Activation Managers

Dear colleagues,

On the eve of what is predicted to be a summer of record-breaking heat and the most active hurricane season in US history – leading up to a presidential election – we wanted to share one of the critical ways Organizing Resilience is getting ready to support immediate humanitarian response and long-term power-building work in the wake of climate disasters. 

Over the last couple of years, we’ve been developing OR’s “On Call Network” (OCN) – a bench of support we deploy to flank on-the-ground leaders in their immediate response and power-building work during a climate disaster. We have experts in fundraising, communications, navigating federal disaster response, organizing, policy and more, on deck. To date, the OCN has activated nearly a dozen times around the country, stewarding over $10 million to the ground for response, recovery, and long-term organizing.

Today, we would like to invite you to nominate strong candidates to join our bench of Activation Managers, a critical force of organizers and campaigners who work in lock step with leaders in the impacted area and help to channel the expertise of the On Call Network. It is their job to make sure support is flowing in highly impactful and accountable ways. Last year, it was game-changing to have this team in place as we raised and deployed over $1.4 million in response to the Maui fires alone. The organizers we worked with during the Lahaina Fires have provided hundreds of families with immediate assistance to secure housing, food, and services, and continue to organize to shape the direction of federal recovery funds, campaign against land grabs and displacement, and advance a just recovery agenda.   

As we approach the 2024 hurricane season, we are deepening our bench of Activation Managers, starting with a 2-day, in-person training in Houston on May 16th and 17th. Attendees will learn about Organizing Resilience’s approach to supporting immediate crisis response and long-term structural change work and how we mobilize during climate disasters. Activation Managers will be tee’d up to respond to crises with the start of storm season on June 1. 

As critical partners of OR, we wanted to let you know about this training and ask you to nominate folks to join our bench of Activation Managers. The ideal Activation Manager is movement-aligned, incredibly responsive, organized and calm under pressure, and has the skills to interface with local leaders with empathy and solidarity during intense moments of crisis. If called on to activate during a crisis, Activation Managers will be expected to work, close to full-time, for approximately 4 weeks following a disaster. This will be a remote role to provide daily support and regular communication with the designated leader(s) on the ground in the impacted location, and to successfully deploy the expertise and resources of the OCN. In some cases, we require Activation Managers to stay on longer. Activation Managers will be compensated for their time and can be located anywhere in the United States. 

If you know someone who would be a great Activation Manager, please nominate them to join us in Houston by sending us their contact info or asking them to fill out this form.

As always, please reach out if you have questions about the training or the evolving work of Organizing Resilience.  

In partnership,

Ginny Goldman 

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