Climate change, Climate action

Title: Port Coquitlam Community Canvasser
Organization: Neighbours United
Location: Port Coquitlam, Greater Vancouver BC

• Applications Closing Date: May 28th
• Start Date: June 16th
• End date: September 22nd with possibility for extension
• Terms: Part-time 16.5-18 hrs/week,
• Salary: $27.85/hr
• Positions open: 3

We're hiring a team of door-to-door canvassers to have conversations with everyday people about the impacts of climate change and local solutions! If you love listening, storytelling and talking with people, we want you to join our community canvass team.

About the Organization:

Neighbours United is a community-driven charity that brings people together in rural, small, and suburban areas to support policies that protect the people and places we love. Through strategic campaigns using engagement organizing, deep canvassing, and communications, we are making progress on passing legislation for progressive solutions.

We focus on areas and audiences that are frequently written off as unreachable. We invest in real conversations that matter to people. By centering personal stories we broaden public support beyond the usual environmental base.

We are known for our deep canvassing based approach: listening, leading with personal stories, and creating space for people to wrestle with real tensions. Rather than broadcasting messages, we create conversations that allow people to reflect, connect, and act.

About the Role:

The Port Coquitlam Canvassers will have conversations with Port Coquitlam Residents around municipal climate action by door knocking and occasionally phone banking. The team will consist of two Canvassers, and one team lead. These deep conversations focus on helping Port Coquitlam residents connect on how local climate policies actually impact their personal lives and how together we can work to ensure these policies are passed.

We will provide training on all deep canvassing-specific skills. If you are eager to learn how to have hard, persuasive, emotional, and genuine conversations about climate change, we encourage you to apply!

Successful candidates must be available each week for 4-5 canvassing shifts of approximately 4 hours in length. These canvass shifts will be in the evenings three days a week and one weekend daytime shift. The timing of these shifts will be finalized once everyone is hired.

The ideal candidates are based in Port Coquitlam, as shifts require being in person in the community.

Key Responsibilities:

• Have deep canvass conversations while door knocking for about four hours of each shift.
• Accurately record data on paper and online platforms
• Contribute to debriefs to support co-workers in celebrating wins and processing challenges and explore how to better inform our efforts
• Be able to pivot as necessary based on what we are seeing to be most effective.
• Participate in Leadership Development and Anti-Oppression Trainings
• Meet regularly with the Affordable Electric Homes Program Manager, individually and as a whole Canvasser Team.
• Phone banking those you have canvassed to continue the conversation
• Other responsibilities, as assigned by the Affordable Electric Homes Program Manager

Essential Skills and Experiences:

• Strong listening skills, and the ability to ask nonjudgmental questions with individuals with a wide range of viewpoints.
• Strong interpersonal, conflict resolution and communication skills
• Demonstrated commitment and passion to environmental justice and its intersections.
• Ability to work with diverse groups of people.
• Ability to be emotionally resilient during work hours.
• Willing to share stories and vulnerable experiences related to climate change, from your life.
• Enthusiastic about learning, risk-taking and willing to make mistakes in the process.
• Able to work in a team, and ability to be motivated to work on your own.
• Fluency in English is required.
• Able to knock on neighborhood doors for up to 3.5 hours outside, in typical Port Coquitlam Summer weather.
• Legally entitled to work in Canada.

Bonus if you have:

• Experience in community organizing, campaigning, or canvassing.
• Experience with social work, crisis support, or trauma-informed care.
• Experience with CallHub.
• Bilingualism in any language (Korean, Farsi, French, etc) is an asset. Fluency in Mandarin is a strong asset.
• Access to reliable transportation.

Compensation and Benefits:

Neighbours United is a Living Wage Employer. Employment benefits include:

• 5 paid sick days.
• Vacation pay, paid out at 4% of base pay in each payroll cycle.
• Technology hardware provided.
• Paid time for Leadership Training and for Organizational Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Training
• This position may be extended beyond the initial 4 month commitment, depending on campaign needs and funding.
• Opportunity for position advancement within the organization

To apply:

Applicants are encouraged to identify in their applications if they are Indigenous Peoples, Black People, People of Colour, women, youth, people with disabilities, members of the LGBTQ2SAI+ communities, new immigrants, refugees, and/or are members of other visible minorities.

For any questions you have about the position while considering applying, feel free to email dana@neighboursunited.org

Applications Closing Date: May 28th

Interviews will be conducted on a rolling basis, with the intention to hire as soon as possible.

Send a cover letter and CV to: dana@neighboursunited.org with the subject line reading “Port Coquitlam Community Canvasser Application.”

Please mention you saw this at rcen.ca or goodwork.ca.

We thank all who apply and only those considered for the position will be contacted for interviews.