Internships

FALL 2008 INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITIES AT CAIR

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), is currently offering 8 new fall 2008 internship opportunities. CAIR is the nation's largest Muslim civil rights organization. The organization's mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

All internships are unpaid. Internships last one semester and include a minimum of 10-hour/week commitment, although 25-35 hours is preferred. Applicants should email a resume and cover letter to Aseel Elborno, Outreach Coordinator, at: internships@cair.com.

APPLICATION GUIDELINES:
Clearly indicate which internship opportunity you are applying for in your cover letter. If you are applying for more than one position, please list in order of preference. All fall applications are due by August 15th. (Please note: fall internships usually run from early September through December). Applications that do not list the above information will not be processed. If you have any questions, please email all inquiries to internships@cair.com . Students interested in receiving class credit, should indicate so in their cover letters. Credit will be arranged during the first week of the academic semester.

Fall 2008 Internships

Accounting Intern

Responsibilities:

Assist in ongoing organization and maintenance of all financial documents.
Assist in preparing reports and projections based on review of financial data.
Assist in compiling and analyzing the list of vendors from all 35 chapters and the national office. Based on this research be able to select specific vendors, highlight their strengths and weaknesses, and work with them in negotiating volume rates for the entire organization.

Qualifications:

The ideal candidate will strive to make sure that the organization will operate in the most efficient way possible.
The ideal candidate has excellent analytical skills, pays attention to detail, highly organized, and able to complete tasks with minimal supervision.
Preference will be given to those candidates that are experienced with accounting software.

Chapter Development Intern

The intern will work closely with the Community Development Director and Chapter Development Coordinator to fulfill chapter coordination and administrative functions. Candidates for this position must demonstrate a strong aptitude for community organizing and advocacy work.

Responsibilities:

Intern responsibilities will include but not be limited to:

Collecting and drafting procedure manuals, process and best practice documents, and other chapter support resource materials;
Maintain communication and coordination with chapters on current issues and activities;
Assist in organizing trainings for chapter personnel, and organizing chapter events/assisting chapters in their events;
Intake and preparation of chapter requests;
Populating of databases;
Assist in development, populating, and maintaining of Intranet resource;
Other administrative duties assigned by the Chapter Development Coordinator.

Qualifications:

The ideal candidate should have the following:

Strong organizational and time management skills;
Previous project coordination experience preferred;
The ability to work quickly and well under pressure, along with building positive community relationships is desired;
Diplomatic and professional communication skills required;
Passion for the mission of the Council on American-Islamic Relations;
Excellent writing and editing skills required;
Working knowledge of Microsoft Word, Excel and Outlook with internet research skills; and
Knowledge of PowerPoint and the ability to type 40 w.p.m. preferred

Communications Intern

The intern will work closely with the national communications director and coordinators on the daily communications work and on long-term projects. Essential duties and responsibilities include the following (other duties may be assigned):

Responsibilities:

Helping to produce the daily electronic newsletter (news search, formatting, etc.)
Uploading articles and photos to the national website
Assisting with drafting press releases, preparing press packets for news conferences
Organizing “Muslims Care” service projects in the local area (one project per month)
Assisting in planning and executing long-term projects (e.g. organizing and publicizing new educational campaigns)
Responding to negative media coverage by writing letters to the editor, op-eds, etc.

Qualifications:

The ideal candidate has strong writing/editing skills and familiarity with journalistic style.
The candidate should have knowledge of how the media industry works and be able to work quickly on a deadline.
The candidate should be passionate about improving media coverage of Islam and Muslims and providing a voice for US Muslims in the media.

Government Affairs Intern

The Government Affairs intern will work closely with the National Legislative Director and National Legislative Coordinator to fulfill government relations, communications and administrative functions. CAIR’s expanding Government Affairs Department coordinates nationwide advocacy work on issues of public policy. Former CAIR interns and staff have gone on to accept jobs with Members of Congress and in the White House.

