The Fellowship of Reconciliation is the oldest interfaith peace and justice organization in the U.S. and part of a global network of 50 branches, groups, and affiliates, with a national base of more than 80 chapters, faith allies, and grassroots affiliates. As an interfaith organization, FOR-USA’s mission is to organize, train, and grow a diverse movement of people of conscience committed to using the transformative power of nonviolence to create peace, end structures of violence and war, and build the beloved community.
Overview
For more than 100 years, FOR-USA members have courageously and relentlessly addressed the most pressing social issues of our times. Originally founded as a pacifist movement to support the rights of conscience in resistance to war and military conscription, through the decades we have tackled such diverse and intersectional issues as labor rights, civil rights, environmental degradation, mass incarceration, extending the voting franchise to all, ending the death penalty, combating religious hatred, gun violence, nuclear abolition, and much more. Our work, which currently involves the building of a flagship campaign to overcome Christian nationalism, is typically done in coalition with trusted partners. https://forusa.org
FOR-USA launched the Reclaim the Name campaign in 2023 to raise awareness about the hypocrisy of Christian nationalism, and to organize, train, and grow a diverse movement of allies and faith leaders committed to combating its growth. Our members — Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, Sikh, Indigenous, and Baha’i as well as people of conscience with no religious affiliation — are unified in the belief that the work of peace and justice transcends our different faith journeys because the divine ultimately transcends all divisions. The fusing together of nationalist identity and religious faith of any kind is a weaponization of the divine.
Last Spring, as part of our Reclaim the Name campaign, we organized a petition, signed by over 650 faith leaders and introduced into the official Congressional record, requesting that Mother’s Day be considered a National Day of Prayer Against Guns and Violence. For 2024, along with again having a Mother’s Day campaign to end gun violence and white Christian nationalism, we are planning a conference in Atlanta, GA to take place the first weekend in May 2024.
FOR’s conference to Reclaim the Name of God from gun violence and Christian nationalism will be a space for our members to come together in radical inclusivity to learn, strategize, imagine new possibilities, and take action – to counter the ways that religious nationalism distorts the essence of God to create instruments of violence, hatred, and cultural supremacy. The conference will help people to recognize, rather than pathologize communities of color, white Christian nationalism as the root cause of our nation’s gun violence epidemic.
We are looking for a consultant to serve as a project manager, coordinating logistics and ensuring the conference planning moves forward in a successful, creative, and inclusive way.
We are estimating 100 to 500 conference attendees, 1-2 plenaries, tens of member-led sessions, and tabling by sponsoring organizations.
We are looking for someone who is highly organized, can help us keep on track, is able to think of creative solutions, and has a positive outlook. They must also be highly skilled at troubleshooting, enjoy collaborating with a wide range of partners, and have strong communication skills.
Specifics:
- Start Date: September 2023
- Hours: Hours will vary and increase during periods of high planning and implementation. The following is an estimate: September – December: 15-20 hours/week; January – March: 25-40 hours/week; April-May: Full-time with availability on site (Atlanta, Georgia) 3-4 days leading up to the conference; May: 5-15 hours/week follow-up.
- Location: Ideally the person will be located in Atlanta but we still encourage people who would work remotely and then be on-site in Georgia the week of the conference.
- Compensation: The salary for this position is $25-35 per hour depending on experience.
- Apply by email to [email protected]
- Applications are reviewed upon receipt.
Scope of Work
- Manage the planning and execution of the conference, including developing a work plan.
- Oversee on-site conference planning team to ensure all event logistics and communications are completed according to project timeline and specifications.
- Coordinate logistical arrangements with on-site conference event planner to develop and oversee registration lists, event collateral, and materials
- With support from FOR’s executive director and FOR’s director of advancement, help update and stay on budget.
- Coordinate and facilitate weekly planning meetings.
- Communicate with conference participants as needed regarding registration, accommodations, and other issues.
- Collaborate with local peace, justice, and movement partners to ensure activist participants and site visits are grounded in the local context and co-designed.
- Lead communication and information flow between the FOR team and external consultants (on-site conference manager, hotel, and others). FOR uses Slack and Asana for project management and communication.
- Oversee on-site conference logistics. Work with on-site team on the implementation of the event.
Fellowship of Reconciliation-USA is a safe, inclusive workplace. We strongly encourage you to apply if you are from a marginalized or underrepresented group. We welcome applications from people of all races, religions, national origins, genders, sexual orientations, gender identities, gender expressions, ages, and various abilities, or challenges. FOR-USA takes affirmative action to give priority to the recruitment and placement of qualified persons from underrepresented groups. FOR-USA also embraces the New York Fair Chance Act, which supports the reentry of formerly incarcerated people by ensuring a fair chance at employment. Pursuant to the Act, we do not discourage and will consider qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.
