Digital Communications Internship

The Climate Reality Project is a nonprofit organization founded by former US Vice President Al Gore. Our mission is to catalyze a global solution to the climate crisis by making urgent action a necessity across every sector of society.

At The Climate Reality Project, we come to work every day to help solve the climate crisis. We do it by working from the ground up, empowering people and communities worldwide to fight for their future and together drive a just transition to clean energy.

We are committed to building a more just and equitable world, one where all voices are heard and respected regardless of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, or physical ability. Hence, we strongly encourage applications from people with these identities or who are members of other historically marginalized communities. We encourage applicants to read our diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice statement on our website.

Internship Program:

The goal of our internship program is to provide a high-quality learning experience that helps to form the foundation for a career in the climate change or environmental movement for a diverse group of individuals seeking hands-on work experience in the field.

We offer paid internships in three cycles (spring, summer, fall) that align to typical college semesters. Each cycle runs for approximately 10-15 weeks. We ask for a 15-20 hour minimum commitment per week. Interns will be allowed to work a maximum of 30 hours per week. The internship opportunities are in a variety of programs and departments that will vary from cycle to cycle. Every Climate Reality intern is assigned a mentor who works closely with them to help navigate the organization, create overall objectives, and oversee their work plan.

Our Washington, DC office is open. Our current policy is a hybrid approach where our staff will come to our Washington DC office two days a week.

Interns will be paid $17.00/hr and will receive a Climate Reality Macbook to use during their internship.

Department Overview:

We’re seeking a highly motivated intern to assist in engaging the public about implementing bold climate and clean energy policies through our digital platforms. This intern will be a key member of our digital team, helping launch innovative social media, web, video, email, and SMS campaigns; recruit new online activists; educate our supporter base on the latest climate change developments; and mobilize our membership to take meaningful online and offline action.

Our interns have done everything from writing blog posts, to creating graphics and videos seen by hundreds of thousands of people, to engaging high-profile experts in online conversations, to writing e-books and emails containing tips for talking about climate change. The intern will collaborate and work closely with multiple sub-teams within the wider Digital team to fit their strengths with the desired skills they need to build relevant experience for their future careers.

Duties and Responsibilities

Brainstorm, research, and create original social media content for platforms weekly including graphic content, captions, and video content, both short form (TikTok/Reel) and long form (YouTube).
Assist in managing the social media calendar and schedule posts using Meltwater.
Build email and SMS campaigns using EveryAction with relevant audience segmentation.
Monitor online feedback, respond as needed, and route questions and concerns to the appropriate department.
Assist with reporting on results from our various digital efforts.
Work with the team to write well-researched and engaging emails, advocacy and online fundraising campaign content, landing pages, spotlights on our Climate Reality Leaders, blogs, and other content created to inspire our audience to act on climate change.

Required Skills and Abilities

Ability to work effectively within a fast-paced, hybrid team structure.
Self-motivated, detail-oriented, and highly organized.
Understanding of major social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, TikTok and YouTube.
Strong research, analytical, creative, and communication skills.
Willingness to stay up to date with social media trends and be on camera for video content.
Commitment to climate and environmental justice.
Ability to anticipate needs and creatively troubleshoot.
Experience with Microsoft Office.
Experience using Meltwater or other social media monitoring tools is a plus.
Experience using Canva and/or Adobe Creative Suite is a plus.
Experience using EveryAction or other email marketing systems is a plus.

Organizational Competencies

The Climate Reality Project has adopted a competency-based approach to job definition, hiring, performance assessment, and professional development. The following are our seven organization-wide competencies and examples of how they manifest for this role.

Teamwork and Collaboration: Builds and sustains productive working relationships with colleagues; actively listens to others and seeks to understand diverse perspectives; follows through on commitments.
Flexibility and Adaptability: Demonstrates the ability to adapt to changing priorities and circumstances; takes initiative to solve problems, improve processes, and/or achieve outcomes; learns quickly when faced with new situations or systems.
Written and Verbal Communication: Written communication is clear and concise; verbal communication is intentional and straightforward; provides timely and helpful information across the organization as needed; gives and receives constructive feedback in a thoughtful manner.
Time and Project Management: Possesses a strong work ethic i.e., a sense of ownership over tasks, commitment to following things through, and a willingness to do what it takes to get the job done; manages multiple competing priorities, tasks, and projects effectively, appropriately seeking help from others when needed.
Professional Development: Shows commitment and acts to continuously improve; connects with advocates, experts, mentors, and resources, and actively seeks new ways to grow and be challenged through internal and external training opportunities; accepts assignments that broaden capabilities.
Climate Justice: Works to understand and achieve anti-racist principles to disrupt the systems of white supremacy, privilege, classism, sexism, and racism; seeks to understand how systemic racism and environmental injustice impact individuals and frontline and fenceline communities; works to promote a welcoming and inclusive environment in Climate Reality spaces (workplace, events, trainings, and other convenings).
Climate Reality Mission and Focus: Is passionate about Climate Reality's role and mission and can act as a Climate Reality ambassador to a diverse set of audiences.

Don’t meet every single requirement? Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification. At Climate Reality, we are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace, so if you’re excited about this internship but your experience does not align perfectly with every qualification in this job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this internship.

The Climate Reality Project is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, veteran status, marital status, sexual orientation, disability or any other category prohibited by local, state or federal law. This policy applies to all aspects of employment, including recruitment, placement, promotion, transfer, demotion, compensation, benefits, social and recreational activities and termination.

To Apply:

Please submit a cover letter, resume, and writing sample to [email protected]. Please use this subject line: Digital Communications Internship. Also, indicate in your email with your submission the job site where you found this posting.