Who we are
Fund for the Public Interest is a national nonprofit that tackles some of the most important problems facing our country. The Fund works to ensure we have clean air to breathe, clean water to drink, that we preserve our remaining wildlife and wild places, and eliminate the single-use plastic polluting our oceans and trashing our communities. Our mission is to build public support around solutions to those problems and more.
The Fund partners with America’s leading environmental and public interest groups. We’ve raised over $700 million, run hundreds of campaigns, operated in all 50 states and mobilized millions of people from all walks of life. We build people power through one-on-one, face-to-face conversations on America’s front doorsteps. Generating the kind of support that lasts longer than a news cycle goes deeper than an online petition and lasts for years, often decades. That's the kind of support it takes to tackle America’s toughest problems and get real results.
Who we work with
We partner with Environment America and PIRG on a wide range of campaigns, including saving old growth forests, moving our country beyond single-use plastics and working to ban the worst uses of bee-killing pesticides.
Environment America is a policy and action group with one mission: to protect the natural world. They advocate for ideas and actions to shift our country onto a greener, healthier path. Their network of 30 state environmental groups promotes clean air, clean water, clean energy, wildlife and open spaces, and a livable climate. Their members put grassroots support behind their research, public education, advocacy and litigation.
PIRG is an advocate for consumers, advancing solutions to problems that affect our health, our safety and our well-being. Being a consumer advocate means being a champion for a marketplace that is not only honest and transparent, but also wastes less because it reduces, reuses and recycles more; prevents toxic threats to our health and safety; and considers the impact of new products and technologies on the next generation, not just the next quarterly earnings report.
Each of the groups we work alongside share a vision that conversations can truly change the world. Learn more about who we work with.
Ten reasons why you would be a great fit for a career with Fund for the Public Interest
- You'll take on big problems
At the Fund, you build support for solutions to plastic pollution, threats to wildlife and wild places, toxic contamination, electronic waste and other big problems. - You'll build the deep support necessary to win and sustain positive change
Winning positive change often means sweeping past the resistance of powerful corporations and industries. Sustaining change requires ongoing, active public support that lasts longer than a news cycle and goes deeper than a petition signature. At the Fund, you build public support for our partners through face-to-face conversations, connecting people to causes they will support for years, if not decades. - You'll bring people together
The groups we work with and the issues we work on are not liberal or conservative. At the Fund, you unite people in action — one household at a time, tens of thousands of times a year, year after year — to improve the quality of our environment, our health and our lives. - You'll work for a nonprofit with a track record of success
For more than 40 years, the Fund has run hundreds of campaign offices, raised over $700 million, and recruited hundreds of thousands of members for Environment America, PIRG and other partner groups. - You'll be part of a team with nationwide impact
At the Fund, you might be in charge of a team working to protect old-growth forests in Oregon, or limit bee-killing pesticides in Massachusetts, or keep PFAS “forever chemicals” out of California’s water. Each campaign makes a difference in one state and sets the stage for more action and results in other states. Together, our staff are making an impact across the country. - You'll be in charge of a team
We train you to run a campaign office and hire and direct a team of people who are passionate about making change, excited to learn new skills and ready to join you in becoming a leader. - You'll work hard for the right reasons
Some people work hard to earn more money or social status. And that’s fine. At the Fund, you work hard because the results of your work matter. The more people we recruit to canvass, the more people who join our partner groups and take action, the more money we raise for our partners, the more positive results we win for our health, our environment and the quality of our lives. - You'll learn important skills
It just so happens that the skills required to run a successful canvass are valuable for much of what you might want to do in life, whether in your career or as an active citizen. For example, Fund staff learn to be excellent fundraisers, staff managers and organizers. - You'll help strengthen democracy
Our democracy is in trouble. Revitalizing it so we can meet today’s challenges won’t happen overnight. But there’s no better way to remind people of their responsibilities and their power as citizens than to talk to them — one person at a time, face-to-face — and give them a real opportunity to make a difference. - You'll be getting paid to change our world
For most of human history, speaking out against the way things are could lead to ridicule, jail or worse. And that’s increasingly true in much of the world — some would say, even in our own country. At the Fund, we cherish not only the freedom to stand up for what we believe in, but also the privilege of making a career out of doing so.
And some reasons you might not want to work with the Fund
As a canvass director, you’ll be in charge of your own office. You’ll work long hours, including nights and weekends. You’ll have to recruit, hire, manage and build your own team. You’ll have ambitious fundraising goals to hit and an office to manage. Doing all of that well is challenging, takes real dedication and it’s not for everyone.
Things to know when you apply
Fund for the Public Interest is part of The Public Interest Network, which operates and supports organizations committed to a shared vision of a better world and a strategic approach to social change. We work to address problems our society can’t afford to ignore — defending the quality of the Earth’s air and water, preserving a livable climate, transforming our transportation and energy systems, assuring a safe and abundant food system, and protecting consumers in the marketplace.
Throughout The Public Interest Network, we believe that a clear vision, commonsense ideas, a fact-driven case for action, and the power of bringing people together are the necessary ingredients to any successful effort to solve society’s problems. Read more about things you should know about our network when you apply.
Our team
Whether you’re a canvass director, field manager or canvasser, you’re an integral part of a group committed to building a strong campaign to win on the real challenges and problems we face.
Emily Reid
National Canvass Director
Emily directs Fund for the Public Interest’s canvass operations, running year-round campaigns to educate millions of people about environmental and consumer protection issues, build membership and mobilize citizens to influence public policy decisions. Emily has helped new organizers and canvass directors run successful campaigns on issues ranging from defending environmental protections to protecting public health. As a regional director, her offices have raised millions of dollars and signed up more than 48,000 members for partner groups. She lives in Amherst, Massachusetts, but is often traveling, rock climbing and camping elsewhere.
Paloma Paez-Coombe
Regional Director
Paloma oversees our field offices and works closely with canvass directors to run local campaigns on environmental and public interest issues. Paloma lives in Chicago, where she loves to cook, garden and explore nearby forest preserves.
Doug Casler
Vice President and Director of Outreach and Civic Engagement, The Public Interest Network
Doug directs the operations of The Public Interest Network’s work to engage citizens through in-person, telephone and mail contact. Prior to his current position, Doug spent over 10 years working with our canvasses and canvassed and ran canvasses in 26 states. He also spent 20 years running our data and membership operation. Doug grew up in Delaware and now lives in Denver, where he enjoys running, reading, eating, skiing, watching baseball and spending time with his family.
Danielle Bauer
Recruitment Director
Danielle oversees both the full-time recruitment and national summer staffing departments for Fund for the Public Interest. She has overseen eight years of summer staffing recruitment, which hired more than 27,000 summer canvass staff who fundraised over $11 million in four summer canvass seasons. Danielle lives in Denver, where she enjoys running, camping, hiking and cooking vegan food.
Rhiannon Singletary
Lists Director
Rhiannon directs the operations of The Public Interest Network’s membership database and lists department, overseeing the work to keep track of the people who support us and reporting and analysis to drive improvements in our overall work with members. Rhiannon lives in Lakewood, Colorado, with her family where she enjoys cooking, reading and hiking.