Join Our Team as Government Relations & Advocacy Intern
About Us
At Boys & Girls Clubs of America, we're more than an organization; we're a community dedicated to transforming lives. Our mission is to empower young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, and responsible citizens. Our HR Mission is to support the success of our employees and strengthen BGCA, while our HR Vision is to attract, develop, recognize, and retain talent, fostering a people-first culture that empowers growth, inclusion, and engagement.
Click here, Working At BGCA , to hear from our President and CEO, Jim Clark, about what makes working at Boys & Girls Club of America (BGCA) so special.
START/END DATE: January 2026 through May 2026
WORK REQUIREMENTS: Part-time/Approximately 20 hours per week
SALARY: $17.95/hour
LOCATION: This internship is an office-based, on site-position located in Washington, DC
Currently operating under a hybrid model: 3 days remote/2 days in office
Job Summary
- Reporting to the Director of Government Relations-Policy & Advocacy, the Government Relations & Advocacy Intern will support the Federal Government Relations and Advocacy departments including research, planning and execution of events and campaigns, and other core team responsibilities related to the organization and its mission.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
- Understand the inner workings of the DC nonprofit government relations, public policy, and advocacy systems.
- How to execute and manage advocacy strategies
- How to build and manage meaningful relationships with key stakeholders to the benefit of the program and mission
- How to use essential advocacy tools and software
- How to meet challenges, overcome obstacles, and work in a dynamic team environment
- How to develop stewardship communication skills
Responsibilities
- Coordinate and track visits Members of Congress and state officials conduct and/or interact with Boys & Girls Clubs
- Research legislation and regulatory comments important to Boys & Girls Clubs at a national, state, and local level; Conduct web-based and other research as needed on BGCA legislative issues.
- Attend coalition meetings, Capitol Hill visits, and Congressional hearings on behalf of BGCA
- Create and update critical biographical and background information on Members of Congress and stakeholders.
- Assist with planning and support of BGCA’s fly-ins and/or other Government Relations events.
- Support distribution of weekly press clips and other thought leadership opportunities.
- Assist with production and editing of government relations & advocacy materials and internal documents.
- Support collection of relevant Club and youth stories related to BGCA priority issues to further enhance BGCA advocacy efforts.
- Prepare blogs for BGCA.org advocacy page around Club advocacy actions.
- Perform basic clerical tasks, including word processing, copying, mailing, filing, managing routine office business, and provide other program, administrative, and organization-wide support as needed/assigned.
- Other related/comparable duties as assigned.
Qualifications
Education & Experience
- Currently enrolled at an undergraduate 2 or 4 year college/university or equivalent work experience
- Basic understanding and interest in advocacy, government relations, public policy & legislative procedure strongly encouraged
- Interest in nonprofit and youth development
- Strong interest in project management in nonprofit environments
Skill-set
- Strong computer skills and proficiency using Microsoft Office Suite (Outlook, Word, Excel, Power Point, SharePoint, etc.).
- Strong verbal and written communications skills including proofreading, copy editing, writing, and oral communication skills
- An ability to manage time appropriately.
- Demonstrated professionalism and maturity and a tolerance for rapid pace and shifting assignments and priorities
- Flexibility, good judgement, attention to detail
- A demonstrated commitment and interest in the mission of Boys & Girls Clubs of America
- An ability to adhere to organizational policies and procedures as described in BGCA's Intern Policy, Ethics Policy and elsewhere.
Personal Qualifications
- Must have availability the week of February 23-26
- The individual should also demonstrate BGCA’s values of integrity, collaboration, accountability, respect, and excellence (ICARE) and integrate them into your work environment, model them in the way that you work, and uphold those same values in others.
- A successful candidate will demonstrate a track record of reliability, independent work, and creativity and is self-motivated. work both independently and collaboratively as well as an eagerness to learn
