Application Guide
How to Apply for MA/ RI Community Organizer (candidates can be based anywhere in Eastern MA)
at Slingshot -
🏢 About Slingshot -
Slingshot is a new and growing organization building the go-to hub for environmental health and justice organizing in the Northeast, with a team bringing 50+ years of combined community organizing experience. Unlike larger, more bureaucratic nonprofits, Slingshot is small, nimble, and deeply committed to frontline communities, making it an exciting place for organizers who want to shape strategy and see direct impact. Working here means joining a movement to take on the region's worst polluters and build lasting community power.
About This Role
As the MA/RI Community Organizer, you will anchor Slingshot's work in Eastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island, deepening relationships with community groups, partners, and funders while supporting grassroots campaigns. You will facilitate workshops on organizing skills, provide one-on-one coaching to community leaders, and help develop campaign strategies against environmental health threats. This role is remote but place-based, requiring regular travel to communities in Eastern MA and RI, so you must be based in the region.
💡 A Day in the Life
A typical day might involve a morning check-in with the Slingshot team, followed by a virtual workshop you facilitate for community leaders on campaign planning. In the afternoon, you might travel to a nearby community for a one-on-one coaching session with a local activist, then end the day debriefing with a partner organization and planning next steps for a campaign against a polluter. Some days will be fully remote, while others will require significant travel across Eastern MA and RI.
🚀 Application Tools
🎯 Who Slingshot - Is Looking For
- At least 3-5 years of hands-on community organizing experience, ideally in environmental justice, climate, or public health campaigns, with a track record of winning concrete changes.
- Deep familiarity with Eastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island communities, including existing relationships with grassroots groups, environmental organizations, and/or funders in the region.
- Skilled facilitator and coach who can design and lead workshops on campaign planning, messaging, and fundraising, and provide one-on-one leadership development.
- Self-directed and adaptable, able to work remotely while traveling frequently to in-person meetings and actions, and comfortable with the ambiguity of a growing organization.
📝 Tips for Applying to Slingshot -
Highlight your specific experience organizing in Eastern MA or RI—name the communities, campaigns, and partners you've worked with to show you understand the local context.
Emphasize your facilitation and training skills by describing workshops or coaching sessions you've led, including topics and outcomes.
Demonstrate your ability to work with funders and partners by giving examples of relationship-building that led to resources or collaborative campaigns.
Address the remote nature of the role by explaining how you stay connected and effective while traveling across the region, and confirm your location in Eastern MA or RI.
Use language that aligns with Slingshot's values: environmental health and justice, frontline leadership, and building community power—avoid generic nonprofit jargon.
✉️ What to Emphasize in Your Cover Letter
["Your personal connection to and experience in Eastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island, including specific communities and environmental justice issues you've worked on.", "Concrete examples of successful campaigns you've helped organize, especially those involving polluters or environmental health threats, and your role in building community power.", "Your approach to facilitating workshops and coaching leaders, with evidence of how you've helped others develop organizing skills.", "Why you're drawn to Slingshot's mission and startup environment, and how you can contribute to building the go-to hub for environmental health and justice organizing in the Northeast."]
Generate Cover Letter →🔍 Research Before Applying
To stand out, make sure you've researched:
- → Explore Slingshot's website and social media to understand their current campaigns, partners, and theory of change, especially in the Northeast.
- → Research recent environmental justice issues and victories in Eastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island, such as fights against polluting facilities or for clean air and water.
- → Identify key grassroots groups, coalitions, and funders in the region that Slingshot might work with, and note any connections you have.
- → Look up the backgrounds of Slingshot's team members to understand their organizing philosophy and experience, and see if there are shared networks.
💬 Prepare for These Interview Topics
Based on this role, you may be asked about:
⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Submitting a generic cover letter that doesn't mention Eastern MA or RI or Slingshot's specific mission—this shows a lack of attention to the place-based nature of the role.
- Overemphasizing national or international experience without connecting it to local organizing in the target region, which may make you seem disconnected from the communities.
- Failing to demonstrate an understanding of environmental justice and the link between environmental health and social justice, which is central to Slingshot's work.
📅 Application Timeline
This position is open until filled. However, we recommend applying as soon as possible as roles at mission-driven organizations tend to fill quickly.
Typical hiring timeline:
Application Review
1-2 weeks
Initial Screening
Phone call or written assessment
Interviews
1-2 rounds, usually virtual
Offer
Congratulations!