JOB DESCRIPTION AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

We are proud that 100% of our financial support comes from a committed base of individual donors and members. Main responsibilities for this position include:

Coordination of Major Grassroots Fundraising Programs: The Grassroots Fundraising Director is responsible for coordinating the organization’s main grassroots fundraising programs, including Major Donors, Direct Mail, Phone banks, Email/Online, and Sustainers. The Director leads a national team of fundraisers, members of which are located in Washington, DC, Boston and Seattle, and supports other fundraisers in framing political analysis, cultivating relationships with donors, and sharpening their skills. The Director develops messaging for and designs creative, informative and motivating fundraising materials (appeals, proposals, etc.).

Organizational Development: Support fellow national office staff in organizing creative fundraising events; participate in national activist gatherings (for example, by leading workshops, assisting in planning); work with the Fundraising Team to provide fundraising training and support for local chapters to develop their own grassroots base of support.

Finances and Budgeting: As part of the Finance Team, oversee projections and income reports; prepare budget reports; prepare for and assist with annual audit

Database and Information Systems Management: Maintain donor database, produce data files for mailings, phonebanks, and new donor prospecting; coordinate data entry; analyze results of fundraising campaigns.

QUALIFICATIONS:
*At least 2-3 years of experience in grassroots fundraising or individual gift fundraising
*Comfort and confidence in asking individuals for donations in person and on the phone
*Experience playing a leading role on a team and supporting staff and/or volunteers
*Strong writing skills, especially ability to convey clear analysis that’s motivating to donors
* Political beliefs that are compatible with the goals of the organization
* Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, in person and on the phone
* High level of organization, initiative and self-motivation; ability to manage multiple projects at a time
*Ability to work effectively in teams and group decision-making
* Willingness to work flexible hours, including some evenings and weekends
* Strong conversational English
* Commitment for at least 2 years

PREFERRED:
*Experience in new donor prospecting
*Interest and experience in visual design and layout
* Experience in donor cultivation through social media and on-line fundraising
*Experience working with donor databases, QuickBooks, Excel
*Administrative skills
* Bilingual English/Spanish speaker
* Knowledge of CISPES and the history and politics of El Salvador

Salary and Benefits: This position is full-time, with compensation of $26,784/year plus full health insurance and 4 weeks of paid vacation (2 weeks in the first year, and 4 weeks in each following year). CISPES operates on an equal pay scale for all staff. CISPES’ Personnel Policy provides for an annual cost of living salary adjustment.

TO APPLY: If you think you might be right for the job please send a cover letter, resume and contact information for three references  by email to jacob@cispes.org or by regular mail to: Jacob Blickenov, CISPES National Office,1525 Newton St. NW, Washington DC 20010. Please reference “Grassroots Fundraising Director” in your application.  This position will be open until filled.

CISPES is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer. People of color, women, queer folks, lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender, gender non-conforming people, and people with disabilities are encouraged to apply.

Internships available with the CISPES National Office in Washington, DC and San Salvador, El Salvador.

…and with local CISPES chapters in San Francisco and Seattle (additional cities may be possible)

Contact: Lisa Fuller -  tel. 202.521.2510 ext. 204, email lisa@cispes.org.

About CISPES

Founded in 1980, the Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador, CISPES, is a grassroots, US-based organization dedicated to supporting the Salvadoran people’s struggle for self-determination and social and economic justice. The alternative that they are building –based upon democratic and socialist ideals – is an example to all people who seek a world free of domination and exploitation. We focus our work on El Salvador because of the US government’s continuing military, economic, and political intervention on behalf of US corporate interests, and because the Salvadoran people’s tenacious and inspiring struggle to build social justice. We work to achieve three main objectives: 1) end US intervention in El Salvador 2) provide political and material support to the grassroots left in El Salvador and 3) strengthen the left in the US.

Internship Qualifications

For all placements, we are looking for interns who have an ongoing commitment to organizing around El Salvador or issues that promote social change. People of color, women, LGBTQ community members and people with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply.

