Are you looking for an opportunity to break into politics? Want to establish lasting connections and gain campaign experience? Would you like to work on behalf of a current or future Member of Congress?
The DCCC Internship Program is designed to give people substantial exposure to practical, campaign-style politics on a national level.
This is a great opportunity to help Democrats win back the majority and learn the in and out’s of a Congressional Campaign.
Who are we looking for?
- Proven leaders in their communities who are committed to taking back the House
- Smart, energetic, and fun people who are interested in gaining experience and involvement in politics
What are the benefits of the DCCC Internship Program?
- An unprecedented opportunity to work day to day with top political operatives in the country who are passionate about winning back the House
- Receive first-hand experience with how professional campaigns are run and how they function
- The opportunity to network with leaders in the field
The DCCC Internship Program will be offered on three different schedules:
- Spring Session: January – Mid May
- Summer Session: Late May-Mid August
- Fall Session: Late August- December
Application Deadline: Fall 2014 applications are open — decisions will be made on a rolling basis. Only those selected for interviews will be contacted, no phone calls please.
Internships are available in the following departments (descriptions below):
- Accounting and Compliance
- Candidate Services
- Communications
- Direct Marketing
- Digital
- Executive
- Finance
- Member Services
- Member/Customer Services
- Operations
- Policy
- Political
- Research
- Targeting
Department Descriptions
Accounting and Compliance:
The Accounting/Compliance department is responsible for overseeing all accounting , compliance, and Federal Election Commission (FEC) Reporting functions within the committee. An intern can expect to gain a basic knowledge of federal election law and political accounting practices.
Duties: The primary duties of the Accounting/Compliance intern are to assist with the overall daily function of the department. Examples of daily tasks include filing disbursements and receipts, assisting with expense account tracking, assisting with sales/use tax reporting, coordinating with team to manage miscellaneous projects, and assisting with Federal Election Compliance reporting. Please note, this is not a “strategy” field and all work will be administrative in nature. In addition all interns are required to cover the receptionist’s desk; answering calls, greeting guests, coordinating main conference room schedule and overseeing all mail and deliveries.
Candidate Services:
The DCCC Candidate Services Department works on building strong financing operations on our targeted Democratic races. Through a variety of services and resources, the Department provides the technical, logistical, and problem-solving support necessary for candidates and staff to run strong finance operations. The Candidate Services Department provides fundraising guidance and support to campaigns.
Duties: Interns will be involved in the day to day operations of the Candidate Services department. They will help track congressional races across the country; maintain our database and candidate files, creating call sheets while gaining exposure to all aspects of supporting successful campaigns. In addition all interns are required to cover the receptionist’s desk; answering calls, greeting guests, coordinating main conference room schedule and overseeing all mail and deliveries.
Communications:
The DCCC’s communications department engages in a variety of message activities to help elect a Democratic majority and to further the Democratic Caucus’ political objectives through earned media. The primary goal of the communications department is communicating a strong and effective Democratic message in the national and local press in the House’s key battleground states. In addition, the communications department offers a variety of services to Democratic Members. Our staff is dedicated to meeting a broad array of Members’ communication needs.
Duties: The Communications Intern would assist the Press Assistant in maintaining district specific lists of media outlets, sending out press releases, and monitoring media coverage using an online media monitoring service. The Intern would also provide daily Administrative support for the Communications Director and the department as a whole. In addition all interns are required to cover the receptionist’s desk; answering calls, greeting guests, coordinating main conference room schedule and overseeing all mail and deliveries.
Digital:
The Digital team is responsible for the DCCC’s online fundraising, email program, website, digital content and social media. In the 2012 cycle, the Digital team was responsible for bringing in over 1.6 million donations online.
Interns will assist in writing and loading emails, developing and posting social media content, uptating the DCCC website and assisting with donor needs. In addition all interns are required to cover the receptionist’s desk; answering calls, greeting guests, coordinating main conference room schedule and overseeing all mail and deliveries.
