This morning I read an article called Lawmakers Gone Wild in Chicago magazine. It’s about how many Illinois politicians are using their campaign funds as a tax free slush fund for personal expenses. The abuses are rampant, but only the most egregious offenders are prosecuted (and it’s often by the federal government). Much of the research for the article came from the Better Government Association, a Chicago, IL based non-profit that “works for integrity, transparency, and accountability in government by exposing corruption and inefficiency; identifying and advocating effective public policy; and engaging and mobilizing the electorate to achieve authentic and responsible reform.” Considering that the BGA has been around since 1923, you really have to wonder how bad things would be if they never existed.

A Better Future

Here’s a quick intro from the CEO of the BGA (if it doesn’t display in your e-mail, click here):

The Better Government Association divides its work into five areas: The Investigative Unit, The Policy Advocacy Unit, The Citizen Watchdog Training Unit, The Citizen Education and Communication Unit, and the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Awards for Investigative Reporting. The latter is important to note because the BGA has very close ties to Illinois’ journalistic outlets. If you really want to dive into the work that the BGA does, I recommend that you look through their latest investigations and their three blogs. If “shining a light on the government” is something that you want to be part of, then take a look at the Better Government Association’s Jobs page. The one position that is posted right now is Digital Web Strategist. I usually wouldn’t post it because they want four years of experience, but it’s the kind of experience that you might get at a college newspaper or by blogging through college. If you don’t have the experience, there are also some unpaid internships available that could get your foot in the door.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

• BetterGov.org
• Jobs at the Better Government Association
• About the Better Government Association
• Staff at the Better Government Association
• The Better Government Association’s History
• Better Government Association News

What have you heard about the Better Government Association?

We've identified Better Government Association as having career opportunities in the following categories:

• advocacy
• all employers
• blogging
• community management
• editing
• editorial
• Illinois
• journalism
• non-profit
• public policy
• social media
• web development
• writing

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