Opportunity Description

For 100 years, the ACLU has been our nation’s guardian of liberty, working in courts, legislatures, and communities to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed by the Constitution and laws of the United States. Whether it’s ending mass incarceration, achieving full equality for the LGBT community, advancing racial justice, establishing new privacy protections for our digital age, or preserving the right to vote or the right to have an abortion, the ACLU takes up the toughest civil liberties and civil rights cases and issues to defend all people from government abuse and overreach.

In Delaware and nationwide, affiliates and the National ACLU fight tirelessly for the principle that every individual’s rights must be protected equally under the law, regardless of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, national origin, and record of arrest or conviction. 


Internship Overview

The ACLU of Delaware’s Communications Director is responsible for promoting the ACLU’s mission, its brand and its programs through print, digital, social and media outlets. The Communications Internship offers the opportunity to learn about the breadth of the ACLU’s work and how our communications work supports it through branding, public relations and communications strategy, and producing content for the ACLU website, multimedia and social media channels.

The Communications Intern will be supervised by the Communications Director, but will have opportunities to work closely with the whole ACLU of Delaware team.

  • Time Commitment: Each internship’s time commitment is somewhat flexible, with a minimum of 10 hours per week and a maximum of 20 hours per week.
  • Internship Duration: Internships are 12 weeks, with a potential option to extend on a case-by-case basis.
  • Internship Stipend: This is a paid internship opportunity. Communications interns will receive $15/hour, paid biweekly.
  • Internship Location: This internship is based out of the ACLU-DE office in Wilmington, Delaware. For 2021, the internship will be primarily remote unless otherwise discussed.

Roles and Responsibilities

Responsibilities may include, but are not limited to the following:

  • One long-term project, agreed upon by the intern and the Communications Director, to be started and completed during the internship timeline;
  • Draft, edit, and post content for the ACLU of Delaware’s website and social media platforms;
  • Assist the Communications Director with media outreach, such as drafting press releases;
  • Research best practices and analyzing data to gather ideas and identify areas of improvement;
  • Participate in strategy discussions and meetings and provide input on communications strategies;
  • Handle administrative tasks as needed, such as updating web pages and tracking media placements;
  • Prepare talking points, press materials, report materials and other communications in partnership with staff; and
  • Other duties as assigned

Experience And Qualifications

Interns should possess the following:

  • A strong interest in working on nonprofit or political communications;
  • Coursework or employment related to the internship;
  • Keen interest in current events, news reporting, and writing;
  • Excellent written and verbal communications skills;
  • Ability to handle multiple projects and meet deadlines in a fast-paced working environment;
  • Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, Google Drive, and conducting internet research;
  • The initiative to see projects through to completion;
  • A commitment to civil liberties, civil rights, and social justice; and
  • Commitment to the mission of the ACLU  

How to Apply

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. We will reach out to you to schedule an interview if we are interested in talking more. To apply for a communications internship at ACLU-DE, please send the following to Morgan Keller, communications director, at mkeller@aclu-de.org:

  • Cover letter
  • Resume
  • Three writing samples

This opportunity description provides a general but not comprehensive list of the opportunities of the internship. It does not represent a contract of employment. The ACLU of Delaware reserves the right to change the posting at any time without advance notice.

The ACLU of Delaware is an equal opportunity employer and encourages applications from all qualified individuals including women, people of color, persons with disabilities, LGBTQIA+ individuals, people who have been involved with the criminal justice system, and people over 55. We are committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals with disabilities.