Company/ Organization: Institute for Sustainable Communities
Location: Montpelier, VT or Washington, D.C.
Department: Programs and Development
Application Deadline: April 30, 2009
Position Description: The Institute for Sustainable Communities seeks candidates for 2 internships based either in ISC’s Montpelier, VT or Washington, D.C. office. Interns will support ISC’s Program Team and monitoring and evaluation staff on a range of projects, including: 1) developing a U.S.-based program on Climate and Environment; 2) compiling and editing materials for inclusion in a database about ISC’s impact; 3) updating contacts in our database; and, 4) drafting ‘performance stories’ about program successes. This is an ideal opportunity for a college or graduate student who wishes to gain exposure to international development, in the areas of civil society advocacy work and environment and climate programming in the United States and internationally, and to explore a career in the nonprofit arena.
Company/Organization Description: Founded in 1991, ISC is an independent non-profit organization that gives passionate, committed people the tools, skills, and resources they need to make their communities better places to live. With our headquarters in Montpelier, Vermont, and offices in China, Macedonia, Serbia, Kosovo, and Washington, DC, ISC has an international staff of approximately 80 people. Our approach ensures that solutions emerge from within the community, rather than being imposed from the outside. By combining technical expertise and leadership training with strategic investments in local organizations, we spark creative solutions and lasting change.
Responsibilities: Core responsibilities of this internship may be adapted to the interests and skill sets of qualified applicants, but will likely include the following:
* Conducting research for existing tools, policies, programs, and resource people and organizations that could help U.S. cities take climate action in a specific sector;
* Working closely with staff to compile examples and write up case studies based on climate and environment research;
* Updating and ensuring completeness of ISC’s qualitative database, including checking records on current programs for accuracy, entering new material as it comes in from field offices, and extracting success/impact related materials from documentation from past programs for inclusion in the database;
* Conducting background research and drafting performance stories about ISC programming in the Balkans and former programs in the Russia and Eastern Europe based on materials in database;
* Providing administrative support to Program and Development teams as needed; and
* Assisting the communications team with HTML and Adobe applications if applicable (please mention if you are skilled in HTML and/or Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator in your application).
In addition to, or in lieu of, the above, a DC-based intern will be tasked with the following:
* Providing administrative and program support to Program Officer in organizing the Gulf Coast Sustainable Communities Network quarterly convening; and
* Conducting research on funding opportunities for the Network.
Qualifications and Skills:
The ideal candidates will have a strong interest in international or community development, climate change and environment, and/or in the regions where ISC works, and will possess the following skills:
* Aptitude for research, with excellent writing, editing and communications skills;
* Ability to synthesize large amounts of information, identify new opportunities, and develop program strategies, etc.;
* Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail; and
* Capability to work independently.
Relationships: The intern will be supervised by the organization’s Program Assistant and relevant Program Officers.
Compensation and Benefits: This internship is unpaid. Reimbursement may be available for cost of transportation and pre-approved work related expenses. Start and end dates of internship can be flexible. Candidates should be able to commit to a minimum of 20 hours a week for up to 10 weeks.
To Apply: To apply, please send a resume, short writing sample, and cover letter by April 30th to jpeters_AT_iscvt_DOT_org.
