Internships
RepresentWomen is a 501 c3 nonpartisan nonprofit organization working to change the system to provide women equal access to both appointed and elected offices. Instead of placing the burden of change on the shoulders of individual women, we advocate for institutional reforms that will help women run, win, serve, and lead at rates equal to men. Some of the reforms we advocate for include recruitment targets for party leaders so more women run, multi-winner ranked-choice voting so more women win, fairer legislative rules (i.e. proxy voting) so more women serve, and gender-balanced appointments so more women lead.
At RepresentWomen, we believe that a strong democracy requires equal representation for women across ideological, racial, socioeconomic, and geographic lines. Through research and advocacy, we are paving the way for women in American politics-- not just for some women today, but for all women for good. To learn more about our work before you apply, we encourage you to explore our website and familiarize yourself with Our Challenge, Our Solutions, Our Research, and Our Advocacy.
Apply Now to Join the Fall 2021 Internship Class
RepresentWomen offers internships to college students and recent graduates each spring, summer, and fall. All internships with RepresentWomen are completed on either a voluntary or for-credit basis. If you have any questions about our internship program or the application process, please feel encouraged to reach out to our team. Otherwise, please refer back to this page for the latest information on our offerings.
To apply, please send PDFs of your cover letter, resume, and work sample to our team at [email protected]. Please review this page carefully to learn more about department-specific requirements for research and communications applicants.
Availability of Fall 2021 Internship Roles:
- [OPEN] Research Intern
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[OPEN] Communications Intern
- [OPEN] Nonprofit Admin & Development Intern
The priority deadline is Friday, August 13th at 11:55 pm ET.
Note: applications submitted after the priority deadline has passed may be considered on a rolling basis, depending on the volume of applications we receive. Please refer back to this page to check on the status of fall recruitment for each role.
Please also note that, while we will do our best to notify you of the status of your application throughout this process, it may take a few weeks before you hear from us if we receive a high volume of applications during the priority recruitment period.
Research Intern responsibilities include:
- Supporting the team at every stage of research on active projects, including but not limited to:
- 2021 Gender Parity Index - the status of women's representation in the US and a state-by-state guide to structural barriers (and their solutions)
- Ranked Choice Voting - where it is used, how it impacts women, and related research for multi-winner ranked-choice voting / the Fair Representation Act
- Campaign Finance - understanding the role of money in politics at the national, state, and local level - in partnership with allied research groups
- International Projects - the status of women's representation in 190+ countries - a country case guide to best practices from around the world
- Monitoring news outlets for stories covering elections, women's political representation, electoral reform, and related current events in the U.S. and abroad
- Writing blogs and op-eds on these topics and others, while drawing the appropriate connections to our own research and advocacy
- Collecting, organizing, updating, and analyzing literature and data for use in ongoing and future research projects
- Creating data visualizations that help to illustrate key points from our research
Ideal candidates:
- Have a strong interest in learning more about the systems and practices used to advance women’s representation and leadership in the United States and abroad
- Are committed to finding and communicating the best practices for increasing women's representation across the ideological, racial, and geographic spectrum of the U.S.
- Have strong writing and analytical skills, are attentive to detail, and have the ability to craft language that is appropriate for a variety of audiences
- Are self-starters and team-players who are comfortable adapting between self-motivated and collaborative work
- Have experience using Excel and/or Google Sheets, and preferably (though this is not required) have experience with Infogram or similar data visualization software
- Are available to work a minimum of 15 - 20 hours a week*
*Recent graduates and summer interns are welcome to intern full-time for one season. Flexible accommodations are available for current students and those with additional part-time responsibilities.
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Advice for Research Applicants: if you are applying for a research internship, please take the time to consider which of our areas of focus (i.e. ranked-choice voting, international projects, etc.) interest you most, and describe your interest (and related experience) in your cover letter. Our internship program places a strong emphasis on matching students and recent graduates with opportunities that will help connect their interests with our work and related professional development opportunities. Competitive applicants will help our team make these connections in advance.
Communications Intern responsibilities include:
- Supporting the communications team, gaining valuable experience in social media campaign management, script-writing, data visualization, graphic design, animation, and podcast/film production
- Monitor news outlets for stories covering national and international elections, women's political representation, electoral reform, or related current events
- Write blogs and op-eds on these topics and others with relation to our work
- Draft press releases and other promotional materials for our reports and projects
- Develop and implement social media campaigns to advertise our research and connect with our allies and supporters
- Manage our social media calendar and social media accounts
- Create graphics for social media using Canva or similar graphic design software
Ideal candidates:
- Have a strong interest in learning more about the systems and practices used to advance women’s representation and leadership in the United States and abroad
- Are committed to finding and communicating the best practices for increasing women's representation across the ideological, racial, and geographic spectrum of the U.S.
