Request for Proposals: State Policy Task Force Project Manager & Coalition Liaison

The main focus of this role is to support the Neighbors for More Neighbors State Policy Task Force preparing for and during the 2025 legislative session. Our task force works in coalition to pass state-wide pro-homes policies in Minnesota, with a secondary goal of growing engagement in and commitment to Neighbors for More Neighbors. This role provides project management and volunteer coordination to the State Policy Task force and ensures task force coordination with other coalition members.

This includes:

a) supporting current volunteers and onboarding new volunteers, and

b) serving as a liaison with N4MN lobbyist and other coalition members to communicate and coordinate advocacy. 

About Neighbors for More Neighbors (N4MN)

Neighbors for More Neighbors (N4MN) was started in February 2017 by two bloggers and artists. N4MN stands up for secure, abundant homes for everyone in the Twin Cities. 

We need to build affordable homes at every level so that people who can afford more expensive homes aren’t crowding lower-wealth people out of the market. If we do nothing to make space in our city for more neighbors, people will be pushed to the margins of the metro, and will use more resources to commute to school and jobs. 

Since our founding, we have advocated for approval of specific apartment buildings, raised awareness of our regional shortage of homes, led organizing that passed Minneapolis 2040, and supported policy change at the state level in 2024.

General Responsibilities:

• Provide project management for the N4MN State Policy Task Force. (Approx 5 hrs/week)
  • Attend, and occasionally facilitate, weekly N4MN-only Task Force meetings. (Mondays 7-8pm). Capture notes and follow-up action items and deadlines. 
• Support N4MN State Policy Task Force volunteers in tracking commitments and follow-through on those commitments (Approx. 10 hrs/week)
  • Develop and implement a Task Force volunteer outreach and engagement plan
  • Coordinate with N4MN Operations Manager to identify gaps in volunteer resources for State Policy work, on-board new volunteers for State Policy work, and activate current volunteers for State Policy work.
  • Maintain N4MN contact management resources and volunteer list to reflect active and new volunteers with State Policy Task Force
  • Facilitate volunteer meetings and events as needed. 
• Work with N4MN Task Force co-leaders to maintain clear communication across the N4MN Task Force, and serve as liaison between the task force leadership, designated core coalition organization contacts and with the N4MN lobbyist team (Approx. 20-25 hrs/week)
  • Maintain strong working relationships with designated coalition contacts. 
  • Attend coalition meetings as assigned, which take place largely between 8am and 5pm in person in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area or on Zoom.
  • Communicate with the N4MN lobbying team and designated coalition contacts to facilitate N4MN volunteer support for coordinated advocacy activities.
  • During session, communicate urgent research needs, policy questions, communication needs, action alerts, requests for testimony, and otherwise serve as a liaison between N4MN lobbyist, coalition lobbyists, and N4MN volunteers.
• Provide an end-of-contract report detailing wins, learnings, and recommendations. 
• Register as a lobbyist in Minnesota and accurately record hours spent lobbying in compliance with state law.
• Other State Policy Task Force duties as assigned. 

Skills Required:

• Project management
• Excellent written, verbal, and online communication
• Strong interpersonal skills
• Ability to work independently 
• Ability to delegate to people who have no formal accountability to you

Skills Preferred:

• Familiarity with organizational coalition work 
• General understanding of MN state political dynamics and strategy 
• Ability to analyze and communicate on housing policy 

Reporting:

• Janne Flisrand provides contract oversight.
• Reporting will be submitted with invoices.
• Reporting will include periodic conference calls or in-person meetings.
• Note: Travel to attend required in-person meetings will not be reimbursed (beyond on-duty time paid)

Application Should Include:

• 2-3 paragraph (no more than one page) description of how you will achieve the expectations outlined above 
• Resume or qualifications 
• Two references

Please note that N4MN has budgeted this role at an hourly rate of $41/hour for approximately 35-40 hours per week from October 2024 through July 2025*. Alternative proposals with justification for a difference will be considered. Actual weekly hours vary significantly throughout the contract due to the rhythm of the legislative session. *Final contract end date is contingent on final funding approval. Currently funding is in place through December 31, 2024, with provisional approval through the session.

Submittal

Proposals should be submitted by email to NeighborsForMoreNeighbors@gmail.com by 9:00 p.m. Wednesday, September 18th. 

Evaluation

Proposals will be evaluated by a selection committee and approved by the Neighbors for More Neighbors “Organizationizing” Committee. Proposals will be evaluated based on:

• Qualifications
• Understanding of tasks and volunteer management approach as demonstrated in your description
• References

We strongly encourage people of color and those part of historically marginalized communities to apply for this role. Neighbors More Neighbors is committed to inclusion and ensuring everyone has access to a home. We are more effective in our work when the voices and experiences of the people most impacted by the housing crisis are part of our team.