Responsibilities of a Community Organizer

From Wellstone Action!:

“Being an organizer means putting the needs of the community above yourself and your ego. Your task is to influence the powerful with little more than the common will, and do so while developing the leadership of those around you. A good organizer is always working to put themselves out of a job, because many others should be prepared to step up and take their place. You listen and learn, coordinate and plan, arrive early and stay late, and do the real work that improves people’s lives….. community organizers have been the ones that moved our country forward during times of crisis and great change. They are ordinary people working to improve their communities.”

I will add that community organizers accomplish goals mostly without staff, and by persuading volunteers to donate their time and talents to the cause. In Portland, many community leaders work without pay, often without any personal benefit beyond the satisfaction of achieving results that are good for all. I am proud to know and work with many wonderful community organizers in Portland.