General Internship Requirements

• Familiarity with the impact of US policies internationally, particularly in Latin America (i.e. globalization, neoliberalism, and resistance movements that are creating alternatives to such policies)
• Strong personal identification with political activism and social justice work
• Organized and self-motivated
• Ability to adapt to new circumstances and work strategies
• Openness to learning, understanding, and respecting cultural differences

Preferred Skills & Experience

• Experience in grassroots solidarity organizing (especially in El Salvador or with a local CISPES committee)
• Familiarity with Microsoft Office and graphic design software
• Comfort in written and oral Spanish and English (required for San Salvador internship)
• Fundraising experience

DC National Office Internship – Washington, DC

The National Office in DC is the liaison between El Salvador and CISPES chapters across the country.  By being in constant contact with staff inEl Salvadoras well as our long-term Salvadoran allies, the National Office oversees the implementation of CISPES’ national program and strategy.  In the coming months our major program will include organizing a national labor tour for the winter with a Salvadoran union leader and recruiting for a Salvadoran/Salvadoran-American delegation to El Salvador. This year, we are especially interested in interns that can offer either:

1) strong communications skills including writing, blogging, facebook/twitter/other social media skills or;

2) experience organizing with the US labor organizations, unions and workers associations.

We will be developing multi-media materials to pitch national and local unions on hosting a Salvadoran union leader for tour events, as well as developing informational brochures on CISPES, and writing articles for our quarterly newsletter, El Salvador Watch.

San Salvador National Office Internship – San Salvador, El Salvador

This office maintains communication between CISPES and our Salvadoran allies, providing CISPES with information for periodic public updates and informing the underlying strategy for our political organizing campaigns.  On a practical level, this team works with the National Office to coordinate delegations to El Salvador and works with Salvadoran social justice leaders who travel to the US on CISPES speaking tours.

Specific Internship Requirements (in addition to the General Internship Requirements listed above):

• Spanish/English written and oral fluency
• Strong writing skills, including blogs & social media
• Multiple years of organizing and solidarity experience, preferably within theCentral Americasolidarity movement.  (In the past, San Salvador interns have been members of a local chapter whose committee work motivated them to become more deeply involved by spending time in El Salvador).
• Basic knowledge of the revolutionary history of El Salvador
• Capacity to communicate and relate well with CISPES Salvadoran partners

Local Chapter Internship – San Francisco, CA; Seattle, WA (and possibly more)

CISPES chapters are our grassroots organizing engines made up almost entirely of volunteer activists committed to supporting the revolutionary Salvadoran movement and fighting US interference in the Salvadoran struggle! The chapters carry out the national CISPES program, which this year includes organizing the 2013 winter labor tour and recruiting for the summer “Radical Roots” delegation for Salvadorans and Salvadoran-Americans. They will also be focusing on general outreach/recruitment, ongoing grassroots fundraising to sustain the local chapter and organizing political events, often in collaboration with local organizations and coalition partners.

Internship Credit, Compensation and Schedule
We generally prefer interns to work between 10 and 20 hours a week, for a period of four months. As a grassroots organization with a shoe-string budget, we cannot provide monetary compensation to interns. But maybe you can help us with our grassroots fundraising work!  We are committed to working with interns and universities to obtain school credit for CISPES work. Most universities have internship programs which will guarantee credit. If not, you can try for independent study credit.

Apply Today!

Download a CISPES Internship Application and email the completed form to Lisa Fuller, lisa@cispes.org. Or mail to CISPES Internship Coordinator, 1525 Newton St. NW, Washington, DC 20010.

For more information on a CISPES internship, contact Lisa Fuller – Tel: 202-521-2510 x 204, email: lisa@cispes.org

CISPES IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY/AFFIRMATIVE ACTION EMPLOYER:

People of color, women, gay men, lesbians, bisexuals, transgender and gender non-conforming people, and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply.

Application Deadline: November 15 for a December/January start date. We are also accepting applications for a Fall internship on a rolling basis.

Contact Lisa for details: lisa@cispes.org, 202.521.2510 ext. 204

The National Office of CISPES is the liaison between our allies in the Salvadoran social movement and the volunteer CISPES committees across the country. Through constant contact among El Salvador, CISPES chapters and national coalitions of which we are a part, the National Office coordinates the implementation of CISPES national program and strategy. The National Office is also a hub of grassroots fundraising that maintain communication with our devoted base of donors to fund our organizing.

An internship at the CISPES National Office provides a wonderful opportunity to participate in grassroots campaign development/implementation, fundraising, and disseminating news and analysis about El Salvador on the national level. Working in this office also provides the opportunity to participate within a strong collective, which is committed to idea of “collective leadership with individual responsibility.”

