Community Organizer Summer Intern

Organizational Overview: Columbia Riverkeeper (Riverkeeper) is a successful nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting and restoring the Columbia River watershed. Riverkeeper has offices in Hood River and Portland, Oregon. Riverkeeper is a leader in high-profile campaigns to protect our region from fossil fuel infrastructure, toxic pollution, the Hanford Nuclear Site, and other threats to Columbia River communities and salmon habitat.

Position Description: The Community Organizer Intern will gain valuable experience working with Riverkeeper staff, partner organizations, diverse community coalitions, and frontline communities who are successfully working together to stop dangerous fossil fuel developments along the Columbia River, the impacts of which would contribute to the growing climate crisis.
The Community Organizer Intern will have the opportunity to develop skills in the areas of grassroots organizing, community engagement, group facilitation, public outreach, and more.

Location: Flexible. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we anticipate the intern will work remotely in Oregon or Washington.

Status: Temporary, Non-Exempt

Description of Duties: The Community Organizer Intern works with the Riverkeeper team to support and implement strategic campaigns to advance Riverkeeper’s work to protect communities, the Columbia River, and our shared environment from harmful fossil fuel developments. Specific duties include:

• Build Grassroots Power: The Community Organizer Intern works closely with the team to engage river communities threatened by fossil fuel infrastructure, like fracked gas refineries, oil-by-rail terminals, and pipelines. This includes: building and maintaining a grassroots volunteer base, recruiting new activists by phone-banking or participating in virtual events, supporting development of new resources, and participating in coalition meetings.

• Communicate to Members and Public : The Community Organizer Intern will assist the team with digital communications. This includes drafting social media content, recording short videos, and interviewing community members.

No goods or services were provided in exchange for this contribution. Columbia Riverkeeper is an exempt organization as described in Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code; EIN 91-1583492.

Desired Qualifications and Skills

• Interest in gaining knowledge about building power in communities, public interest advocacy, environmental justice, the fossil fuel industry, and climate change.

• Commitment to advancing justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion.
• Experience or interest in digital communications such as social media, journalism, and graphic design. Ability to work independently and in a team environment.
• Interest in or lived knowledge of working with frontline communities.
• Interest in non-profit work.
• Interest in community organizing/advocacy, working with Tribal Nations and Indigenous communities, environmental science, and creative thinking are a plus.

Line of Supervision: The Community Organizer Intern reports to the Community Organizer.

Duration: 40 hours per week for 10 weeks

Compensation: $16 per hour

To Apply: P lease email a cover letter, resume, and three references to kate(at)columbiariverkeeper(dot)org with the subject line, “Community Organizer Internship.”

Application Deadline: Deadline for applications is March 31, 2021. Apply early: applications received before the deadline will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

Start Date: approximately May 31, 2021, but flexible depending on intern schedule