Cleveland Council on World Affairs
Internship Opportunities

Mission and Purpose
The Cleveland Council on World Affairs is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization seeking to enhance public dialogue on and understanding of important international economic, political and social issues through informed discussions, personal contacts and other educational activities with business, community and educational leaders and the general public in Northeast Ohio.

Internship Positions
  • Education Programs
  • Membership & Marketing
  • Finance
  • International Visitor Programs
  • Public Lecture Program
  • Website Content Management

What Interns Can Expect from the Council
  • Opportunities to complete projects that can be used in a work portfolio or for credit
  • Mentoring and supervision in order to achieve their goals.
  • Involvement in all Council events (attend lectures, speeches, discussions, etc.)
  • International Leadership Seminars, where selected members of the Board of Trustees will meet informally with CCWA interns to share their professional experiences and expose interns to a wide range of international careers.
  • Experience of day-to-day operations in a small, nonprofit organization involved in promoting international understanding through public dialogue and personal contacts.
  • Exposure to international visitors as interns assists with coordinating custom-tailored programs for international visitor program participants.
  • Intern presentation at the end of the internship period, to summarize your projects and learning experience.
What the Council Expects from Interns
  • Commitment to the mission of the Cleveland Council on World Affairs.
  • Development of goals for the internship and the desire to find ways to meet these goals.
  • Knowledge about the projects they are working on and general Council activities.
  • Attention to detail in their work and documentation of program status so that other interns and staff can continue projects where they get left off.
  • Attendance at programs during the internship period.
  • Attendance at meetings appropriate to the intern's projects (as necessary).
Internship Position Descriptions
Public Lecture Programs including Public Program Lecture Series, Young Professionals, and Special Events
  • Coordinate logistics of public programs, including assisting in developing outreach strategies, booking venues, preparing bios and announcements, event registration, and speaker correspondence.
  • Attend public programs and provide program support.
  • Assist with marketing and publicizing of events including writing press releases, preparing press kits, following up with press, and collecting articles written about the Council.
  • Support newsletter publication including design layout, writing articles, compiling monthly calendar and proofreading.
  • Research and follow-up on new ways to market the Council's programs including placing advertisements, distributing fliers, and exploring collaboration with other local organizations.
Education Programs including Model United Nations, Teacher Training Workshops, "Bridges to the World and other Collaborative Programming
  • Coordinate on-going school programs including Model United Nations, and "Bridges to the World.
  • Aid with design and preparation of program materials and publicizing program details.
  • Conduct background research on program topics and prepare briefing materials.
International Visitor Programs for U.S. Department of State-sponsored visitors participating in short-term and long-term professional exchanges.
  • Research local resources (community groups, government agencies, business and political leaders, etc.) and current local issues for programs or proposals.
  • Arrange professional appointments for visitors and create full itinerary programs.
  • All in house office support (pre, during, and post program correspondence with resources).
  • Arrange home hospitality and other cultural opportunities for foreign delegates.
  • Attend meetings with international visitors.
  • Assist with maintenance of resource materials and databases.
  • Membership & Marketing
  • Support member services to increase corporate and individual membership and improve membership retention.
  • Assist in developing and implementing strategies to broaden and diversify membership.
  • Manage maintenance of content updates to Website.
  • Database management.
  • Support Council-wide marketing efforts to include promoting the Council's programming.
  • Finance
  • Assist with day-to-day financial operations.
  • Assist with investment tracking.
  • Assist with month-end closings, accruals, reconciliation, and analysis.
  • Prepare reports and presentations to management.
Website Content Management
  • Support staff in monitoring and updating CCWA website content and context
  • Assist in developing strategies to increase website content and usage.
Requirements
  • A commitment of 12 to 15 regularly scheduled hours per week during office hours
  • Interest in world affairs
  • Good phone presence and etiquette in English
  • Excellent organizational skills
  • Excellent written and oral communication skills
  • Professional attire and demeanor
  • Punctuality and a sense of responsibility
  • Provide references upon request
Our internship positions are unpaid. However, student may receive financial support from universities.

Application Process
To apply please submit the following materials:
  • Current resume
  • Cover letter describing your qualifications and interest in a specific position
  • Letter of recommendation, preferably from a past employer (mail original)
  • Short writing sample (for example a personal statement or 3-5 pages of a paper)
Application deadlines
Spring 2010: January 5
Summer 2010: May 7

Candidates are strongly encouraged to apply at least two weeks before the deadline. Final candidates will be called for a brief interview. Send completed applications via mail or e-mail to:

Richard A. Crepage, Ed.D.
Cleveland Council on World Affairs
812 Huron Road, Suite 620
Cleveland, OH 44115-1165
Phone: 216.255.9007
E-mail: rcrepage@ccwa.org