Position Title: Capacity Building Summer Associate – VISTA Summer Associate

Conservation Legacy Program: Stewards Individual Placement

Site Location:

Great Basin National Park Foundation Nonprofit Support

100 Great Basin National Park, Baker, NV 89311

Terms of Service:

• Start Date: 6/15/2026
• End Date: 8/23/2026
• AmeriCorps Slot Classification: 300 hours (Minimum-Time)

Purpose:

• This project will benefit local residents who rely on tourism to survive, students in local schools, underserved youth from urban areas, Native American communities, and Park visitors. Great Basin National Park is the main economic driver of this area, so investing in the capacity of the Foundation to support the Park, Park visitors, the Park visitor experience, and education programs that connect youth to the Park, enhances the economic vitality of this very rural part of Nevada and Utah.
• This project will build long-term organizational capacity by strengthening core systems that sustain the Great Basin National Park Foundation’s mission. Through grant research and proposal development, the VISTA member will expand the Foundation’s funding pipeline and will improve stewardship and donor retention beyond the project term. The project will also modernize internal record-keeping by organizing files and transitioning key documents into structured, cloud-based systems. This will increase efficiency, reduce staff time spent searching for materials, and preserve institutional knowledge. In addition, enhanced digital communications and event engagement strategies will expand audience reach and community visibility, supporting future fundraising and program growth.
• The Summer Associate will focus on strengthening the organizational capacity of the Great Basin National Park Foundation through grant writing, donor communications, and nonprofit operational support, while also assisting with education, outreach, and local events.
  
  

Description of Duties:

The Summer Associate will focus on capacity-building activities that produce internal planning resources, documentation tools, and community engagement materials. Duties may include compiling labor market research summaries, developing workforce resource inventories, creating community asset maps, organizing environmental data sets, drafting partnership coordination frameworks, designing planning templates and resource guides, and assisting with public-facing informational workshops, outreach campaigns, or site observations. Activities are designed to strengthen host organizations’ capacity, guide long-term workforce and environmental program development, provide tangible connections between planning tools and community needs, and support measurable outcomes in workforce access, environmental stewardship, and community engagement.

The AmeriCorps VISTA member will focus on nonprofit development and operations with the Great Basin National Park Foundation, supporting grant writing, donor communications, and general organizational needs that advance conservation and education initiatives at Great Basin National Park. Responsibilities include researching funding opportunities, drafting grant proposals and reports, managing donor outreach, assisting with events, and contributing to education and community outreach programs. The member will gain hands-on experience in nonprofit management, professional writing, and mission-driven communications while also supporting local events and youth programming. Housing is provided in Baker, Nevada, a small, remote community offering a close-knit team environment and immersive access to public lands and conservation work.

Qualifications:

• Car recommended
• Desired education level: Some College
• Language requirement: English
• United States citizen, United States national, or a lawful permanent resident alien
• At least 17 years of age
• Has received a high school diploma or equivalency certificate; or has not dropped out of elementary or secondary school to enroll as an AmeriCorps participant, and agrees to obtain a high school diploma or its equivalent prior to using the education award
• Agrees to provide information to establish eligibility and to complete a National Service Criminal History Check.

Physical Requirements:

Conservation Legacy is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals and will ensure that persons with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations to perform essential functions. Some positions may require periodic overnight travel, non-traditional hours, ability to move across varied terrain, use program-specific tools and a range of technology on an infrequent or frequent basis. Exerting up to 25 pounds of force occasionally to lift, carry, push, pull, or otherwise move objects. Ability to safely drive an organizational vehicle may also be required for some positions. If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during application or recruiting process, please send a request to the hiring manager.

Time Requirements:

• Typically, this position is expected to serve full-time, 35-40 hours per week, but exact service schedules may vary. A half hour lunch break will not be counted towards AmeriCorps service

Orientation and Training:

• Member will receive an orientation that includes training on AmeriCorps prohibited and unallowable activities.
• Member will receive a Virtual Member Orientation (VMO) from VISTA on their first day of service.

Benefits:

• Housing is provided in Baker, NV
• Segal AmeriCorps Education Award of $1,565.08
• Living Allowance of $957.46 (taxable) every other week.
• Housing is provided in Baker, Nevada
• Healthcare Coverage if Eligible
• Childcare Coverage if Eligible
• Loan forbearance if Eligible
• Interest Payments if Eligible
• Recreational Opportunities
• Professional Development Opportunities

Evaluation and Reporting:

As an AmeriCorps VISTA Summer Associate, performance will be evaluated on whether the Summer Associate has completed the required number of hours, whether the Summer Associate has satisfactorily completed assignments, and if the Summer Associate has met other performance criteria that were clearly communicated at the beginning of the term of service.

Reporting requirements include, but are not limited to, bi-weekly timesheets and accomplishment tracking.

Supervisor Name and Contact Information:

Erin Adams

eadams@conservationlegacy.org

330 Harper Park Drive

Beckley, WV 25801

(304) 860-0578

Host Organization Contact:

Aviva O'Neil
executivedirector@greatbasinfoundation.org

775-983-6171

Conservation Legacy is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy, age, national origin, disability status, genetic information, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements. If you need assistance and/or reasonable accommodations due to a disability during the application or recruiting process, please send a request to the hiring manager.