Updated January, 2010

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Colorado Interfaith Power and Light (CoIPL) is looking for volunteers and/or interns to assist with the following potential roles and responsibilities. CoIPL is willing to work with individuals to develop responsibilities that match a person’s skills and interests.

A bit about us: Colorado Interfaith Power & Light (COIPL) was founded in 2005. COIPL is a faith-based response to climate change. We seek to protect the earth’s ecosystems, safeguard public health, and promote conservation and sufficient sustainable energy for all. Since all faith traditions hold care for Creation as a core spiritual value, faith communities have a responsibility to lead efforts addressing climate change and other environmental challenges.

Our positions:  Volunteers and interns can look forward to positions with significant responsibility; these roles require high levels of responsibility, planning skills, attention to detail, the ability to work independently and above all, reliability!

Contact:  If you are interested in volunteer work or an unpaid internship, please contact Betty Goebel at bgoebel@coipl.org or 303 429 5792.

Location/facility: CoIPL does not have a “stand-alone” office—our two staff people work out of their respective home offices.  Volunteers and interns can work at a location of their choosing. Most activities require a computer, email, internet access, and phone access, which the volunteer or intern would be expected to provide.

Areas where we need assistance:

Technology

Purpose: Website, social networking, general tech support for staff, board members and volunteers.
Skills: Web editing, social networking and general tech skills / experience.
Specific possibilities: develop/maintain our Facebook presence, including handling regular postings to the page; maintain website including new postings using WordPress software (does NOT require purchase of any software.)  Will train for website maintenance; prefer someone already knowledgeable for the Facebook work.  Also:  someone with basic skills at editing video (mp4, mpeg) files for upload to YouTube.

Fund Development, Outreach and Stakeholder Engagement

Purpose: Donor asks, grant research, grant writing, event promotion, networking and socializing.
Skills: Social skills, community/wealth connections, grant research experience, writing skills and charisma.
Specific possibilities:  help with mailings, event coordination, phone call follow up, preparing thank you letters to donors.

Education

Purpose: Education congregations on the effects of climate change and how to reduce emissions.
Skills: Science background, understanding of climate change, teaching experience.
Specific possibilities: 1)  Deliver talks on energy efficiency, especially in our “Senior Savers” program, the purpose of which is to help seniors reduce their energy costs.  Talks may be pre-prepared (as with the Senior Savers) or ones in which the volunteer can participate in the creative development phase.  2)  manage CoIPL’s video lending library; volunteer can store videos at home, coordinate scheduling requests, mail videos to requestors.

Volunteer management

Purpose:  Allow CoIPL to expand its reach through use of volunteers.
Skills:  Interpersonal skills, organizational and planning ability, communication skills.
Specific possibilities: Assist with recruiting and management of volunteers.

Events and Logistics

Purpose: Conference planning and event logistics.
Skills: Spreadsheets, communications, planning, experience with events.
Specific possibilities: assist with conference planning and or fund raising event planning.

Advocacy

Purpose: Call-ins, lobbying and promotion of advocacy (education on legislative issues). Writing and submitting op-eds, letters to editors.
Skills: Communication skills, advocacy experience and knowledge of government.
Specific possibilities: coordinate and attend visits to elected representatives to discuss climate change legislation.  Write letters to the editor on climate-related subjects.

Volunteers and Interns

	Joy Jamison is a volunteer and board member. She has coordinated CoIPL’s Energy Savers Workshop series of 100 workshops,  manages our video lending library, and pitches in with a variety of other things.
	Tina Yates was an intern the summer of 2011 after finishing her sophomore year at Luther College. She worked 30 hours/week for CoIPL and was able to receive college credit for her internship. Her tasks ranged from finding climate change education materials, maintaining the website and social media sites to recruiting for Energy Savers workshops and presenting material at Energy Savers workshops.