Direct Marketing:
The Direct Marketing department helps the DCCC engage with supporters and expand the committee’s financial resources, impact, and effectiveness. In the 2006 – 2012 cycles, the DCCC’s marketing program experienced massive growth and expanded membership. The department will continue its focus on renewed and strengthened membership with innovative initiatives for new donor acquisition and resolicitation, and expanding and cultivating our grassroots donor base. More than 75% of DCCC revenue comes from individuals, and 90 cents on the dollar invested goes toward electing Democrats.
Interns would assist the team with membership inquiries, and the approval of direct mail letter copy and artwork. In addition, they would also have the opportunity to assist in the creative and strategic development of future DCCC direct mail communications. Our interns play a vital role in the brainstorming, design, development and implementation of a host of different projects and will also provide administrative support. In addition all interns are required to cover the receptionist’s desk; answering calls, greeting guests, coordinating main conference room schedule and overseeing all mail and deliveries.
Field:
The DCCC National Field Department is committed to the execution of top notch, on the ground operations strategy to aid in the election of Democratic candidates to the U.S. House of Representatives. Duties include: involvement in the day to day operations of the field department, directly working with the Field Operations Manager in the placement and outreach for our internship program, providing outreach to universities, colleges and organizations on behalf of the DCCC, compiling field reports, and assisting with Field trainings
Interns will gain exposure to all aspects of what it takes to have a strong field program on national campaigns. This position will be administrative in nature, but will offer plenty of opportunities for the intern to learn new skills. Interns must be willing to commit to work at least 15 hours a week. In addition all interns are required to cover the receptionist’s desk; answering calls, greeting guests, coordinating main conference room schedule and overseeing all mail and deliveries.
Finance:
The Finance Department raises the funds that are essential to maintaining and expanding the Democratic Caucus in the House. The resources raised by the this department help Democratic incumbents and challengers win competitive House seats.
The Finance Department has several different programs that utilize the strength and diversity of the Democratic Caucus and the Party through regional fundraising divisions. This department also plans and executes high-dollar fundraising events throughout the country.
Duties: Examples of daily tasks include keeping track of preparing mailings, donor research and updating contact information for various groups. Interns may also be asked to help with long-term projects that may include writing memos to the Democratic Caucus, completing research projects, and helping fulfill candidate staffing needs. Interns will also attend and staff local fundraising events. In addition all interns are required to cover the receptionist’s desk; answering calls, greeting guests, coordinating main conference room schedule and overseeing all mail and deliveries.
Member Services:
The DCCC Member Services Department provides support for all Members’ campaign programs. The DCCC has space conveniently located near Capitol Hill for campaign activity and provides a number of services to Members.
Duties: This internship offers a unique access to Members of the US House of Representatives and possible networking opportunities. Some of the duties the intern would assist with are management of call spaces for telephone campaign efforts, preparation of tracking reports, fundraising list development and distribution, database management, notification to the public of Member and candidate events, development and distribution of master calendar of fundraising activities, and phone banking and mass mailings support. In addition all interns are required to cover the receptionist’s desk; answering calls, greeting guests, coordinating main conference room schedule and overseeing all mail and deliveries.
Member/Customer Services:
The Member/Customer service Interns serve as the primary contact between DCCC staff and visitors, which includes Members of Congress, VIPs, and other guests. In addition, the Member/Customer Service Interns will be asked to assist different departments with a variety of projects and will gain exposure to all departments at the DCCC.
Responsibilities include, but are not limited to: answering phones and transferring calls; greeting Members of Congress and guests; coordinating the schedule of the main conference room; overseeing all mail and deliveries; maintaining general voicemail and comment line; interning a portion of each day in a department of your choosing; assisting departments with daily projects and day to day operations; other administrative duties as needed.
Policy:
The DCCC Policy Department is committed to providing policy advice to Democratic House candidates and challengers and creating political opportunities in a variety of settings. The Department provides policy recommendations to Leadership and ensures messages reflect the DCCC’s overall goals. Duties: Interns will be involved in the day-to-day operations of the Policy Department. They will track the legislative process, help draft policy papers for campaigns, assist with organizing conference calls to campaigns, and help support the activities of the Department in other ways as needed. In addition all interns are required to cover the receptionist’s desk; answering calls, greeting guests, coordinating main conference room schedule and overseeing all mail and deliveries.
