Reform for Illinois (RFI) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan public interest group that conducts research and advocates reforms to promote public participation in government, address the role of money in politics, and encourage integrity, accountability, and transparency in government.

RFI is seeking motivated interns who are interested in gaining experience in policy crafting and research, as well as in fundraising, event planning, and communications. Interns play an integral role at RFI. Our small staff size offers interns the unique opportunity to make meaningful contributions to the organization and gain in-depth experience.

We accept applications from both undergraduate and graduate students. This internship is unpaid, but we are absolutely willing to work with the student for either course credit or stipend opportunities at their college or university.

RFI’s interns have wide-ranging responsibilities, but some examples of tasks include: 

• Tracking state political trends and key topics in political news
• Creating engaging social media content on RFI’s Twitter and Facebook accounts
• Analyzing campaign contributions and spending in key races
• Researching topics related to RFI’s policy priorities and key mission areas
• Engaging with key stakeholders to plan and execute RFI’s annual event
• Researching Illinois’ policy methods in comparison with other US states
• Assisting in donor outreach and fundraising campaigns
• Crafting policy recommendations for RFI’s key mission areas
• Analyzing RFI’s current communications methodology and areas for improvement
• Brainstorming ideas for engaging forums and town hall events
• Researching key topics in political news in response to press inquiries
• Researching prospective donor and grant opportunities
• Creating research reports on topics such as self-funding candidates, campaign finance disclosure laws, and election reform

This role requires a high level of attention to detail, excellent time-management skills, and a strong work ethic. RFI offers flexible hours and is willing to work with our interns to determine a suitable schedule. We work remotely, although there will be occasional opportunities for in-person work and collaboration.

We accept interns during the academic year and in the summer. Applications for Summer 2023 internships are now closed. We will begin accepting applications for Fall 2023/academic year (2023-2024) internships soon.