Citizens Environmental Coalition

Location
751 Silver St. STE 111
Houston, TX 77007

About the Organization
The Citizens’ Environmental Coalition is an alliance of about 130 nonprofit, governmental, professional, and educational organizations whose activities impact our environment and quality of life in the Houston-Galveston area. The CEC was incorporated in 1971, after a group of visionary citizens hosted the first Earth Day in Houston in 1970. The CEC’s mission is to foster dialogue, education, and collaboration on environmental issues in the Houston / Gulf-Coast Region. The CEC accomplishes this through a variety of publications and events, including the Wild & Scenic Film Festival on Tour, the Greater Houston Environmental Summit, Earth Day Houston, a guide to environmental organizations in the region, and a weekly e-newsletter that reaches almost 5000 subscribers.

The following job descriptions can be adapted to accommodate a volunteer internship or a campus-sponsored workstudy position.

Communications & Marketing Intern
Work on a variety of communications projects and publications depending on skills and interests of student. Projects might include constituent relationship management, website development, web content development, graphic design, newsletter article writing, e-newsletter production, letter writing, administration of verbal surveys and focus groups, etc.

Event Coordination Intern
In general, the student will coordinate events on behalf of the CEC, including the following events:

• Wild & Scenic Film Festival On Tour in January 2017
• Earth Day Houston in April 2018
• Preparation for the Greater Houston Environmental Summit in August 2018

Government Relations Intern
Local, state, and national governments have a great deal of influence on the environment and environmental policy. Unfortunately, it is often difficult for nonprofits—especially small nonprofits—to keep tabs on all relevant activity. The Government Relations Intern’s job will be to track the environmental activities of one or more governing or administrative agencies and provide reports of both actions and opportunities to provide input. Analysis is needed at all levels: national, state, region, county, city, and special districts, among others. The intern will communicate the activities of the government agency with reports such as fact sheets, results of votes, progress of bills through legislature, etc.

Saleforce Administration Intern
Administer and customize Salesforce for CEC, including tracking information about contacts, members, donations, in-kind contributions, fundraising campaigns, volunteers, volunteer activities, and potential donors. Undertake Salesforce Trailhead training for professional development; provide training to staff and volunteers.

Publications Intern
The Publications and Journalism intern will have the opportunity to help with CEC publications, including its weekly newsletter, the Environmental Resource Guide, a State of the Environment Report, and an annual report. Tasks might include drafting content for any of these publications, researching topics for articles in the newsletter and Sate of the Environment Report, identifying and managing guest contributors for the publications, working with digital and print publishers, working with a professional editor, writing and sending press releases, and tracking environmental stories in local media sources.

Marketing & Development Intern
The development intern will help develop and implement a fundraising plan, with a focus on support from individuals, corporate sponsorships, and foundation grants.

Bookkeeping Intern
While the CEC works with professional bookkeepers and accountants, the CEC can provide volunteers with opportunities to learn about nonprofit accounting, including bookkeeping, reporting, budgeting, and preparing taxes and periodic reports.

Archivist/Historian
The Archives of the Citizens' Environmental Coalition are located in two locations, the University of Houston and the Houston Public Library. The archivist/librarian will review and prepare documents of the CEC for donation to the Houston History Archives, in accordance with guidelines of the archival center; research existing archives to create a timeline of notable accomplishments by the CEC and in the environmental community; prepare for CEC’s 50th anniversary in 2021; and possibly research local environmental history.

General Information

• The intern will be treated as a staff member and will be invited to all staff, board, and committee meetings and training.
• The intern will also have the opportunity to observe or participate in fundraising, volunteer coordination, community outreach programming, and standard operational support activities.

Schedule

• Schedule is dependent on the student’s course schedule. A flexible schedule is encouraged to accommodate academic commitments commitment and to facilitate environmentally-responsible commuting.
  
  

Minimum Qualifications

• Excellent organizational skills
• Excellent writing skills
• Excellent proofreading skills
• Strong research, oral, and written communication skills
• Computer and internet skills, preferably including knowledge of Microsoft Office, Adobe Creative Suite, and Google Apps
• Professional demeanor in person, by email, and on the phone
• Ability to successfully interact with a wide variety of internal and external individuals, including CEC staff, board members, representatives of member organizations, and potential donors

Skills to be learned or enhanced:

• How a nonprofit works and contributes to the community
• Web design and maintenance using a Content Management System
• Publishing processes & database management
• Working in an office environment as an integral part of a team
• Establishing community relationships
• Networking relationships with most of the environmental non-profit organizations in the region

Email (preferred) or mail a cover letter and résumé to:
Citizens’ Environmental Coalition
Rachel Powers
PO Box 702
Houston, TX 77001
rachel@cechouston.org