Internship Opportunity: Committee of Seventy 2018 Public Policy Internship

PLEASE NOTE: This opportunity is listed for reference only. The deadline to apply has passed.

This is an unpaid internship opportunity from outside the Rockefeller Center.

Position Type: Internship - unpaid

Location: Philadelphia, PA 

Sector: NGO

Start Date: TBD

Wage or benefits: Unpaid

Time Commitment: Hours and duration are negotiable

Desired Class Year: Open to all class years including graduate students

Desired Major or Interest: Applicants with academic backgrounds in law, public policy, history or political science are encouraged to apply; however, we consider strong interest in Seventy's nonpartisan mission to be more important than closely relevant coursework.

Application Deadline: Rolling basis

Organization website: www.seventy.org

Brief Description of the organization:

The Committee of Seventy was founded in 1904 to fight for honest and effective government, fair elections and better-informed citizens in Philadelphia. Seventy played a major role in the adoption of civil service reforms and the passage of the 1919 and 1951 Home Rule Charters. Seventy later produced comprehensive analyses on governmental agencies and departments, has filed amicus briefs on various electoral and City Charter issues and has been the area's most recognized crusader for safeguarding elections and protecting voters' rights. Seventy continues this campaign today as the city's only independent and nonpartisan advocate for better government and politics.

Although the organization's traditional competencies have included ethics, campaign finance, redistricting and elections, Seventy occasionally ventures into other policy areas including education, taxes and budgetary issues. Major recent initiatives include leading a nonpartisan coalition of 100+ organizations to educate voters about the 2012 Voter ID Law and advocating to tighten the city's gifts rules for public employees and officials. Seventy was also deeply involved in the early 2000's reform movement credited with significantly cleaning up city government; this included new "pay-to-play" laws regarding city contracts, campaign contribution caps and disclosure rules for local candidates and a new independent Board of Ethics with teeth to enforce the law.

Brief Description of the Intern's role or key qualifications:

Responsibilities may include:

• Conducting research in Seventy's core mission areas of campaign finance, elections and voting, ethics and transparency, redistricting and government reform.
• Assisting in the administration of the 2018 Election Program, Election Ambassador Corps, online Election Guide and BallotReady tool. Responsibilities may coordinating volunteers and managing program materials.
• Preparing materials and supporting logistics of candidate debates or issue forums in the 2018 election season.
• Assisting individuals who contact Seventy's office or submit inquiries via email. Interns will be trained in the basics of Philadelphia government and politics with an emphasis on elections and voting procedures.
• Helping to maintain Seventy's website content and social media presence. Important tasks may include monitoring and analyzing metrics to guide the organization's content and engagement strategy.
• Attending meetings or forums with representatives of government and community groups as needed.

• Assisting with fundraising, marketing or development projects including prospect and foundation research, events and grant writing, as assigned by the Chief Advancement Officer.

All candidates must have (1) a strong academic record; (2) excellent research and writing skills; and (3) experience or interest in politics, government and/or public service. High-level proficiency in Microsoft Word, Power Point and Excel is advantageous. Other skills can be picked up along the way.

How to apply:

To apply, please send a letter of interest, resume and writing sample to Patrick Christmas at pchristmas@seventy.org.