- Have strong writing, visual design and analytical skills, are attentive to detail, and have the ability to craft language that is appropriate for a variety of audiences
- Is attentive to detail, and can translate complex political and policy concepts into visual form
- Are self-starters and team-players who are comfortable adapting between self-motivated and collaborative work
- Have experience using Adobe Creative Suite and has a background in film, animation, data journalism, theater, or graphic design. Please send a portfolio featuring any of these disciplines if you can.
- Are available to work a minimum of 15 - 20 hours a week*
*Recent graduates and summer interns are welcome to intern full-time for one season. Flexible accommodations are available for current students and those with additional part-time responsibilities.
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Instructions for Communications Applicants: if you are applying for a communications internship, please also submit a digital portfolio of your work to our team. Communications applicants should email their applications to the team at [email protected] and cc the Communications Fellow, Kaycie Goral ([email protected]).
Nonprofit Admin and Development Intern responsibilities include:
- Monitor news outlets for stories covering our work or the work of partner organizations and write blogs on these topics with relation to our work
- Research potential funding sources including foundations, corporations, and individual donors; provide summaries for the chief administrator
- Assist directly in writing and editing first-round grant materials, giving appeals, and acknowledgment letters to donors
- Support content development for print and digital materials for potential donors
- Sort and manage prospective and existing donors on NationBuilder
- Provide administrative support as needed, reporting directly to the Executive Director; these duties may include event support and document management
Ideal candidates:
- Have a strong interest in learning more about the systems and practices used to advance women’s representation and leadership in the United States and abroad
- Are committed to finding and communicating the best practices for increasing women's representation across the ideological, racial, and geographic spectrum of the U.S.
- Have strong writing and analytical skills, are attentive to detail, and have the ability to craft language that is appropriate for a variety of audiences
- Are self-starters and team-players who are comfortable adapting between self-motivated and collaborative work
- Have experience using Google Suite, and preferably (though this is not required) experience with NationBuilder, or similar advocacy and donor management software
- Are available to work a minimum of 15 - 20 hours a week*
*Recent graduates and summer interns are welcome to intern full-time for one season. Flexible accommodations are available for current students and those with additional part-time responsibilities.
Manager Our Mission Sample Admin Work Sample Development Work
Benefits and opportunities:
RepresentWomen interns work directly with full-time staff to develop a work plan that coordinates our project goals with the individual goals of each member of our team. Over the course of the first week of the internship, our team meets one-on-one with each intern to assess what projects will best suit their experience and interests, while also providing them with the support and opportunities they need to make their time with us both productive and meaningful.
Additional benefits:
- Opportunities to connect with our partners and a growing network of RepresentWomen alumni
- Professional development opportunities may include, but are not limited to:
- Infogram, Canva, and NationBuilder training
- Staff-supported research and writing opportunities
- Staff-supported communications and advocacy opportunities
- Staff-supported training on how to run a nonprofit, manage web content, and write grants
- Flexible work arrangements, with a minimum commitment of 15 to 20 hours a week*
*Start and end dates are flexible, but we expect most fall internships to begin in early September. Interns who are current students are welcome to tailor their weekly hours to accommodate any academic commitments they may have. Recent graduates and summer interns are welcome to work full-time (40 hours) for up to one season. Qualifying interns may apply to extend their internships for up to one season.
**All internships at RepresentWomen are unpaid, but we are more than happy to work with candidates who are seeking third-party sponsorship (i.e. research grants) or academic credit. If you are interested in interning with our team but have concerns about how compatible our program is with your home institution's requirements, please contact the RepresentWomen team at [email protected].
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How to apply:
To apply, please submit PDFs of your resume, cover letter, and work sample to our team at [email protected]. The subject line of your email should clearly state the internship role(s) that you are interested in, i.e. "Fall 2021 Research Internship" or "Fall 2021 Research OR Communications Internship." If you are applying for more than one role, you only need to send one application. However, you should address why you are interested in each role in your cover letter.
Work Sample Guidelines: if you are interested in the communications internship, please submit a portfolio of your work with your application. Research and development intern candidates are required to prepare a written sample. We accept writing samples of any length and strongly encourage applicants to submit materials that they feel best represent their work.
Request from the Hiring Manager: if possible, please make sure that the font used throughout your application is easy to read and no smaller than size 10 (size 12 is preferable). Creative resume formats are welcome, but not required.
Affirmative Action and Nondiscrimination Notice: RepresentWomen is committed to equal employment opportunity, affirmative action, and nondiscrimination on the basis of race, color, national or regional origin, gender, age, religion, political affiliation, marital status, and veteran status. This commitment includes equal opportunity and nondiscrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in the workplace.
Advice for First-Year Applicants: if you are worried that your academic and/or work experience doesn't line up with what we are looking for, consider telling us more about the skills you want to learn and what it is about our work that interests you most in your cover letter. While many interns will benefit from having previous work experience, our team strives to create learning and professional development opportunities for students of all backgrounds to learn from us and one another through our program.
