring process. Our hiring process usually includes a total of three interviews to arrive at final candidates for consideration. The initial first interview is typically a 30 minute phone screen. The second interview is on Zoom with the hiring committee, and the third (and usually final) interview is on Zoom with more NEC staff and board. Some positions, including this one, may also include questions in advance of interviews requiring additional preparation by the applicant. Regardless of whether a candidate is offered a position, NEC pays all candidates who we interview a small stipend in honor of their time spent.