Digital & Government Relations Intern
General Description
The Government Relations and Digital teams at The Wilderness Society (TWS) are seeking highly motivated students and post-graduates for a hybrid position, that offers valuable hands-on experience strategizing with our Policy and Government Affairs staff, while also creating and producing content for our various digital platforms that ultimately influences public opinion and protects America’s wild places.
Our priority campaigns include work on defending public lands, designation of new wilderness areas, appropriating federal funds for conservation programs, ensuring equitable outdoor access and environmental justice, protecting cultural heritage stories and sites, responsible and renewable energy development on public lands and outdoor recreation. We work with numerous political players and partners, from Congress, to green group coalitions, to the Department of the Interior, to set strategy and priorities across all of our issues.
This position plays an important role in supporting an inclusive organizational culture that is grounded in trust and accountability to shared goals and outcomes. TWS has made diversity, equity, and inclusion strategic priorities for the organization and the Government Relations and Digital Intern will integrate these priorities throughout our work. Across both our team, we aspire to be campaign oriented, nimble, collaborative, innovative, transparent, and supportive of staff – our greatest asset.
Essential Duties & Responsibilities
· This is an active, often fast-paced internship. You will be working on legislative issues, connecting with government offices and keeping up with the legislative events on Capitol Hill, while also creating and posting digital content to our one million plus audience.--not going on coffee runs!
· Pitching and drafting social media content (articles for TWS website, twitter and Facebook posts, etc.).
· Pitching and creating short videos on our issues (think Now This format!).
· Using social media and online advocacy tools to reach members and supporters.
· Conduct research on and writing about Members of Congress, Hill activities, and items that contribute to TWS’ advocacy strategy, for example: prepare blogs, advocacy letters, and fact sheets.
· Process Congressional reports and pending legislation, attend Congressional hearings, and participate in advocacy events relevant to TWS mission and work, and creating social media content from those events.
· Assist in Congressional outreach through meetings, calls, and emails on priority legislation.
· Attend lobby meetings and coalition meetings, help with lobby days and trainings, make calls to activists and like-minded organizations.
· Daily tracking of media clips for The Wilderness Society and associated collaborative campaigns.
· Perform general administrative duties in support of assigned project work from both the Government Relations and Digital teams.
QUALIFICATIONS
Experience, Competencies, and Education
· Must have excellent oral and written communication skills
· Basic computer skills; Microsoft Office experience is a plus!
· Must be a team player and willing to work in a collaborative environment
· Most of all – candidate should be willing to have fun while producing great work!
· Undergraduate and graduate students and recent graduates encouraged to apply
Desired Characteristics
· Demonstrated desire to learn about and work on public land, climate, and environmental justice policies
· Willingness to adapt and remain flexible as projects and priorities change
· Self-motivated, passionate, and professional
· Independent and collaborative
- Ability to function at a high level under pressure and tight deadlines in a fast-paced environment with many simultaneous moving pieces.
This job description is intended to convey information essential to understanding the scope of this position and it is not intended to be an exhaustive list of experience, skills, efforts, duties, responsibilities or working conditions associated with the position.
As an organization, we aspire to be inclusive in the work that we do, and in the kind of organization we are. Internally, this means working as a team that listens to different points of view, recognizes the contributions of every employee and empowers each employee to bring their whole selves to work every day. Externally, this means ensuring that public lands are inclusive and welcoming, so that our shared wildlands can help people and nature to thrive. We are committed to equity throughout our work, which we define as our commitment to realizing the promise of our public lands and ensuring that all can share in their universal benefits.
To learn more about our commitment, please see http://wilderness.org/our-commitment-diversity-equity-and-inclusion-wilderness-society