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Organization

The White Oak Initiative (WOI) is a coalition of conservation agencies, researchers, and industry partners working to sustain and restore white oak forests across the eastern United States by convening implementers, technical experts, and policymakers to advance upland oak management and forest health. WOI is under the fiscal sponsorship of the Alabama Forest Foundation.

Position Overview

This is a project-based, unpaid, virtual volunteer internship designed primarily for educational and professional development. Interns help WOI connect diverse stakeholders and amplify stories of on-the-ground conservation work while building a publishable portfolio, receiving mentorship, and expanding their professional network across state and national conservation organizations. Projects are selected and scoped to prioritize learning outcomes and skill development rather than operational coverage. WOI is able to support academic credit requirements, including learning agreements, documentation of hours, and evaluations.

Non-employment status: This is not an employment relationship. There is no compensation and no entitlement to a paid job at the conclusion of the internship. The internship is limited to the period in which it provides beneficial learning. Work complements, and does not displace, the work of paid staff and is performed under supervision and mentorship.

Key Responsibilities

Interns focus on a limited number of project areas to ensure meaningful learning and skill development.

• Content Creation & Storytelling – Draft case studies, fact sheets, and short features highlighting conservation efforts in the Cumberland Plateau, Appalachian, and Ozark regions.
• Email & Newsletter Development – Help develop segmented email updates for WOI’s network (1,700+ contacts across 260+ organizations), including testing and basic metrics summaries.
• Social Media & Digital Outreach – Draft posts, repurpose content, and support audience-specific messaging for landowners, loggers, foresters, and conservation professionals.

Training, Supervision & Learning

Supervisor/Mentor: Jamie Lewis Hedges, Conservation Partnerships Director, provides onboarding, weekly 30–45 minute check-ins, written feedback on drafts, and coaching on professional communications practices.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the internship, participants will be able to:

• Plan and manage strategic content by developing editorial calendars and coordinating messaging across email, web, and social platforms for distinct conservation audiences.
• Create clear, audience-focused communications—including fact sheets, web copy, newsletters, and narrative content—that translate complex forestry science and silviculture practices into accessible language.
• Design and execute segmented email campaigns using email marketing platforms, applying audience analysis and tracking performance metrics (open, click-through, engagement rates) to refine messaging.
• Produce and schedule social media content that advances conservation outreach goals, strengthens engagement, and supports campaigns and events.
• Interpret basic digital analytics (email, social, and web) to evaluate performance and make data-informed recommendations for improvement.
• Collaborate with technical and partnership staff to gather, verify, and synthesize accurate information for public-facing communications.
• Use professional digital and project management tools to organize projects, meet deadlines, and operate effectively in a national nonprofit environment.

Tools & Platforms

Interns receive access and training on relevant tools, which may include:

• Collaboration & Communication: Microsoft Teams, Microsoft Outlook, shared drives (OneDrive)
• Email & Constituent Management: Little Green Light • Content & Design: Canva, Squarespace
• Social Media: LinkedIn, Vimeo
• Project & Editorial Management: Motion, shared editorial calendars

Ideal Candidate

Strong writer with attention to detail and demonstrated interest or experience in social sciences, communications, or digital communications through coursework, projects, or internships. Able to translate technical forestry concepts for diverse audiences. Interest in forest conservation or natural resourceissues is a plus. Familiarity with basic digital communications tools (e.g., Mailchimp/Constant Contact, Canva, Google Docs) is helpful but not required.

What You’ll Gain

• Portfolio of real-world conservation communications published on WOI channels and shared across regional networks (with bylines where appropriate)
• Professional reference and letter of support from WOI leadership
• Mentorship and practical experience with nonprofit communications strategy and tools
• Networking and exposure to state forestry agencies, conservation NGOs, and university researchers; invitations to virtual convenings
• Understanding of white oak conservation and multi-stakeholder collaboration

Position Details

• Duration: Flexible; 10–12 weeks recommended for meaningful learning
• Time Commitment: Approximately 10–20 hours per week, scheduled flexibly around academic calendars and learning goals
• Location: Virtual (U.S. time zones)
• Start: Rolling

Ownership, Portfolio Use & Confidentiality

All materials created as part of the internship are owned by WOI. Interns are encouraged to include final, publicly released work in their personal portfolios with attribution. Interns agree to maintain confidentiality of non-public information (e.g., contact lists, drafts, internal strategy documents) and to follow basic data-protection practices.

Equal Opportunity & Accessibility

WOI welcomes applicants of all backgrounds and provides reasonable accommodations upon request. We do not discriminate based on any protected characteristic under applicable law.