Climate Campaign and Outreach Intern

Now in its second century, Audubon is dedicated to protecting birds and other wildlife and the habitat that supports them. Audubon’s mission is engaging people in bird conservation on a hemispheric scale through science, policy, education and on-the-ground conservation action.  By mobilizing and aligning its network of Chapters, Centers, State and Important Bird Area programs in the four major migratory flyways in the Americas, the organization will bring the full power of Audubon to bear on protecting common and threatened bird species and the critical habitat they need to survive.  And as part of BirdLife International, Audubon will join people in over 100 in-country organizations all working to protect a network of Important Bird Areas around the world, leveraging the impact of actions they take at a local level.  What defines Audubon’s unique value is a powerful grassroots network of nearly 500 local chapters, 23 state offices, 41 Audubon Centers, Important Bird Area Programs in 50 states, and 700 staff across the country.  Audubon is a federal contractor and an Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE).

In September 2014, Audubon released a nationwide study with the clear message that half of North America’s birds are at serious risk from climate change. The study incorporates more than a century of science to predict how birds’ ranges will shift, shrink, or expand in the coming decades due to the changing climate. Audubon’s response to this grave threat to birds is the Climate Strategy, a growing team across the U.S. working to engage people’s love of birds to create durable public support for bird-friendly climate policies.

Audubon’s Climate Strategy has a paid internship opportunity in Washington, DC, for an individual interested in issue campaigns, climate change, and environmental policy. The intern will work directly with Audubon’s Climate Program Sr. Manager and National Campaign Sr. Manager on various research, outreach, and creative projects to advance our Climate Strategy goals and pass climate-related policies across the U.S. This internship is designed to provide the intern with the opportunity to interact with and learn from experts in the field of conservation and to make a contribution to Audubon’s climate work and campaign strategy.

Submitting a cover letter would be highly preferred.

This full-time paid internship (35 hours/week) will run from October 2020 through March 2021. Due to COVID-19, the internship may start off as remote with the intention of transitioning to in-person in Washington, DC.

National Audubon Society is dedicated to building a culturally diverse organization and strongly encourages applications from people of color and women.

This full-time intern will contribute to the goals of the Climate Strategy in a variety of ways, with many opportunities to dive deeper into projects based on interest and need.

• They will primarily support numerous state-level climate policy campaigns by helping with essential stages of planning, execution, and review. This could involve anything from power mapping targets to writing scripts for volunteers.
• They will work with campaign staff to create and design outreach materials, such as factsheets to educate key continuances about climate and clean energy policies
• They will provide research assistance as needed to support climate goals. This could include researching decision makers or climate and clean energy policies.
• Most importantly, they will have a significant impact on the progress of our campaigns in these key states as well as help communicate our climate science programs and research. Their work will help lay the groundwork for future campaigns and programs, helping deliver on Climate strategy goals.

At the end of the internship, the intern will:

• Have gained valuable experiences from interacting with professional communicators, conservation leaders, and campaigners at Audubon, as well as with staff and volunteers from across the network.
• Have developed a new set of communication and community organization skills and tangible achievements through hands-on work and responsibility.
• Contributed meaningfully to the success of our policy campaigns through research, special projects and implementation.

• Must be able to work full time (35 hours/week)
• Strong oral and written communication skills; well organized.
• Strong work ethic with exceptional organizational skills and an eye for details.
• Adaptable and versatile; able to thrive in a fast-paced and dynamic work environment.
• Proficiency with Excel, PowerPoint, and Microsoft Word.
• Genuine interest in conservation, the mission of the National Audubon Society, and social and environmental justice.
• Bachelor’s degree preferred (a focus in political science, climate change, environmental studies, social sciences, communications and/or social change a bonus).
• Experience with InDesign or other creative software preferred.
• Having speaking proficiency in Spanish or another language other than English is a bonus.
• Understanding of GIS or other mapping software a bonus.
• People of all backgrounds are encouraged to apply.