Cleveland Owns is recruiting a Summer Intern motivated to challenge racial capitalism by building cooperatively owned enterprises.
To apply, submit a resume and cover letter by Friday, April 29th, 2022 to info@clevelandowns.coop.
Position title: Summer Intern in Cooperative Development
Start date: Summer 2022 (May or June)
Duration: 10-12 weeks
Pay: Volunteer, with a stipend of $500
Contact email address: info@clevelandowns.coop
Role Description
In this full-time role, you’ll support various multi-class, multi-racial cooperatives in the Cleveland Owns portfolio. Each is in a different phase of development, and working towards meeting the needs of its members through a voluntary association.
This role is two parts business development, and one part community organizing. On the business development side, you’ll work with co-ops such as Cleveland Solar Cooperative (CSC). Your work may include, for example, setting clear deadlines for finalizing legal documents such as the PPA, launching a request for proposal for a solar installer, and coordinating the construction teams we hire to install the array.
Your community organizing work with CSC may be to educate and motivate new groups of residents, called project groups, who want to join the cooperative. You’ll help recruit new members, and guide the nascent project groups as they prepare their first project. This work will be centered on building trusting relationships with people of various races, class backgrounds, and levels of knowledge around solar.
You will also support Cleveland Owns’ internal organizational development as needs arise. These may include staffing board meetings, preparing internal strategy documents, and writing public-facing content for social email or emails. 1
Qualifications and Skills
The best candidates for this job are committed to a cooperative movement that aims to transform racial capitalism. They have demonstrated resilience through adversity. They’re excited to jump into the details of operating a solar startup community enterprise. And they’re open to learning new things about coops and themselves.
Cleveland Owns will support you in this role as you deepen your skills related to business development and community organizing. Experience in both, or at least demonstrated interest in both, though, is a helpful starting place. We pride ourselves on building a powerful culture to nurture professional and personal development. Any combination of formal education, paid work experience, unpaid/volunteer experience, and life experience will be considered to meet the following qualifications and skills:
Preferred qualifications and skills:
About Cleveland Owns
Founded in 2019, Cleveland Owns is a nonprofit cooperative business incubator working to build community wealth and power through collective ownership. We are incubating two solar cooperatives, a broadband internet co-op, a food co-op, and a purchasing cooperative of faith institutions. We have two full-time workers and nine members of a majority-Black board, and we work with over 60 volunteers across Northeast Ohio.
We’re motivated to do this work because we know that in racial capitalism, ownership confers control and the power to profit. We must build alternative institutions to democratize ownership even as we act to dismantle a system based on white supremacy and worker exploitation that concentrates wealth and power in the hands of the few. We envision a Cleveland where groups of neighbors and groups of workers are equipped to self-organize to take back economic power and pursue justice on their own terms.
What past team members have to say about working with Cleveland Owns
"Interning at Cleveland Owns was an experience that truly helped me grow. The team is dynamic and driven on all the projects we touched upon. I had access to mentorship, learning through experience and I was invited to take initiative. I learned a great deal in communications, community organization, and burning topic issues.
"When working with Cleveland Owns I was exposed to the real consequences of what our lawmakers haven't taken into account and I learned about the intricacies of environmental and social justice. The most important part was seeing how grassroots organizations and community initiatives can solve these issues. I had the best experience while working on empowering communities. Cleveland Owns showed me what real change looks like. "
- Mariana, Cleveland Owns Intern, Summer 2021
"Cleveland Owns is a fantastic company to work for. I have grown both personally and professionally with Cleveland Owns. This experience helped fulfill my professional goals of developing my knowledge of accounting systems, managerial communications, and research."
"In addition, Cleveland Owns has also assisted in my personal development. I learned about the strength of personal testimonies, how to become more emotionally empathetic with others, and the importance of anti-racism. I have more confidence in myself and my background. I never thought that I would be able to develop emotional empathy and self-confidence through a virtual work experience, but working with Cleveland Owns definitely has that effect."
- Matthew L., Cleveland Owns intern, summer 2020
“During the summer of 2019 I had the amazing opportunity to intern with Cleveland Owns. High expectations, as well as the culture of learning and growth, allowed me to flourish. Working with Cleveland Owns gave me the opportunity to see that change can come from those who inhabit that community if there is dedication and strategic partnerships. I would recommend any friend or associate that wants to make a tangible social change to consider working with Cleveland Owns.”
- James G., Cleveland Owns intern, summer 2019
"Working for Cleveland Owns gave me the tools that I needed to harness my passions, and gave me the power to coalesce with community members to effect change in Cleveland. Cleveland Owns weaponizes grassroots organizing while creating formidable changemakers who want to see an equitable and justified future."
- Ashley R., Cleveland Owns organizer, winter 2020
Note: Some of the wording on this job description has been adapted from job postings by the New Economy Coalition and the Center for Economic Democracy, two groups that inspire us daily!