Careers

Start date: Preferred start date by September 30, 2023  – February 28, 2024

Type: Part-time 

Rate of pay: $35/hour, required hours 50-100 hours per month 

Location: Grand Rapids

Reports To: National Leadership Program Director

Position Location: Kent County

About the Organization: 

New American Leaders (NAL) is leading a movement for inclusive democracy by preparing first and second generation Americans to use their power and potential in public office. We believe that our democracy is stronger when everyone is included, and everyone participates.

Headquartered in New York, NAL is a national, nonprofit organization with programs across the country. We have a strong track record of recruiting and training immigrants of diverse race/ethnic backgrounds to run for public office. We also work with New American elected officials across the country who are at the frontlines of creating transformative policy environments for educational, economic and political equity.

NAL is seeking a Recruitment Contractor to support our initiatives in metro Grand Rapids. 

The Recruitment Contractor’s objective is to help NAL strengthen its Midwest and Michigan program by expanding our reach to first and second generation Americans in metro Grand Rapids. This includes recruiting at least 15 Grand Rapids area alumni to either run for office, work on campaigns, or attain appointments to policy making commissions and boards. The contractor will also focus on developing partnerships with local civic engagement organizations and electeds, hosting an alumni networking event, and recruiting participants for a training program in metro Detroit.

Scope of Work: 

1. October: Partnership Development and Recruitment for Ready to Lead Training in January
2. November: Alumni Networking Event + Recruitment for Ready to Lead Training in January
3. December: Recruitment for Ready to Lead Training in January
4. January: Attend Ready to Lead Training in January
5. February: Debrief and wrap-up Ready to Lead Training 

Deliverables:

1. Partnership proposal: The contractor will prepare a comprehensive proposal outlining potential partnership opportunities with local civic engagement organizations. This will include record keeping with relevant contact information and history of their interactions when acting as a NAL representative.
2. Partnership outcomes: The contractor will provide ongoing detailed notes on organizational and elected official contacts and relationships.
3. Recruitment outcomes: The contractor will achieve the goal of recruiting at least 15 participants from Grand Rapids to attend the Ready to Lead training program in Chicago.
4. Alumni networking event: The contractor will successfully plan and execute an alumni networking event in Grand Rapids, including all necessary arrangements and a detailed event program.
5. Partnership and contact transfer: The contractor will ensure that all organizational, applicant, and elected official contacts related to this project are effectively transferred to the appropriate NAL staff member.
6. Monthly and Final reports: In addition to attending weekly meetings, the contractor will provide concise monthly written reports on activities and progress. At the completion of the contract, the contractor will provide a final report detailing their work and provide recommendations for growth in the Grand Rapids area.

Skills and Qualifications

• Commitment to serving immigrant communities and building a multiracial democracy
• Extensive network in and knowledge of the Grand Rapids area and New American communities
• Minimum 2-3 years of campaign and/or political organizing experience working with campaigns and/or in progressive politics
• Working knowledge of political landscape and campaign finance laws 
• Expert interpersonal skills in dealing with potential candidates, potential donors, lawmakers, and colleagues
• Ability to set and complete ambitious goals while communicating on progress
• Meticulous attention to detail
• Ability to adapt to quickly changing deadlines and priorities

Please apply directly through this link. 

NAL is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer and actively recruits people of color, women, persons with disabilities, and members of the LGBTQ community.

At New American Leaders (NAL) we envision an inclusive democracy where every person is represented. We believe our democracy is stronger when we engage immigrant communities at every level of the political process and we empower New Americans to run, win, and lead. 

Through our nonprofit and political arms, New American Leaders and NAL Action Fund, our programs carry community leaders and activists throughout their political journey. From laying the groundwork with general campaign skills; to support and voter outreach on their behalf along the campaign trail; to advance governing skills once elected, we empower new Americans to lead with values and vision. 

Position Description
NAL is seeking a Political Intern to join our programs team in Fall/Winter 2023. The Political Intern is responsible for assisting in planning campaign trainings, conducting political and electoral background research, identifying community leaders to recruit to run for office, and supporting NAL in alumni development. 

Educational Opportunities
The internship will research and provide insight into immigrant electoral politics in the United States, as well as the fundamental elements of running a local campaign for public office. Interns will work with NAL’s program staff, and will have opportunities to participate in other aspects of NAL’s work that align with his, her or their interests. 

• Interns will learn about the political and electoral landscape in various states and metro areas with large populations of New Americans.
• Interns will learn about the high level and technical aspects of running a state or local campaign for office.
• Interns will become familiar with New American candidates who are currently running for office.
• Interns will become familiar with New American candidates in the NAL network, and have opportunities to connect with them.

