Fellowship Opportunities

DC Metro and Maryland Program Associate

This position has been filled for 2018-2019. We anticipate the position will be open again for 2019-2020. Email Laura for more information. 

Our grassroots climate organization seeks a warm and energetic community organizer to be based in DC to engage religious communities of all faith traditions in taking action on climate change. This is a one-year position through a service corps program beginning in August/September with possibility of extension.

“I get to be involved with a lot of awesome campaigns. For example, I attended the People’s Climate March in NYC, helped Baltimore homeowners go solar, testified at a hearing on coal-fired power plant emissions, and am working on a campaign to have Maryland commit to 40% renewable energy. It’s exciting and empowering!”
– Clara Summers, Maryland Program Associate, 2014-2015

“Working at Interfaith Power & Light (DC.MD.NoVa) through my faith based service corps was an incredible opportunity. I had the chance to build relationships with many faith communities and work with these communities to green their congregations and advocate for clean energy policies. With a close-knit team, working at IPL allowed me to be involved in many different aspects of the organization including fundraising, digital organizing, facilitating workshops, meeting with faith leaders, and representing IPL in coalition meetings. The entire IPL community is supportive, passionate, and energized and it was an honor to be a part of this organization.”
– Elana Orbuch, DC Metro Program Associate, 2015-2016

About Interfaith Power & Light (DC.MD.NoVA)

Interfaith Power & Light (DC.MD.NoVA) engages hundreds of congregations of all faiths, from across Maryland, DC, and Northern Virginia, to respond to climate change through education, greening, and advocacy. We do this work as one of over forty state Interfaith Power & Light affiliates around the country, building a national religious response to climate change.

We help congregations educate, incorporating environmental concerns into worship, teaching, and preaching. We help congregations go green, by supporting them in saving energy, purchasing clean power, going solar, and shifting other aspects of their institutions to minimize environmental impact. And we help caring congregants raise their voices as part of local and national advocacy efforts to protect Creation.

About the Position

As a Program Associate, you will help:
– Maintain and build strong relationships with faith communities in the region
– Participate in IPL’s coalition meetings, identifying opportunities for local faith communities to have a unique voice in local and national environmental advocacy campaigns.
– Support IPL’s Speakers Bureau, Film Library and other educational programs by recruiting speakers, serving as a speaker, and coordinating presentations or film screenings in local congregations.
– Assist with IPL’s work to help congregations to go green including recruiting congregations to buy clean energy, go solar, or green their grounds.
– Conduct outreach for our programs and events through social media, emails, phonebanking, and tabling.
– Organize home energy workshops and make presentations at congregations to make the case for energy efficiency.
– Help our small non-profit stay ”in business” — acknowledging donations, contacting congregations for financial support, updating our database, preparing materials including our multi-faith light switch reminders, keeping our books, and researching and applying for grants.

The Fellow would need to be able to participate in evening and weekend events at congregations at least sometimes, with the opportunity to take comp time subsequently.

This position allows some flexibility in being able to pursue specific projects or tasks that cater to skills and interests. Challenges about the position could include working in a small office environment with up to 4 people at a time, needing to stay on top of multiple tasks with various deadlines, and helping with tedious tasks that include entering data and phonebanking.

The ideal organizer for IPL will:
– Have experience with grassroots organizing and campaigns
– Have personal interest and experience with climate and other environmental issues
– Be comfortable in religious settings, and ready to experience and learn about congregations of diverse faiths
– Be a “people person” – able to make calls, attend meetings, table at events and strike up conversations with strangers, and engage people to develop long-term relationships
– Have good written communication skills
– Be a worker bee prepared to help with typing up names for our database, phonebanking Baltimore congregations, sending emails, and other unglamorous by sacred tasks of sustaining a small nonprofit
– Be very organized and able to keep up with numerous projects with various deadlines
– Be a reliable, trustworthy person able to work independently

A driver’s license and access to a car would be helpful, but not necessary, for this position.

About the Service Corps Programs

This year-long position will be filled through a service corps program which includes a modest monthly stipend and a community living experience with others committed to service, justice, and spirituality. The service corps programs that we are currently working with include:
Lutheran Volunteer Corps
Episcopal Volunteer Corps
Discipleship Year
AVODAH: The Jewish Service Corps
Mennonite Voluntary Service

Please learn more about the service corps programs to see if you’d feel comfortable participating in one of them.

To apply, please send a resume and cover letter to Laura. If approved, the applicant will need to separately apply to a service corps program. Applications will be reviewed on a first-come, first-served basis.

Volunteer Opportunities

Interested volunteers are encouraged to contact us to inquire about volunteer and internship opportunities. Please email Laura for more information.

We also are happy to partner with faith-based volunteer programs. Past Interfaith Power & Light volunteers have joined us through the Beatitudes Society, Discipleship Year, the Episcopal Service Corps, the Lutheran Volunteer Corps, the Muslim Public Service Network, the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism’s Machon Kaplan Program, and the Wesley Theological Seminary’s Practice in Ministry and Mission program.