Digital Marketing Internship - Summer 2026

Description

Rails to Trails Conservancy (RTC) is the nation’s largest trails organization—with a grassroots community of more than 1 million strong—dedicated to building a nation connected by trails, reimagining public spaces to create safe ways for everyone to walk, bike and be active outdoors. Founded in 1986, Rails to Trails Conservancy's national office is located in Washington, D.C., with regional offices in California, Florida, Ohio, Baltimore, and Milwaukee. For more information, visit www.railstotrails.org. Connect with RTC @railstotrails on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok and X (formerly known as Twitter).

Job Summary

RTC’s Communications Department tells the story of the nation’s trails, walking and bicycling movement—inspiring activism, encouraging policy change and motivating people to be active outside on America’s trails. Through social media (@railstotrails), online engagement (railstotrails.org), our quarterly magazine, news media and events, we engage with RTC’s diverse audiences—including trail enthusiasts and those discovering the joy of trails for the first time, lawmakers, trail builders and partners nationwide.

This 12-week internship program begins in June 2026. Interns will have the flexibility to work 20-35 hours per week on a regular, consistent schedule.

Job Location

This position is located in our Washington, D.C., National Headquarters office. In-person presence is standard on Tuesdays and Thursdays, with remote work scheduled on the remaining days.

Job Duties

RTC is seeking a digital marketing intern to support social media campaign development and content marketing strategies to enhance search engine (SEO) and generative engine optimizations (GEO). Core activities will align with RTC’s campaigns for the organization’s 40th anniversary and the celebration of America 250, the nation’s semiquincentennial. The intern reports to RTC’s communications director.

Specific responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Develop content to support social media strategies for RTC’s 40th anniversary, including short videos, graphics and messaging for use across platforms.
• Assist in developing social media templates that support organizational goals surrounding engagement, thought leadership and brand visibility.
• Support social campaign to generate merchandise sales associated with America 250.
• Support implementation of tactics to enhance SEO and GEO scores across content on www.railstotrails.org, using organizational tools like Yoast.
• Develop content-type pages and summary content to enhance www.railstotrails.org GEO performance, including for RTC’s “Trail of the Month” articles.
• Produce analytics reports to assess outcomes with a focus on SEO and GEO improvements.
• Collecting and cataloging photos from RTC’s existing photo and video files and evaluating, tagging, and uploading photos to the organization’s archive for use to support organizational priorities, including digital marketing activities.

Supervisory Responsibilities

There are no supervisory tasks assigned to this role.

Requirements

Desired Background and Personal Attributes

RTC is seeking an undergraduate, graduate or a professional early in their career journey in a related field (communications, journalism, public relations or marketing preferred). Candidates should be task-oriented and highly organized and possess a strong interest in the topics of health, the environment, sustainable transportation, outdoor recreation, pedestrian issues, bicycling or trails.

Applicants whose permanent residence is in one of the states where we operate will be considered for this internship program. This criterion aligns with our strategic goals and operational requirements. We are looking forward to discovering motivated and talented individuals from CA, CO, DC, FL, MD, ME, MI, MT, NJ, OH, OR, PA, VA, or WI.

Work Environment

Normal office setting with low to moderate noise level.

Employer’s Right: RTC reserves the right to revise, change or reclassify this job description at any time in accordance with RTC’s business needs. This job description is not an implied contract.

Commitment to Diversity

Rails to Trails Conservancy seeks diverse, passionate, and qualified individuals who want to make a difference in the world. RTC is an equal-opportunity employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, age, and other legally protected characteristics.

If you need a reasonable accommodation because of a disability for any part of the employment process, please e-mail careers@railstotrails.org and provide the nature of your request and your contact information.