Political:
The DCCC Political Department is committed to recruiting, training, and electing Democratic candidates to the U.S. House of Representatives. Through a variety of services and resources, the Department provides the technical, logistical, and problem-solving support necessary for candidates and staff to run strong, competitive, winning campaigns. The Political Department provides guidance to campaigns on fundraising, message, budgeting, and voter contact, as well as a wide range of other areas. Additionally, the Political Department is tasked with tracking the political climate on a national and district-by-district basis, and working to help campaigns gain visibility, both in-district and in Washington, D.C.
Duties: Interns will be involved in the day to day operations of the political department. They will help track congressional races across the country; maintain our database and candidate files while gaining exposure to all aspects of supporting successful campaigns. In addition all interns are required to cover the receptionist’s desk; answering calls, greeting guests, coordinating main conference room schedule and overseeing all mail and deliveries.
Research:
The DCCC research department provides both committee staff and congressional candidates with a variety of information ranging from issue briefs to public record research. The department specializes in framing the strategic message based on local concerns within the larger context of our national debate. We look forward to working with candidates on paid and earned media content, legislative updates, debate preparation, vote reports and building a case to take to voters based on well-documented facts.
Duties: Research at the DCCC is an ongoing, rigorous process that requires hard work and attention to detail, but most of all enthusiasm for politics and public policy. Interns can expect to help the Research Department compile databases, opposition research, and help track events, news, issues and policy on the Hill, in think tanks in Washington, or locally in Congressional districts and states, and other tasks as needed. In addition all interns are required to cover the receptionist’s desk; answering calls, greeting guests, coordinating main conference room schedule and overseeing all mail and deliveries.
Operations:
The Operations Department is responsible for the critical day-to-day business operations of the committee. This team makes sure that the committee staff has the resources and systems in place to enable staff to effectively execute their duties. Interns can expect to sift through, sort and break down historical records maintained by the DCCC for use in current and future campaigns including video, audio and paper records. In addition all interns are required to cover the receptionist’s desk; answering calls, greeting guests, coordinating main conference room schedule and overseeing all mail and deliveries.
Targeting:
The DCCC Targeting Team is seeking an intern to will assist with creating, revising, and implementing targeted voter contact plans. Duties will include data entry, data analysis, research, daily task tracking, using voter file data, and assisting with other projects.
Qualified applicants will have strong communications and problem solving skills. Applicants must be familiar with basic data management software (Excel, Access, etc.) and have a basic knowledge of statistics. Knowledge of advanced database software or geographic information systems is helpful, but not required. Coursework in statistics, political data, database management, demographic data, or geographic information systems is also helpful but not required. In addition all interns are required to cover the receptionist’s desk; answering calls, greeting guests, coordinating main conference room schedule and overseeing all mail and deliveries.
Equal Opportunity/Diversity Policy
The DCCC prohibits discrimination of employment, promotion, compensation, terms, conditions, or privileges of employment on the basis of gender, disability, race, age, national origin, color, creed, sexual orientation, sex (including marital and parental status), gender identity and expression, religion, economic status, ethnic identity, veteran’s status, or any other basis prohibited by applicable law. This policy covers all programs, services, policies, and procedures of the DCCC, including opportunity for employment and treatment as a DCCC employee. The DCCC is an equal opportunity employer and will comply with all applicable laws prohibiting discrimination in employment.
DCCC’s equal opportunity policy covers all programs, services, policies, and procedures of the DCCC, including opportunity for employment and treatment as a DCCC employee, as well as opportunities for Consultants to contract with the DCCC.
The DCCC is committed to building a staff that reflects the diverse communities that makeup our country and the Democratic Party. Working towards the goal of a diverse DCCC, our policy extends to both Staff and Consultants.