Rainforest Action Network (RAN) was founded with the belief that a sustainable and just world can and must be created in our lifetime, and that it will take individuals and communities standing together to confront corporate power to get us there. Through education, grassroots organizing and nonviolent direct action, RAN’s campaigns focus on catalyzing market and investment pressure to transform corporate and government policies and behavior in support of forests, the climate and human rights.
In our twenty-seven years of working to support forests and forest peoples, RAN has won major corporate policy changes that have transformed the home building, food product, automobile, oil, paper and banking industries. Through our two program areas, Forests, and Energy and Finance, RAN is currently working to change the policies of the global agribusinesses and pulp and paper industries in order to stop deforestation and the oppression of forest peoples, and is tackling the world’s dirtiest fossil fuels, coal and oil, and the leading banks that make their expansion possible, to address the root causes of climate change.
Rainforest Action Network is looking for a motivated, hard-working intern with a passion for protecting rainforests, endangered species and Indigenous rights to support our Rainforest Agribusiness Campaign. Would you like to put your skills to work with a dynamic team of campaigners to stop major international corporations from destroying the environment and violating human rights? If so, we want you to consider joining us as the next Rainforest Agribusiness Intern at RAN – one of the most effective corporate campaigning organizations around.
Working with the Agribusiness team, the Rainforest Agribusiness Intern’s primary focus will be on research and database management for our corporate engagement strategy and keeping the negotiations team informed as new information is collected. This intern will also support the National Organizing team with outreach to palm oil activists all across the US. In addition, the Rainforest Agribusiness Intern will take on any number of diverse projects, largely focused on research, that support the campaign and its team members.
The Agribusiness Intern will be joining the Rainforest Agribusiness team at a very exciting time – coming early fall we are publicly launching a hard-hitting national campaign targeting the US snack food industry and its ties to palm oil driving rainforest destruction and human rights violations.
For more information on the nature of the campaign, you can visit www.ran.org and www.theproblemwithpalmoil.org.
This internship is unpaid. Commuter stipend provided. We request a commitment of at least of 3 months; 6 months preferred.
Desired Qualifications:
- Strong research skills and ability to take on big research projects
- Campaigning and/or organizing experience
- Superior written and verbal communication skills, including writing and networking skills
- Familiarity with social media and a variety of online organizing tools such as Facebook and Twitter
- Interest and familiarity with issues including but not limited to nonviolent direct action, grassroots organizing, corporate social responsibility, climate change, biodiversity, tropical rainforests, human rights, commodity supply chains, sustainable agriculture, Indigenous rights
- Proficiency in English; conversation level language skills in either Indonesian or Malay are a plus
- High level of organization and experience with database management
- Excellent prioritization and time management skills
- Independent worker/self-starter
Responsibilities:
- Conduct research on consumer-facing companies, their brands, and their use of palm oil
- Manage and update corporate engagement research database and folders
- Coach and support RAN Palm Oil Activists via phone and email communication
- Use social media tools to pressure target companies and outreach to our target audiences
- Respond to member inquiries about campaign strategy and answer informational questions
- Draft campaign documents and complete other campaign research as needed
- Other tasks as instructed
Through this internship, interns will develop or further strengthen the following competencies:
- Prioritization and time management
- Strategic thinking and campaign planning
- Grassroots organizing
- Database management
- Work standards
- Research skills
RAN's internships provide "hands-on-learning" about our brand of corporate campaigning for the forests, climate and human right as well as direct experience working in a non-profit office. Besides learning about the diverse aspects of the Agribusiness campaign, as an intern you will have the opportunity to participate in interdepartmental meetings that will give you insight into RAN as a whole.
In coalition with Indigenous communities and allies from around the world, RAN uses non-violent direct action, grassroots organizing, education, and strategic communications to challenge corporations to phase out destructive operations, respect human rights, and adopt comprehensive policies that mitigate their contributions to global warming. RAN values diversity, educates staff on issues including privilege and oppression, and integrates these values into all of our work. We are seeking candidates who have a commitment to engage in this process and work with us to create a just, inclusive, and sustainable work environment and world. RAN provides all people with equal employment and volunteer opportunities.
Please send a resume and cover letter in which you describe a project you have worked on that will help us understand your interest and qualifications. Applications can be emailed to resumes@ran.org (please put Agribusiness Intern in the subject line of your email). No phone calls please.
