Equality Illinois
Outreach Intern
Internship Location: Chicago, IL
Internship Duration: December 2014 to April 2015 (flexible)
Organization Description:
The mission of Equality Illinois is to secure, protect and defend equal rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people across the state. We envision an Illinois where everyone lives free of discrimination regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity or expression. Equality Illinois has over 50,000 members and engages individuals through education, outreach, and advocacy. A small dedicated staff works alongside our lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and ally members to ensure that our mission and vision is carried out.
Internship Description:
The overall goal of the outreach internship is to engage individuals and organizations in the fight for LGBT equality, while learning the various aspects of how a non-profit works. The projects below are illustrative examples of what the outreach intern will be working on throughout their tenure. Due to the nature of our work, there will be other projects added as legislative and organizational needs arise.
General Outreach
The overall goal of Equality Illinois’ outreach is to continuously build our membership base (the LGBT and ally community) while educating the larger public about LGBT equality issues. Outreach can entail engaging supporters at community events, fundraisers, and phone banking. Interns will track our interaction with the 50,000+ supporters in our database.
Faith and Freedom Initiative
Equality Illinois builds and strengthens relationships with supportive communities of faith with the goal of raising up the pro-LGBT faith voice in Illinois. One will collaborate closely with our faith and freedom committee to help us complete our strategic goals and increase our impact within our network. The outreach intern will maintain our database of 1000+ supportive clergy throughout the state.
Training and Education Project
Our organization provides regular trainings and educational events. Outreach interns will assist in researching and writing programming. One will recruit attendees and partner groups to each event. After our events, one will be responsible for tracking feedback and participants in our database.
Intern Qualifications:
Candidates should be students who are passionate about LGBT rights.* Must be able to relate and talk to diverse groups of people, have a basic knowledge of Illinois and national LGBT politics, and have strong writing and communication skills. Being bi-lingual is a plus, but not required.
*Please note that we are not limited to one major but we prefer a student that has a strong passion for social justice and equality.
Apply for this position by sending your resume and a cover letter to Patty Dillon at pdillon@eqil.org.