PennEnvironment

Clerical Volunteer

March 2016 - May 2019 • Philadelphia, PA

What I liked

The staff is very friendly and passionate about what they do. The work (either logging information from petitions into a database {easier than it sounds!} or calling constituents to invite them to events) is very easy but helpful in the grand scheme of protecting Pennsylvania's environment. Hours are highly flexible which was especially important for a high school student like I was at the time. My time at PennEnvironment gave me a lot of experience in communication and advocacy. I highly recommend this organization if you're interested in protecting the environment through state legislation!

What I wish was different

Honestly, I wish PennEnvironment had more locations in Philadelphia than just the one downtown. It was a bit far from where I lived but it is located right near a subway stop so it was easy to get to. Just saying, if there were more locations, maybe I could have walked there. Also, the person who coordinates volunteering (called a Climate Defender Organizer) is sort of a rotating door. There were 4 different people in the position throughout my three years there. Not really a problem, but make sure you get a log of your hours (or reference)from them before they leave!

Advice

Phone banking is scary the first few times but eventually you fall into a groove where you can anticipate who will be glad to help with calling their representatives and who is more resistant. Just get through the REFUSED and NO ANSWER calls to get to the people willing to protect Pennsylvania.

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Campaign Organizer

January 2018 • Philadelphia, PA

What I liked

Working a full time career in advocacy is very rewarding and let’s me work every day on issues that I care about

What I wish was different

Advice

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Grassroots Canvasser

May - July 2019 • Philadelphia, PA

What I liked

Interacting with strangers, making progress on environmental issues that I care about

What I wish was different

I wish we did not have donation quotas to meet

Advice

Always stay positive, regardless of what someone says at the door

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Clean Water Intern

May - July 2018 • Philadelphia, PA

What I liked

Great sense of community, lots of hands-on work, opportunity to travel

What I wish was different

Advice

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Clean Water and Conservation Intern

May - August 2019 • Philadelphia, PA

What I liked

What I wish was different

Advice

This is a good opportunity for students interested in environmental policy, nonprofit work, and advocacy.

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