Organizers lead the strategy for the ONA Local group and act as the main point of contact with ONA. They recruit, any other volunteers needed for the group. They also act as an ambassador for ONA’s mission in their newsrooms and wider communities and groom future organizers. They manage the overall plan for any activities for the groups. (All ONA Local groups are currently meeting virtually only during the COVID-19 pandemic.)

Organizers will have one-year term agreements with ONA, renewable at the end of each year.

This role is great for you if you’re:

• Proud of your city and motivated to see local journalism thrive there.
• A superfan of ONA and a true believer in its mission to inspire and support innovation and excellence in digital journalism.
• An energetic problem solver. There’s no blueprint for every community, so if you’re more of a set-it-and-forget-it type you may quickly get frustrated by this work.
• A connector who gets a kick out of seeing people work together.
• A person who can define a vision and then put it into operation.
  
• Humble and open to new ideas. Community building is about the community, not the organizer.

Responsibilities include:

• Planning the overall strategy for your ONA Local group
• Recruiting, onboarding and managing local volunteers as needed
• Identifying key themes and problems your community wants to tackle together, using feedback from members
• Acting as your group’s main point of contact with ONA
• Acting as the link to the broader ONA community for your group, connecting them with opportunities and news relevant for your members
• Shepherding the group’s Meetup page and social media accounts, or recruiting a volunteer to help with them
• If you have more volunteers on your team, setting up regular meetings or communications for volunteers

Leadership Training

Organizers will also have access to participate in leadership training specially designed for community leaders in journalism. We design our leadership training programs around you, and give participants individualized support in reaching specific development goals, including:

• Recruiting and managing diverse teams
• Leading through influence
• Leadership styles
• Managing innovation in legacy news environments
• Mentorship