Intern projects with the National Office depend both on our current needs and the intern’s own interests and skills.  This fall and winter, we are especially interested in interns with strong writing skills and social media, website and/or blogging experience.  There may also be opportunities to develop multi-media materials for a speaking tour with a Salvadoran movement leader, informational pamphlets on the exciting new government programs serving the most marginalized sectors in El Salvador, and writing articles for our quarterly newsletter, El Salvador Watch. There is always translation and event support work to be done, and many other project options that we would be happy to talk through with applicants.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Strong writing skills
• Experience managing social media, website and blogs
• Basic understanding of the current social, political, and economic situation in Latin America (pertaining to individual countries and/or regionally)
• Familiarity with the impact of US policies internationally, particularly in Latin America (i.e. globalization, neo-liberalism, and resistance movements that are creating alternatives to such policies)
• Strong personal identification with political activism and social justice work
• Organized and self-motivated Commitment to learning the radical history and current political, economic and social context of grassroots movements of El Salvador
• Ability to adapt to new circumstances and work strategies
• Openness to learning, understanding, and respecting cultural differences

Preferred but not required:

• Experience in solidarity work, either in El Salvador or with a local CISPES committee, or in other grassroots activism
• Basic knowledge with revolutionary history of El Salvador
• Comfort in written and oral Spanish and English
• Familiarity with Quark Express, Microsoft Word and Excel, and Adobe Photoshop; Web design knowledge
• Experience in fundraising, working with media or unions , or grassroots events-planning, or strong interest in learning applicable skills

WHAT ARE THE DETAILS?
The work hours are flexible – interns work out their schedule with the intern liaison. Preferably, interns work between 10 and 15 hours a week, for at least three months. Unfortunately, no stipend is available at this point (maybe you want to help us with our revolutionary grassroots fundraising work!).  You can, however, get school credit, as well as useful organizing experience.

HOW DO YOU APPLY?

Please send a resume, cover letter, and short writing sample by November 15, 2011 (for a December/January start date) to–
Lisa, CISPES Program Coordinator
Tel: 202-521-2510 x 204
Fax: 202-332-3339
email: lisa@cispes.orgThis e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Note: We are still accepting applications for a Fall internship on a rolling basis.

Your cover letter should include the reasons you are interested in interning with CISPES, what skills you would like to develop during your internship, what experience you would bring and your definition of the solidarity.

CISPES IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY/AFFIRMATIVE ACTION EMPLOYER:
People of color, women, gay men, lesbians, bisexuals, transgender and gender non-conforming people, and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply.

——-

San Salvador internship (Winter, 2012)

Application Deadline: October 15 for a December/January start date

Contact Lisa for details: lisa@cispes.orgThis e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , 202.521.2510 ext. 204

Note: CISPES has a policy of ongoing internships in El Salvador, so please feel free to apply now for a Fall, Winter, Spring or Summer internship for 2011 through 2012. Internships may be confirmed up to a year in advance, based on the candidate’s availability and openings in the San Salvador office. Internships typically run along the semester system (September-December, January-April, May-August), though there is flexibility.

With the first leftist president in the country’s history, union organizing on the rise and incredible new public health care and literacy programs being implemented to serve El Salvador’s poor and working class majority, El Salvador is an exciting place to be! If you want to be on the ground learning about these changes from the radical organizers that are leading these efforts – come to El Salvador and intern with the CISPES San Salvador office!

The San Salvador office is a crucial piece of the CISPES network.  This office maintains communication between CISPES as an organization and our Salvadoran allies and provides CISPES with information for public updates.  On a practical level, this team works with the National Office to coordinate delegations and brigades to El Salvador and speaking tours of Salvadoran movement leaders to the US.

This is a great opportunity to see radical, political organizing up close, and to learn about the history and current political struggles in El Salvador.  Interns could be involved in many different kinds of work, including:

·        Regular communication with CISPES’ allies in El Salvador to maintain CISPES movement ties and transmit news and analysis to/from our allies

·        Writing articles on Salvadoran current events for bi-weekly news updates or the quarterly newsletter

·        Conducting and transcribing interviews with allies for U.S. media

·        Helping to organize a CISPES speaking tour of the US or delegation to El Salvador

·        Reading and clipping Salvadoran news articles to maintain news archives

·        Written translation from Spanish to English and vice versa

·        Developing flyers and written campaign materials

QUALIFICATIONS

·        Multiple years of organizing and solidarity experience, preferably within the Latin American solidarity movement.  (In the past, some interns in the San Salvador office have been individuals that were previously working within a local chapter, and whose committee work motivated them to become more deeply involved by spending time in El Salvador).