Examples of Tasks

• Identify community leaders to run for local office around the country.
• Research New American candidates with compelling stories who are breaking barriers and running against the status quo.
• Help conduct background research on candidates NALAF is considering endorsing.
• Research voter historical turnout statistics.
• Research campaigns and advocacy fights around democracy reform and immigrant integration.
• Provide ongoing support to the program team including to the Manager of Political Programs and Program and Data Coordinator.

Qualifications and Skills

• Demonstrated interest in immigrant rights, immigration policy and democracy reform.
• Passionate about improving minority representation in all tiers of U.S. leadership.
• Knowledge of the different levels of government.
• Proficient knowledge of Google Drive, Microsoft Word and Excel.
• Interpersonal skills, including the ability to make calls to a wide variety of people, from donors to local representatives.
• Self-starter who happily takes initiative on individual projects, but also works well in cooperative decision-making settings.
• Strong organizational/multi-tasking skills, detail oriented, and an ability to meet deadlines on time.

Preferred but Not Required

• Familiarity with NGP VAN, Airtable and EveryAction.
• Prior experience working on a candidate campaign or in the office of an elected official.

Benefits
While this is an unpaid internship, class credit may be arranged with your college or university. As an intern, you will gain the experience and skills necessary for working in the nonprofit industry. In addition to program coordination, you will also learn about immigrant civic engagement and electoral politics, and you will have an opportunity to participate in other aspects of our work. Interns can also explore planning a campus event highlighting inclusive democracy and NAL’s work. 

If the intern is not receiving financial support from other sources, a small monthly stipend $500 a month to cover the costs of interning.

Time Commitment
A minimum of 15 hours per week is required. Students who can commit to two semesters are strongly preferred. Occasional evenings and weekends may be required during an event. Scheduling is flexible based on applicant’s availability. The majority of internship activities will take place remotely during office hours (9:30am-5:30pm) Monday-Friday.

To Apply:

Please email a cover letter and résumé to anne@newamericanleaders.org with “Political Intern” in the subject line.

NAL is seeking a Digital Engagement Intern to join our communications team in the Fall/Winter 2023 semester as we expand our digital footprint and change the national narrative about immigrants and democracy. The Digital Engagement Intern will be responsible for following related news stories and crafting engaging and timely content for NAL’s Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram accounts. The Digital Engagement Intern will also work closely with the Director of Communications on campaigns and analyzing outcomes.

The internship will provide insight into immigrant electoral politics in the United States. Interns will also have opportunities to participate in other aspects of NAL’s work that align with his or her interests.  

Responsibilities

• Follow news stories on immigration policy and immigrant candidates for office
• Curate content for Facebook and Twitter with an eye toward both education and engagement
• Author blog posts on assigned topics and assist with content calendar
• Assist with the maintenance of the NAL database and help craft e-mails that inspire recipients to take action
• Assist with building and maintaining a robust story bank
• Monitor performance indicators such as impressions and clicks
• Assisted with the creation of digital engagement campaigns
• Assist with live-Tweeting, photos, and other social media promotion at NAL events
• Creatively promote NAL’s candidate trainings on Facebook and Twitter
• Research new trends in the social world and bring fresh ideas to the team
• Monitor current social campaigns and suggest revisions when necessary 

Qualifications and Skills

• Demonstrated interest in immigrant rights and immigration policy
• Passionate about improving minority representation in all tiers of U.S. leadership
• Excellent writing skills and an ability to multitask
• Proficient knowledge of Microsoft, Word, and Excel
• Familiarity with Twitter, Hootsuite/Tweetdeck, Facebook, Instagram, Google Drive, Dropbox and Flickr
• Self-starter who happily takes initiative on individual projects, but also works well in cooperative decision-making settings
• Strong organizational/multi-tasking skills, detail oriented, and an ability to meet deadlines on time

Benefits

While this is an unpaid internship, class credit may be arranged with your college or university. As an intern, you will gain the experience and skills necessary for working in the nonprofit industry. In addition to program coordination, you will also learn about immigrant civic engagement and electoral politics, and you will have an opportunity to participate in other aspects of our work. If the intern is not receiving financial support from other sources, a small stipend ($500), per semester or summer can be arranged to help cover transportation and other costs (to be disbursed at the end of the internship).

Time Commitment

A minimum of 15 hours per week is required. Students who can commit to two semesters are strongly preferred. Occasional evenings and weekends may be required during an event. Scheduling is flexible based on applicant’s availability. The majority of internship activities will take place online during office hours (9:30am-5:30pm, Monday-Friday).

To Apply

We are currently accepting applications for Fall/Winter 2023. Please email a cover letter and a résumé to [email protected] with “Digital Engagement Intern” in the subject line.