Communications Intern

About National Park Trust

National Park Trust’s mission is to preserve parks today and create park stewards for tomorrow. We work closely with the National Park Service to acquire privately owned lands to expand and complete our national parks. In addition, our Youth and Family Programs support our belief that our public parks, lands, and waters should be cared for, enjoyed by, and preserved by all for current and future generations.

Position Overview

National Park Trust is seeking a talented and motivated Communications Intern to assist with the organization’s overall communications portfolio. This position is an excellent opportunity to gain experience in marketing, communications, and program development for a national nonprofit organization.

The Communications Intern is an essential Communications team member and strongly focuses on creative and storytelling online content creation.

The Communications Intern is responsible for creating informative and innovative social media and website content, implementing a robust social media strategy, and creating digital assets. The ideal candidate must be able to multi-task, work in team and independent settings, and have excellent writing, presentation, and organizational skills. Ideal candidates also have a passion for national parks and public lands or a willingness to gain a deeper connection with the outdoors.

This internship is ideally based in the Washington, D.C. area. A remote internship will be considered based on the applicant and experience. The current status for the National Park Trust office is a hybrid schedule of “working from home,” and interns would be working in the office at least one day a week. In addition to communications and programs, the intern will gain exposure to a full range of activities for a small national nonprofit organization, from general management to program administration.

Responsibilities:

• Work closely with the Senior Director of Strategic Partnerships, Communications Coordinator, Programs Coordinator, and PR and digital strategy consultants to execute the Park Trust’s comprehensive communications strategy.
• Assist the Communications Coordinator with developing, implementing, and managing social media content for Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and TikTok.
• Draft engaging, timely, and dynamic storytelling content and copy for the newsletter and website, that is relevant and consistent with the Park Trust’s program, branding, and communication goals.
• Write and edit storytelling blogs related to our lands and youth and family engagement work.
• Assist in researching current news, industry trends, relevant upcoming cultural moments to incorporate, and topics relevant to public lands.
• Perform some video editing and curation.
• As needed, assist with managing data and resources connected to our ParkPassport mobile app.
• Assist with military programming and the College Ambassador program as needed, including some travel to local events.
• Assist with other duties as assigned.

Skills and Qualifications:

• A passion for the Park Trust’s mission and vision         
• Actively pursuing a degree in Communications, Marketing, Environmental Studies, or related fields
• Self-motivated with strong writing, analytical, and communication skills
• A strong interest and proficiency in social media platforms (including TikTok and Instagram)
• Comfortable in a fast-paced environment
• Ability to work on multiple projects simultaneously and be comfortable taking on leadership roles when necessary

• Ability to communicate effectively with people from diverse backgrounds and experiences
• Excellent organization skills
• Ability to work collaboratively on a team or independently as needed
• Pays close attention to detail
• Flexible and able to problem-solve under pressure
• Proficient in Google Workspace and GSuite products
• Proficient in Canva
• Proficient in Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Excel

Compensation:

This is a 24-30-hours per week unpaid volunteer position; however, National Park Trust offers a stipend to cover living expenses and commuting. Internship stipends issued by the National Park Trust are not considered salary or meant as compensation but are provided to help defray living expenses for an intern during the term of their appointment. The stipend amount will depend on the length of the approved internship.

Apply by December 1, 2023

To apply, please email your resume, writing samples, and cover letter to ivan@parktrust.org.