·        Familiarity with the impact of US policies internationally, particularly in Latin America (i.e. globalization, neoliberalism, and resistance movements that are creating alternatives to such policies)

·        Foundational understanding of social, political, and economic situation in Latin America (pertaining to individual countries and/or regionally)

·        Strong personal identification with political activism and social justice work

·        Strong writing skills

·        Proficiency in Spanish and English, both written and oral

·        Capacity to communicate and relate well with CISPES Salvadoran partners

·        Willingness to respect local leadership and comply with office security plans and measures

·        Commitment to learning the radical history and current political, economic and social context of grassroots movements of El Salvador

·        Organized and self-motivated, with the ability to adapt to evolving work strategies and circumstances

·        Openness to learning, understanding, and respecting cultural difference

Preferred but not required:

·        Strong computer skills

·        Spanish to English and English to Spanish written translation skills

·        Experience working with media and/or unions

WHAT ARE THE DETAILS?

Interns in San Salvador work between 25 and 30 hours per week, for a term of 3-6 months.  Interns are responsible for paying their own expenses during their internship – including meals, housing, airfare and in-country transportation. CISPES staff will support intern in finding housing and developing budgets and fundraising plans to cover expenses.  We can also help interns get college credit for their work.

HOW DO YOU APPLY?

Please send a resume, cover letter, and short writing sample by October 15, 2011 (for a December/January start date) to–
Lisa, CISPES Program Coordinator
Tel: 202-521-2510 ext. 204
Fax: 202-332-3339
email: lisa@cispes.org

Your cover letter should include the reasons you are interested in working with CISPES, what skills you would like develop, the experience you would bring and your definition of solidarity.

Reminder: CISPES has a policy of ongoing internships in El Salvador, so please feel free to apply now for a Fall, Winter, Spring or Summer internship for 2011 through 2012. Internships may be confirmed up to a year in advance, based on the candidate’s availability and openings in the San Salvador office. Internships typically run along the semester system (September-December, January-April, May-August), though there is flexibility.

CISPES IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY/AFFIRMATIVE ACTION EMPLOYER:
People of color, women, gay men, lesbians, bisexuals, transgender and gender non-conforming people, and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply.

Throughout our history, we have worked in solidarity withthe Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front (FMLN) and the broader Salvadoransocial justice movement to counter oppressive, US-backed policies of theSalvadoran right. 

As a national organization, we have eight chapters aroundthe country, all of which host interns. You are also welcome to apply to work in our national office inWashington, DC.  For those who have more experience with Central America solidarity work, we also offer a position in our officein San Salvador.  Please check out the three different positiondescriptions posted below for specific information about eachopportunity.

The actual work that interns do depends on where they arelocated, as well as their developmental goals. There are many possibilities:written translation, solidarity projects, fundraising, writing or layout forour quarterly newsletter for example. In every office, interns gain practicalorganizing skills, a solid understanding of socio-economic and political issues in El Salvador,both current and an historical understanding of global economic trends, as wellas strategies to change the political/economic situation here in the US, aconnection to the Latin American solidarity movement within the US, workexperience and college credits!

HOW DO YOU APPLY?
First, spend some time perusing our website to understand more about what wedo. Then pick the option below that seems most appropriate for you.

Qualifications for each position depend on the specific office where you would like to work. Check out the position descriptions below for more information.

CISPES IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY/AFFIRMATIVE ACTION EMPLOYER:
People of color, women, gay men, lesbians, bisexuals, transgenderand gender non-conforming people, and persons with disabilities are encouragedto apply.

WHAT WOULD YOU BE DOING?
Main responsibility: Written English to Spanish translation – translate weekly or monthly updates on the critical situation in El Salvador so that we can circulate them more widely, particularly to Salvadorans living in the U.S.

The rest depends on what you are interested in. There are many possibilities: union solidarity project, fundraising, writing or layout for our quarterly newsletter, media work, webmaster, etc.

WHAT ARE THE REQUIREMENTS?

The only requirement is strong written translation from English to Spanish.
Other skills are a plus but not required: Spanish to English written translation skills; comfortable in spoken Spanish; web design knowledge; familiarity with Quark Express, Microsoft Word and Excel, and Adobe Photoshop; strong writing skills; experience in fundraising and outreach to media and/or to unions a plus.

HOW DO YOU APPLY?

Please send a resume, cover letter, and sample English-Spanish written translation. (If you don’t have a sample, you can go to our website www.cispes.org and translate one of our updates from English to Spanish.)

Contact: Lisa Fuller (program director)

lisa@cispes.org, ext. 204,

check out the website: www.cispes.org

DETAILS:

Hours are flexible – you make your schedule. Preferably between 5-15 hours a week.
Minimum 4 month commitment, preferably longer term.

No stipend available, but you can get school credit and excellent organizing and non-profit experience, which will help you get a step forward in the long run.

People of color, women, gay men, lesbians, bisexuals, transgendered persons, and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply.