Position Location: Virtual
Travel: Occasional
Compensation: None – this is a volunteer opportunity
Duration: As soon as possible – May 2012 (possibility of extension)
Summary:
Founded in 1909, the NAACP is the nation's oldest and largest civil rights organization. Its members throughout theUnited Statesand the world are the premier advocates for civil rights in their communities, conducting voter mobilization and monitoring equal opportunity in the public and private sectors.
Summary of Volunteer Assignment:
- Prepare a daily Briefing Book for the NAACP President and CEO. The book will summarize the day’s major news and opinion stories that relate to the campaigns and mission of the NAACP.
- The volunteer will scan major news outlets (i.e. The New York Times, Washington Post, USA Today, CNN.com) as well as African-American focused websites and news aggregators (i.e. TheRoot.com, TheGrio.com, Politic365.com, NewsOne.com).
- The Briefing Book will consist of a list of stories in order of importance, with the following information for each story: full text, outlet, author, short summary.
- The Briefing Book will be compiled every Monday-Friday, and will be sent to the Communications Associate via e-mail by 7:45 a.m. each morning for edits and review.
- The Communications Associate will oversee the work of the volunteer, and review and edit his/her work.
- The project will take roughly one hour each morning, for a total of five hours each week.
- Depending on the availability and interest of applicants, this position may involve additional volunteer opportunities and hours at the NAACP offices at 1156 15th St. NW. This expanded volunteer opportunity is not a requirement, but an option open to interested applicants.
Desired Qualifications of Volunteer Applicants:
- Schooling and/or experience in communications, journalism or related field
- Excellent writing skills
- Ability to write on deadline
- Ability to be flexible and adapt to quickly changing circumstances and breaking news event
- Proficiency in using online databases and resourcefulness in research
- Positive and cooperative attitude
- Ability to work well as a team and as an individual contributor
- Interest in and commitment to social justice issues
- Ability to maintain confidentiality of sensitive information
- Strong attention to detail
Please note that student volunteers should discuss with their university or college counselors the possibility of obtaining college credit for this volunteer project.
