ACLU - Internships Opportunities

The ACLU seeks an Undergraduate or Graduate Intern in the AFFILIATE SUPPORT & NATIONWIDE INITIATIVES- Organizational Management, Equity and Inclusion (OMEI) of the ACLU’s National office in Washington D.C.

The Team:

The Affiliate Support and Nationwide Initiatives Department's (ASNI) Organizational Management, Equity & Inclusion Team of the National ACLU Office has an opening for a graduate or undergraduate internship in New York, NY (remote or hybrid).

For 100 years, the ACLU has been our nation’s guardian of liberty, working in courts, legislatures, and communities to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed by the Constitution and laws of the United States. Whether it’s ending mass incarceration, achieving full equality for the LGBT community, advancing racial justice, establishing new privacy protections for our digital age, or preserving the right to vote or the right to have an abortion, the ACLU takes up the toughest civil liberties and civil rights cases and issues to defend all people from government abuse and overreach. With nearly two million members, activists, and supporters, the ACLU is a nationwide organization that fights tirelessly in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, and Washington, D.C., for the principle that every individual’s rights must be protected equally under the law, regardless of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, national origin, and record of arrest or conviction.

What You’ll Do:

The intern will be responsible for collaborating with the OMEI team to ensure that the needs of the affiliate staff are met through learning programs, tools, and resources. The intern will be a part of designing and rolling out improved systems for collecting and communicating resources to ensure that learnings and experience can be shared across the ACLU network.

Your Day to Day

     • Compile, maintain and organize resource banks to ensure ACLU leaders have access to the tools and information they need to succeed

     • Based on attendance at meetings and reviewing existing data, brainstorm and develop key tools and trainings that would help ACLU leaders

     • Research and share best practices around training, learning methods, and resource libraries.

     • Help draft a project plan to roll out new programs and think through change management best practices

     • Support convenings and learning sessions for ACLU leaders with a focus on tracking impact and metrics

     • Draft preliminary language for deliverables, such as internal communications, brief summaries, and PowerPoint presentations, for different audience

What You’ll Bring:

     • Experience with project management and building resources

     • Experience with user focused design of resources and learning programs to support leadership development

     • A continuous improvement mindset and a desire to improve existing programs within the team

     • Word, PowerPoint and Excel proficiency • Ability to take initiative, think creatively, contribute innovative ideas, problem solve, work well under pressure, and take ownership of projects and assignments

     • Excellent written and verbal communication and interpersonal skill

Future ACLU-ers Will:

     • Be committed to advancing the mission of the ACLU

     • Center and embed the principles of equity, inclusion and belonging in their work by demonstrating commitment to diversity with an approach that respects and values multiple perspectives

     • Be committed to work collaboratively and respectfully toward resolving obstacles and conflict

Internship Logistics:

     • Location: Our internship program offers a limited number of remote or hybrid intern positions. This internship is remote or hybrid from our DC National office

     • Time Commitent: Term-time internships may be completed on a part-time basis 20 hours/ week or full-time (35 hours/week). Summer internships require a full-time commitment.

     • Internship Duration: Full-time internships span 10 consecutive weeks and part-time 12 weeks.

     • Stipend: A stipend is available for students who are lawfully authorized to work and do not receive compensation from other sources. Students with external funding may receive a partial stipend to bring their total funding up to the level of the ACLU’s stipend amount for that term. Arrangements can be made with educational institutions for work/study or course credit. Below are the stipend rates:

                • $20/hour for undergraduate students or equivalent experience 

                • $24/hour for graduate and law students or equivalent experience

Why the ACLU:

For over 100 years, the ACLU has worked to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed by the Constitution and laws of the United States. Whether it’s ending mass incarceration, achieving full equality for the LGBTQ+ community, establishing new privacy protections for our digital age, or preserving the right to vote or the right to have an abortion, the ACLU takes up the toughest civil liberties cases and issues to defend all people.

Our Commitment to Accessibility, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion  

Accessibility, equity, diversity, and inclusion are core values of the ACLU and central to our work to advance liberty, equality, and justice for all. For us diversity, equity and inclusion are not just check-the-box activities, but a chance for us to make long-term meaningful change. We are a community committed to learning and growth, humility and grace, transparency and accountability. We believe in a collective responsibility to create a culture of belonging for all people within our organization – one that respects and embraces difference; treats everyone equitably; and empowers our colleagues to do the best work possible. We are as committed to anti-oppression and anti-racism internally as we are externally. Because whether we’re in the courts or in the office, we believe ‘We the People’ means all of us. 

With this commitment in mind, we strongly encourage applications from all qualified individuals without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, marital status, citizenship, disability, veteran status and record of arrest or conviction, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. 

The ACLU is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals with disabilities. If you are a qualified individual with a disability and need assistance applying online, please email benefits.hrdept@aclu.org. If you are selected for an interview, you will receive additional information regarding how to request an accommodation for the interview process.