Essential duties and responsibilities include the following (other duties may be assigned):

Assisting the department in following legislation
Helping with activities on Capitol Hill pertaining to issues facing Muslims
Supporting programs and activities of the department
Assisting in database management
Assisting in coalition building with other Muslim and non-Muslim organizations

Qualifications:

The ideal candidate is organized and able to demonstrate follow-through to complete all assigned tasks
He/She possesses excellent written communication skills and a commitment to serving the community

Law Clerk

The law clerk will work closely with the Civil Rights Manager and Legal Counsel on resolving cases of discrimination reported to CAIR. Our Civil Rights Department handles cases that range from prejudiced gestures to full blown discrimination. Our clients are Muslims as well as non-Muslims who have had Islam imputed upon them.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Assist in documenting incidents of religious discrimination by counseling and interviewing complainants regarding their incidents
Research laws and policies on employment, student conduct, immigration procedures, criminal offenses, and other areas as seen fit
Legal writing: drafting arguments, memos and complaints
Participate in representing complainants in dispute resolution, EEOC mediation, filing complaints and possible law suits
Updating databases containing information about abuses reported to CAIR

Qualifications:

The ideal candidate is organized and able to demonstrate follow-through to complete all assigned tasks
He/She possesses excellent legal reasoning, written communication, and time-management skills and a commitment to serving the community

Membership Intern

The intern will work closely with the Membership Coordinator to facilitate successful operations of the membership operations.

Responsibilities:

Mailing List maintenance
Assistance with special project mailing returns to keep ordering system up to date
Preparing receipt letters and mailing them
Sending publications on ad hoc basis
Filing documents
Shredding

Qualifications:

The ideal candidate is organized and able to demonstrate follow-through to complete all assigned tasks in a detailed and confidential manner.
The candidate should possess excellent written communication skills and a commitment to serving the community.

Operations Intern

Responsibilities:

Candidates for the Operations Internship must demonstrate strong ability to organize, communicate and manage time effectively. The Intern will work under the supervision of the Office Manager to fulfill administrative and daily operational functions.

Duties include but are not limited to assisting in maintaining the daily functioning of the office such as answering phones, greeting guests, coordinating with vendors, sorting mail and providing administrative support to directors.

Qualifications:

The ability to work quickly under pressure, along with building positive community relationships.
Diplomatic and professional communication skills required.
Ability to handle multiple projects and meet deadlines.
Working knowledge of Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook with internet research skills.
Ability to type 40 w.p.m. preferred.

Outreach Intern

The intern will work closely with the Outreach Coordinator to facilitate successful operations of the outreach operations.

Essential duties and responsibilities include the following (other duties may be assigned):

Conduct local membership drives.
Establish and maintain solid relationships with the local community via Islamic Schools, Mosques, MSAs and Islamic Organizations
Establish and maintain appropriate relationship with local organizations that overlap with CAIR’s scope of mission
Work with other CAIR departments on establishing and maintaining appropriate relationships with local governmental institutions;
Maintain a comprehensive database of local outreach activities

Qualifications:

Friendly, outgoing and self-motivated
Strong organizational and multi-tasking skills
Excellent critical thinking and visual skills
Demonstrate the ability to follow through the various on-going and newly assigned tasks
Excellent oral and written communications skills
Ability to work well under pressure

In complying with the letter and spirit of applicable laws and pursuing its own goal of diversity, CAIR is committed to a policy of Equal Employment Opportunity and prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on any legally recognized basis including, but not limited to race, age color, religion, sex, marital status, national origin, citizenship, ancestry, physical or mental disability, veteran status, or any other legally protected basis.

This site is operated by the Council on American-Islamic Relations' head office in Washington, D.C. as a service to its affiliate CAIR chapters. The material contained herein is provided for informational purposes only. The materials on this site are provided without warranties of any kind, either express or implied, including but not limited to warranties regarding the accuracy or completeness of the information contained on this site or in any referenced links. Please read the job description closely and follow the directions for submitting application materials. Do not send any application materials to CAIR's Washington, D.C. office. CAIR reserves the right to make changes to this site at any time and without notice, and makes no commitment to update this site.