Sacred Grounds Fellow

National Wildlife Federation; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 40,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

National Wildlife Federation seeks a Sacred Grounds Fellow in Washington, DC to support the Garden for Wildlife initiative. The role focuses on teaching congregations to plant native gardens, run educational events, and engage faith communities over an 11-month term ending August 31, 2027.

The fellow coordinates events, develops outreach materials, tracks metrics, and collaborates with partners to advance equity and environmental justice in the DC metro area.

Qualifications

• Experience in conservation biology and ecology is preferred.
• Familiarity with Excel, PowerPoint, and Google Docs is necessary.

Responsibilities

• Conduct outreach to Sacred Grounds congregations for educational events and activities including monthly cohort meetings, webinars, and on-site presentations.
• Coordinate and assist with program deliverables: native plant orders, calendars, mailing lists, agendas, reminders, and contracts.
• Create educational and promotional materials: flyers, signs, PowerPoint presentations, and social media content.
• Organize photos of events and track metrics (attendance, plants distributed, gardens created).
• Conduct background research on local stormwater rebates, climate action plans, and native plant gardening.
• Support with congregation honorariums and contracts.

Skills

Conservation biology

Wildlife management

Ecology

Community organizing

Event planning

Public outreach

Tools

Excel

PowerPoint

Google Docs

Job description

Job Details

Founded in 1936, the National Wildlife Federation has grown into America's largest and most trusted grassroots conservation organization with 52 state/territorial affiliates and more than six million members and supporters, including hunters, anglers, gardeners, birders, hikers, campers, paddlers, and outdoor enthusiasts of all ages and stripes. The mission of the National Wildlife Federation is to unite all Americans to ensure wildlife thrive in our rapidly changing world. We advance this mission through programming focused on conserving wildlife, restoring habitats and waterways, expanding outdoor opportunities, connecting children with nature, advancing environmental justice, and addressing the causes and consequences of climate change.

To support our mission, we are seeking a Sacred Grounds Fellow to join our Conservation Department in Washington, D.C. Sacred Grounds is a program of the Garden for Wildlife program (www.nwf.org/sacredgrounds). Sacred Grounds works with the faith community to care for creation through gardening with native plants. Planting native plants helps people and wildlife by providing food for birds, butterflies, and native bees which in turn pollinate our own food. Additionally, they slow the flow of polluted stormwater, keeping our waterways clean and safe, especially important in an era of climate change. With Sacred Grounds we work with congregations of a variety of faiths to both help create a native plant garden on their grounds and engage/educate their members to plant native plants at home. We conduct a 12–24-month educational program that we co‑facilitate with the congregations’ green teams and our faith‑based and watershed partners. It is a positive, community building and engaging program for congregations that serves to assist them in putting their faith into practice. This work is focused in the Washington D.C. metro area (DMV), a largely urban/suburban area and the most religiously diverse region in the nation. This position is an 11 month position end on August 31, 2027.

Principle Duties (major Areas Of Responsibility)

Conduct and support outreach to Sacred Grounds congregations for all educational events and activities including:

• Monthly cohort meetings
• Webinars and in‑person presentations
• Native plant giveaways at congregations
• Native plant garden tours and field trips
• Program partner meetings

Coordinate And Assist With Sacred Grounds Program Deliverables Including

• Native plant pick‑up days for congregations (plant orders/delivery, materials, staffing, manage finances)
• Maintain calendar of events
• Maintain mailing lists
• Distribute agendas, reminders and updates to congregations and partners for events
• Assist with congregation honorariums and contracts
• Create educational and promotional materials including fact sheets, event flyers, signs, PowerPoint presentations, social media
• Organize photos of events
• Track metrics (attendance, number of plants for giveaways and gardens)
• Conduct and compile background research on:
• Local stormwater rebate and incentive programs
• Climate action plans and climate change data
• Native plant gardening

Qualifications

• Experience and interest in conservation biology, wildlife management and ecology, native plants and wildlife, habitat restoration, community organizing, organizing events, creating communications/outreach materials using graphics (flyers, social media) desirable. Familiarity with Excel, PowerPoint, and Google documents is necessary. Being comfortable working with a variety of faiths (Muslims, Jews, Christians and more) and enjoy communicating with people and organizing multiple community activities vital. Bilingual skills are a plus.

NWF Values

Your actions are expected to reflect the staff values of the National Wildlife Federation: collaboration, mindfulness, empowerment, inclusivity, and mission focus. Your competencies should include:

• Being motivated by values of equity and responsibility to those most marginalized;
• Consistently bringing a high level of empathy and social skills to work and interpersonal interactions;
• Being committed to deepening an environmental justice approach in policy priorities, program development and partner engagement;
• Actively seeks feedback, direction, and guidance from all team members and keeps staff informed of decisions that impact them;
• Being dedicated to advancing NWF’s internal equity transformation and compelling partners and allies to incorporate equity into their work; and
• Passion for and commitment to NWF's mission

Applicants are invited to learn more about National Wildlife Federation’s required equity competencies at https://www.nwf.org/About-Us/Careers.

Travel Requirements

Visit congregations in the Washington D.C. metro area.

Cognitive & Intellectual Requirements

• Ability to understand, analyze, and apply complex information, policies, and concepts
• Ability to exercise sound judgment, problem‑solve, and make decisions in situations involving ambiguity or competing priorities
• Ability to maintain focus and sustained attention and manage multiple tasks or work‑streams
• Ability to listen, interpret, and respond appropriately in discussions with colleagues, leadership, and external stakeholders
• Physical Requirements
• Ability to remain in a stationary position for extended periods of time while working at a computer or attending meetings
• Ability to operate standard office equipment, including computers, keyboards, monitors, telephones, and video conferencing tools
• Ability to communicate and exchange information in person, via telephone, and through electronic or virtual platforms
• Ability to read, review, and produce written and electronic documents, including prolonged use of computer screens
• Ability to move within an office or remote work environment to access files, meetings, or equipment as needed