Foundation for Sustainable Development

Willy Franzen — Sun, 01 May 2011 16:22:01 +0000

I’m constantly amazed by the quantity and breadth of non-profit organizations that are working to solve society’s many problems. While we often take a look at the larger organizations because they have more job and internship opportunities, you shouldn’t overlook the smaller non-profits that are deeply embedded in their communities and focused on solving a small set of problems in a specific area. These organizations are especially well equipped to make things happen, even if they can only do it on a small scale; however, they can also be limited by their size and local focus. Foundation for Sustainable Development is a San Francisco, CA based non-profit that “works to enhance the capacity of small non-governmental organizations around the world to address local health, social, environmental, and economic issues.” In other words, they help these smaller organizations by giving them access to some of the resources of larger organizations.

A Sustainable Foundation for Your Career

Foundation for Sustainable Development was founded in 1995, and they focus on four specific areas: Capacity Building, Grantmaking, International Development Training Programs, and Giving Circles. You can learn more about each of these by check out Foundation for Sustainable Development’s What We Do page. Foundation for Sustainable Development has built a really interesting model, and it sounds like their approach is not only focused on developing pragmatic solutions to everyday problems but also on ensuring that these solutions address the “qualitative interior needs of individuals and communities.” Put simply, they realize that understanding cultural issues is absolutely essential to accomplishing the typical goals of an international development organization. If you’re excited about what Foundation for Sustainable Development is doing, then you should check out their Jobs and Fellowships. Right now they’re looking for Local Program Coordinators in Salta, Argentina and Cochabamba, Bolivia, and they’re looking for a Fellow in Salta, Argentina. The job descriptions get really in depth, so be sure to read them carefully before you apply.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What have you heard about Foundation for Sustainable Development?

Rainforest Alliance

Willy Franzen — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 13:14:05 +0000

Surprise, surprise. We’ve selected yet another one of the Wall Street Journal’s Best Small Workplaces to be featured on One Day, One Job. That’s three in a row for those of you who are counting. We can’t express enough how helpful lists like these can be to your job search. Almost as helpful as Rainforest Alliance is to saving the rainforest. They’re a non-profit organization that “works to conserve biodiversity and ensure sustainable livelihoods by transforming land-use practices, business practices and consumer behavior.” How do they do this? By working directly with farmers, workers, business leaders, NGO’s, governments, scientists and local communities to change the way that they do agriculture to make land use more socially and environmentally responsible while maintaining its economic viability.

You Know That You Always Wanted to Save the Rainforest

Were you one of those kids who had a “Save the Rainforest” sticker on you Trapper Keeper? Have you always loved tree frogs and jaguars? Have you always wanted to take a job that will make the world a better place? You know what we’re going to tell you if you answered yes to any of those question, but here’s what you may not have considered. There are a lot of environmental organizations that take an anti-business approach to conservation. There are also a lot of non-profits that won’t help you build the business skills that you’ll need if you want to transition into a for-profit career. Rainforest Alliance works directly with businesses to certify their practices in Agriculture, Forestry, and Tourism and to help them take a greener approach. This business mindedness isn’t just relevant to how Rainforest Alliance pursues their mission of sustainability, it’s also part of how they develop their people – they have a strong focus on career development according to the WSJ article.

So you had one of those stickers on your Trapper Keeper, huh? Well if you’re interested in Jobs with Rainforest Alliance, you’re in luck, because there are a lot of them. Most of their jobs require 3-5 years of experience, but we’ve picked out the ones that seem doable for new college grads. In New York City they’re looking for a Finance Assistant, an Associate, Office of the President, and a Web Associate, and a Marketing Coordinator (US and Canada), Sustainable Tourism Division (This last one requires 3-5 years of experience, but it sounds so cool that we had to include. Consider it something to look forward to.) In Bolivia, they’re looking for a Certification Administrative Assistant, SmartWood Program, Sustainable Forestry Division and a Forestry Technical Assistant, Initiative for Conservation in the Andean Amazon (ICAA) Project. In Costa Rica Rainforest Alliance is hiring a Technical Assistant, Sustainable Tourism Division, a Program Assistant, Sustainable Tourism Division, and an Evaluation and Research Associate. Finally, in Guatemala they need a Project Associate, Environmental Services Payment Project, TREES Program and in Nicaragua they’re looking for a Technical Associate, Sustainable Agriculture Division. Each job description goes into depth about what you will be doing in the job, and Rainforest Alliance’s Careers site is simple to navigate if you want to browse through all of their listings. To apply for any of the jobs, you can use the online application form found at the bottom of each job description or you can e-mail your cover letter and resume to personnel@ra.org.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Just think, by reading today’s post and sharing it with your rainforest loving friends you can help save the rainforest and win an iPod Touch.

One Day, One Job » Bolivia

Foundation for Sustainable Development

A Sustainable Foundation for Your Career

Rainforest Alliance

You Know That You Always Wanted to Save the Rainforest