Volunteer Legislation Coordinator

YIMBY Action and Yes In My Back Yard (YIMBY) are seeking a skilled volunteer with an interest in policy as well as excellent organization, research, and communication skills to help promote and expand the work of YIMBY Action’s Policy Team.

YIMBY Action and Yes In My Back Yard (YIMBY) are affiliated 501(c)(4) and 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations that work together to advance policy change that will increase the supply of housing in high-opportunity cities and towns. We advocate to increase the supply of all types of housing, including market-rate, subsidized affordable, and public housing. Our organizations envision an integrated and environmentally sustainable society where every person has access to a safe, affordable home near jobs, services, and opportunity.

The YIMBY Action Legislation Coordinator will help increase the impact of YIMBY Action’s legislative advocacy, with a particular emphasis on generating action alerts and legislative summaries to mobilize grassroots activists in California (and in some cases, other states as well). They will also assist in sharing and promoting action alerts, disseminating legislative educational materials, and engaging our active volunteer base using digital platforms such as Slack.

The Coordinator will be a member of YIMBY / YIMBY Action’s Policy Team, reporting to the Policy Director. This Team works to lead and support our organizations’ efforts to implement housing policies, primarily at the state level. The Team also coordinates with the Communications department to inform the public about YIMBY Action and YIMBY Law activities, working to advance public understanding of housing and shift the national discourse to embrace pro-housing messages.

What we're looking for

This is a part-time skilled volunteer opportunity. It meets the educational development requirements of many internship programs, and we encourage applicants to pursue this role as part of a college internship program and in exchange for class credit. Although the position is unpaid, it is an excellent opportunity for students to gain knowledge and experience with a nonprofit organization that works with grassroots volunteers to advocate for legislation to solve the housing shortage and housing affordability crisis.

Responsibilities

Direct Lobbying (60%)

• Draft support letters for YIMBY Action’s priority legislation, submit them to our volunteer Leads
• Submit support letters, through the CA advocacy portal, before each hearing
• Request (template) support letters from other organizations, for our priority legislation
• Execute mail merge requests for sign on to potential coalition partners
• Coordinate logistics for lobby days and in-district meetings with legislators
• Sign onto other organization’s support letters
• Draft template support letters for YA’s sponsored legislation

Action Alerts (40%)

• Assist in the development of graphics using brand templates on Canva, in collaboration with the Marketing & Communications Intern
• Leverage past action alert examples to create new petitions, letter-writing campaigns, and other action alerts for key bills at the direction of the California Director
• Help identify when action alerts should be deployed based on legislative hearing schedules and bills that have been identified as high priority by the Policy Director
• Assist in disseminating action alerts in specific channels within the YIMBY Action Slack, as identified by the Communications Director
• Collaborate with the Marketing & Communications Associate to create and share social media content to promote high-priority action alerts
• Collaborate with the Communications Director to create and schedule emails to promote high-priority action alerts, such as:
  • Call-ins to Sacramento staff in August
  • Email campaigns
  • In-person lobbying events
  • Call-ins to district offices,
• Gather information from partner organizations about actions taken in support of YIMBY Action’s key bills, record information in the internal coalition database

Qualifications

We believe a variety of different work, school, volunteer, or community experiences could make you a good fit for this job. We welcome candidates from nontraditional backgrounds.

REQUIRED

• A deep commitment to YIMBY Action’s mission and vision. A passion for more housing and shelter of every type including subsidized nonprofit affordable housing, market-rate housing, transitional housing, navigation centers, etc. etc. etc.
• High attention to detail and well-organized
• Strong, clear writing skills with the ability to explain complex concepts to entry-level audiences
• An understanding of social media platforms, their functions, and how to create content for a specific, defined audience
• Experience with Google Suite

PREFERRED

• Experience using Canva and Slack
• 1 year of directly relevant work or volunteer experience
• Knowledge of/previous experience in housing activism
• Community organizing and/or political activism experience

Benefits

• Up to 100% employer funded comprehensive medical coverage
• 401k enrollment opportunities
• 3 weeks of paid vacation plus another 20 paid holidays
• Paid sick time
• Paid family & disability leave
• Significant professional development opportunities, including paid professional development stipend
• Flexible work hours within a 40 hour work week
• Membership in YIMBY Action nationwide activist network and vibrant 3,700+ member Slack community
• Access to YIMBY Action network of elected officials, journalists, and business leaders