Become a Canvass Director

The Fund’s mission is to build public support to tackle some of America’s toughest problems. At a time when people spend so much of their lives facing screens, the Fund's citizen outreach team builds public support face-to-face, person-to-person, for important issues. And it works. For more than 40 years, we've won support for reducing plastic waste, saving endangered wildlife, keeping toxic pollution out of our air and water, and more. We’re hiring Canvass Directors to tackle these important issues by educating, engaging and mobilizing the people we need to win positive change.

Here are 10 reasons why working with the Fund is for you:

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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. We talk to people who drive Fords and people who drive Subarus, we talk to people with Pride flags and people with Don't Tread on Me flags. People of all political leanings and all walks of life care about a clean environment, the health of their kids and the future of our shared planet, and we work to give as many people as we can an opportunity to get involved in making positive changes in their community and our country.

Environment Minnesota staff lobby to save the bees at the Statehouse. Credit: Staff

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. 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.

7. 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.

Staff in Wisconsin rally to help support state park funding. Credit: Staff

8. 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.

9. 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.

10. 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...

Canvass directing is not for everyone. Canvass Directors are in charge — that means they recruit, hire, train and manage a whole team of canvassers. They lead by example by being the best canvassers and fundraisers in the office. They run a tight ship, setting clear goals, rigorously tracking progress and constantly looking for ways to improve performance. This isn’t a 9-to-5 kind of job — often the work goes until 10 or 11 p.m., and there’s work to do every weekend. If you’re looking for a job where you trade 40 hours of your week for the money to do the things you like after hours, then this probably isn’t for you. But if you want your work to make a difference in the world, this is a great place to be.

See the job description and apply

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 new future and a strategic approach to change.


Nothing is more important than passing on a greener, healthier and more sustainable world to the next generation. Achieving this goal is the mission of the organizations in The Public Interest Network. Read more about things you should know about our network when you apply.