California Resiliency Alliance

The California Resiliency Alliance (CRA) is a small San Francisco-based non-profit fostering public-private partnerships that bring businesses, non-profits, and government together to improve community disaster response and recovery through effective cross-sector collaboration. The CRA provides key information and guidance during disasters that organizations need to help mitigate the catastrophic effects natural or man-made disasters might have on their local economies and critical infrastructures. The public-private partnerships that the CRA supports ensure that businesses, non-profits and local governments have the connections, knowledge and resources to work together and support their communities in times of need. By promoting efficient and effective corporate social responsibility efforts, the CRA helps to usher communities through critical incident response and recovery.

Intern Positions: We are seeking 2 - 3 enthusiastic, motivated, and skilled interns to work with our team on projects ranging from communications and marketing, to disaster-related research, grant writing, non-profit accounting, and non-profit administration. This position will work closely with CRA staff in one or more operational area to help us meet the goals of our organization and increase our overall impact.

As an intern, you may support one or more of the following areas (detailed descriptions below):

1. Communications & Social Media
2. Administrative & General Program Support
3. Grant Research & Writing

Time Commitment: 10-20 hours a week, depending on availability and area of interest.

Location: Proximity to San Francisco or ability to travel to our San Francisco office 1-2 days/week would be preferred. Some telecommuting possible.

Start Date: As soon as possible, with rolling admissions.

Duration: 2 - 3 (+) months, with some flexibility.

Compensation: Class credit, volunteer, and small stipends available in some cases.

Descriptions:

1. Communications & Social Media: You will support in communicating with the CRA network and growing CRA’s presence and outreach. This will include writing copy for CRA’s website, creating content for our Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter accounts, and growing our social media communities’ engagement and impact. Interns will support in overarching communications plan for CRA to then be updated annually; support all stakeholder communications including web, email, printed collateral, etc.; help build trusting, collaborative working relationships with various stakeholders; and create awareness for CRA. Intern should be able to conduct and summarize research in a concise, timely, and intelligible manner. If qualified, you will also support in designing graphics for our website, blog, and marketing materials. Applicants should be Communications, Marketing, New Media, or Graphic Design majors with proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite.
2. Administrative Support: Provide administrative support to office operations, including some or all of the following tasks: data entry, database management, conference and workshop coordination, meeting organization, updating and compiling event print materials, drafting meeting notes, project communications, coordinate travel, and day-to-day tasks such as mailing packages, going on supply runs, and others to maintain an easy office flow. Intern may also be given the opportunity to assist with month-end financial reports, expense reports, and yearly forecasting. Applicants should be Business, Finance, Non-Profit Management, or Accounting majors.
3. Grant Research & Writing: Primary responsibilities include funding source research and funding proposal support. You will research potential grants (including potential trips to San Francisco’s Foundation Center Library) and support the creation of a grants schedule and calendar. You will also support in creating, tailoring, and editing content for grants. Work closely with CRA’s Project Coordinator to develop, write, and edit funding proposals tailored to each grant-making organization and following guidelines exactly. Intern will also assist in researching latest news and publications regarding natural and/or man-made disasters as assigned.

Overall Preferred Skills:

• Have strong proficiency with MS Office Suite including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint;

• Self-motivated and action oriented;

• Confident oral and written communication skills;

• Excellent organizational, time management, and research ability;

• Ability to pay strong attention to detail while multi-tasking;

• Interest in the intersection between disaster preparedness and community resiliency;

• Ability to work with professionals from a range of disciplines and sectors;

• Relevant academic background or professional experience in related fields;

• Interest in learning how a non-governmental organization (NGO) works;

• Prefer sophomore or higher student.

Educational Benefits: Interns will learn about the field of disaster planning and emergency management -- the intersection between cross-sector collaborations, societal health, and economic resiliency. They will gain understanding of the functions, goals, and workings of the non-profit sector, including hands-on experience in disaster preparedness, climate change adaptation, business continuity, coalition building and non-profit fundraising. Depending on interest and ability, some students may be able to develop independent research projects that support our mission.

If Interested:Please submit in one e-mail a cover letter, resume, letter of reference and recent writing sample to: Nahal Ghoghaie, Project Coordinator, at nahal@caresiliency.org. Please specify in the subject line, the project area(s) in which you are most interested. You can expect to hear back from us within two weeks. Applicants will be accepted on a rolling basis.