Opportunities for Interns and Volunteers

 Thanks for your interest in an internship with the Alliance for Sustainability.  We feel we offer one of the best quality internship experiences anywhere.  Interns benefit both professionally and personally, while helping accomplish our mission of making sustainability a reality worldwide through our support of ecologically sound, economically viable, socially just and humane projects on a personal, organizational and planetary level.

As a non-profit with a small staff and budget, we rely on interns to support our work, whether for a few months or for a year.  We have a limited number of internships and treat each as a serious commitment with regular staff status.  In most cases interns work on our existing efforts, but we also devise special projects, from research to sustainability auditing.  We presently have a range of projects: 

·        The Natural Step - Become involved in this powerful new educational framework for bringing about sustainability in business, government, academic institutions, nonprofits and communities.  Our interns help develop, promote, set-up, conduct and follow-up Natural Step Introductions, Seminars, Monthly Network Meetings and related events across the country, as well as assisting with research and the development of educational material, case studies, and a Sustainable Community Network.  There's also an opportunity to bring it to your school and community.

·     Sustainable Resource Center - Our Center is at the core of the Alliance and our interns handle information requests from around the world and maintain our extensive library.

·      Grant Writing, Fundraising, and Membership Development Gain valuable career experience writing grant proposals to foundations, doing other development work with funders and our members.

·        Alliance Website and Internet - Help maintain and develop our website to reach a broader audience, including better design and links to related organizations.

·        Communication and Promotion - Develop professional writing, editing, design, publishing and other skills through news releases, brochures, information tables, and our newsletter.

·        Office Management - For interns interested in running a nonprofit or business, this position provides an inside look at our database, accounting and other office systems.

·        Campaign for Alternatives to Petrochemicals - Help redevelop this educational and policy effort to bring about public support for non-toxic, renewable products.

·        Skiers Ending Hunger and Other Project Partners - Have a great time skiing or cross-country skiing while helping to educate people and raise money to end hunger, or work with our other Project Partners.

At this time, we have no paid internships.  We are seeking funding and do have arrangements with various schools for credit and work-study programs.  Interns have found this to be an invaluable experience as gain new career insights and learn about sustainability and their specific project, as well as the workings of a non-profit, while benefiting from follow-up references, recommendation letters and job connections.  Our location in the Hillel Center at the University of Minnesota facilitates access to both Minneapolis and St. Paul, as well as to a wide range of activities.  

We ask that intern applicants send a letter describing their background and interests, a resume, three or more references, and a writing sample. 

You can email it to us at iasa@mtn.org, fax it at 612-379-1527, or mail it at: 

Intern Coordinator
Alliance for Sustainability
1521 University Ave. SE
Minneapolis, MN 55414

Let us know if you have any questions by calling 612-331-1099 or reaching us through email, fax or mail above. We look forward to hearing from you.  Also, please help us get the word out and post this information in the internship center and appropriate departments, websites and newsletters.  Thanks!