Spring Intern - Influence, Learning & Communications Intern
About CRS:
Catholic Relief Services carries out the commitment of the Bishops of the United States to assist the poor and vulnerable overseas. Our Catholic identity is at the heart of our mission and operations. We welcome as a part of our staff and as partners people of all faiths and secular traditions who share our values and our commitment to serving those in need.
As an organization that celebrates and promotes diversity and inclusion, and which is committed to the ongoing work of racial equity and anti-racism, we welcome applicants of all backgrounds. For this internship opportunity, CRS strongly encourages students from HSIs (Hispanic-Serving Institutions) and HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) as well as all students who identify as Latinx and/or BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) to apply.
Background:
The Changing the Way We Care℠ (CTWWC) initiative– led by Catholic Relief Services and Maestral International - is a global movement, operationalized at global, regional, and country levels, to prevent children from entering institutions and to place children currently in institutions in safe and nurturing families. The initiative addresses the substantial harm of institutional care to children’s development, protection, and well-being, and promotes positive outcomes for children through family-based care.
CTWWC’s Influence, Learning, and Engagement (ILE) team currently has an ambitious influencing strategy aimed at ensuring that commitments are shifted in international development practices, and resources redirected towards promoting family care and reducing reliance on orphanages globally. This involves working with stakeholder groups at global, regional, and national levels, focusing on a broad range of actors, including faith, government, and civil society.
In addition to working across organizations, the influencing work of CTWWC requires a good deal of cross-departmental and communications work within CRS to ensure that the initiative is leveraging all parts of the agency. The influence, learning and communications intern will be responsible for supporting CTWWC’s influence strategy and providing the coordination of a team of CTWWC experts and partners that are responsible for this broader influence work.
This internship seeks a current undergraduate or graduate student seeking to obtain work experience that aligns with his/her studies in Marketing and Communications and/or to fulfill requirements for an academic course or degree.
Primary Function:
To support the ILE team with graphic design and production of the latest evidence-based guidance and learning materials. With the support and regular guidance from CTWWC’s technical experts, the intern’s learning components will be to:
1. Research new opportunities for CTWWC to share our initiative with several defined audiences, including donors, the faith-based community, governments, care practitioners and media outlets.
2. Alongside consultants and CRS’ Marketing and Communications department, identify the main components of CTWWC’s style and branding, then work with internal and external staff to reflect consistency in style and branding on the finalization of global learning and marketing products.
3. Work with the Program Manager of Influence, Learning and Communications to conduct an update of the existing CTWWC website to reflect the work of the initiative since its formation.
4. Under the supervision of the CTWWC Program Manager for Influence, Learning and Communications, create and post content for CTWWC’s Twitter account to highlight CTWWC’s events, successes, and stories. Work in concert with the greater CRS social media team and their platforms to identify new opportunities for outreach.
Job Responsibilities:
- Work with CRS’ Marketing and Communications department to update CTWWC’s website with current events, relevant news, etc.
- Review event/program briefs, graphics, and other learning and marketing materials for formatting, design, and branding.
- Under the supervision of and in close consultation with the CTWWC Program Manager for Influence Learning and Communications, update and maintain CTWWC’s social media presence, including daily monitoring, posting, scheduling, and reporting Twitter updates.
- Assist with media interview scheduling and coordination.
- Provide input for creative marketing strategies and social media campaigns.
- Edit and format photos, graphics and videos for social media and web.
- Manage event calendars.
Key Working Relationships:
Internal: Program Manager for Influence, Learning and Communications, Director for Influence, Learning and Engagement, CRS Marketing and Communications Department (MarCom)
External: Copyediting and design consultants
Agency Behavioral Competencies:
These are rooted in the mission, values, and guiding principles of CRS and used by each staff member to fulfill his or her responsibilities and achieve the desired results.
- Integrity
- Continuous Improvement & Innovation
- Builds Relationships
- Develops Talent
- Strategic Mindset
- Accountability & Stewardship
Qualifications:
- Must be a current student working towards a bachelors, masters, or PhD in a related field (International Development, Journalism, Communications, Marketing, Public Relations, or another related discipline).
- Understanding of the basic principles of communications, public relations and/or marketing.
- Excellent communication and writing skills.
- Understanding of social media tools and platforms including Facebook, Twitter, etc.
- Knowledge of HTML, website content management and graphic design a plus.
- Fluency in English. Language skills in Spanish or Romanian are not required, but an asset.
Disclaimer Clause: This job description is not an exhaustive list of the skill, effort, duties, and responsibilities associated with the position.
NOTE: All interested applicants must be legally authorized to work in the U.S. at the time of application.
CRS’ talent acquisition procedures reflect our commitment to protecting children and vulnerable adults from abuse and exploitation.
EOE