Navigating Nonprofit Internships: A Comprehensive Guide

Nonprofit internships offer invaluable opportunities for individuals seeking to contribute to social good, gain practical experience, and explore potential career paths within the sector. These internships span a wide range of roles and organizations, providing diverse experiences from direct service to administrative support. This guide aims to provide a comprehensive overview of nonprofit internships, covering various aspects from finding opportunities to maximizing the experience.

The Appeal of Nonprofit Internships

College students preparing to enter the workforce today are exceptionally purpose-driven. Graduates spanning a breadth of majors are embarking on a quest to make a positive impact on the social good in their everyday professional roles. Nonprofit internships provide a unique avenue for achieving this goal, allowing individuals to directly contribute to causes they care about. These internships offer a chance to:

Make a Difference: Serve as an ambassador for the world’s poor. You make a difference in the lives of others through a summer-long fellowship including a non-profit internship.
Gain Practical Experience: Participants gain hands-on non-profit sector experience. You intern at an effective non-profit agency for 10 weeks, learning about the industry and mission from inside.
Develop Key Skills: The role will give an insight into the key skills required to lead and develop a nonprofit organization.
Explore Career Paths: You learn about the larger non-profit sector- and your role in it- along the way.
Build a Network: You join a cohesive community of young people who, like you, want to change the world. You gather with this community throughout the summer for days of networking, workshops, reflections, and professional development.

Types of Nonprofit Internships

Nonprofit internships are available in a variety of fields and roles, catering to diverse interests and skill sets. Some common types include:

Fundraising/Development: Assisting with fundraising. Fundraising Development - Learn how to fundraise. Your tasks may involve actively participating in fundraising initiatives, which could range from helping to plan and execute fundraising events to engaging with donors and supporters. You could play a crucial role in researching potential grant opportunities and writing compelling grant proposals. Your responsibilities may extend to the entire grant application process, from identifying suitable grants to crafting persuasive narratives that clearly convey the organization's mission and needs.
Communications/Marketing: In your role, you could be responsible for maintaining and updating the organization's social media platforms. You may also find yourself designing promotional materials, including graphics and videos, to increase the reach and impact of the nonprofit.
Program Support:
Research:
Advocacy/Policy: foreign policy.
Writer/Journalist: Writer/Journalist Internship: The role is focused on content creation for BORGEN Magazine or The Borgen Project Blog.
Social Media/Digital Marketing: Social Media/Digital Marketing Internship: This is a part-time 12-hours per week, 12 week, unpaid remote internship.
Nonprofit Leadership: Nonprofit Leadership Internship: The role will give an insight into the key skills required to lead and develop a nonprofit organization.

Finding Nonprofit Internships

Several resources can help individuals find nonprofit internship opportunities:

Online Job Boards:
University Career Services:
Nonprofit Websites:
Networking:
Internship Programs: We offer non profit internships both online & in a wide range of program destinations including London, Dublin, New York, Madrid, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Tokyo, Melbourne & Colombia.

Remote Nonprofit Internships

Have you considered completing a remote NGO internship or online non-profit internship from anywhere in the world? Our global virtual NGO & non-profit internship program offers a flexible, fully remote experience designed to fit your schedule. Participants gain hands-on non-profit sector experience, access to best-in-class career advancement training, and 12 months of exclusive, live keynote career talks led by global business and social impact leaders.

The Application Process

The hiring process is incredibly competitive, we look for a diverse range of backgrounds. We’ve found no correlation between high GPA’s, MBA’s and/or prestigious universities when it comes to determining who will have the biggest impact for the world’s poor. We respond to every application, reply to all queries and always notify you of the outcome of our interviews.

Compensation and College Credit

Details: This is an unpaid internship, although college credit is available. This is a part-time 12-hours per week, 12 week, unpaid remote internship.

The Work Progress Program (WPP)

Low-income young adults aged 16-24 can get paid internships with non-profits through the Work Progress Program (WPP). Many different non-profit organizations in all five boroughs are WPP providers. To take part in WPP, you must be 16-24 years old. The program gives preference to those who are out-of-work and out-of-school or at risk (determined during the application process). Each WPP provider has their own unique program model, but young adults typically take part in up-front training, then work at an internship for about 12 weeks.

Making the Most of Your Internship

Once you've secured a nonprofit internship, it's crucial to make the most of the opportunity. Here are some tips:

Be Proactive:
Seek Feedback:
Network:
Document Your Accomplishments:
Reflect on Your Experience:

Leading EDGE Internship Program

With input we received at our 2019 Leadership Summit, we are building an internship program in partnership with nonprofit organizations, firms that work with nonprofits, and colleges and universities. Leading EDGE, in development in 2022, will provide students with practical, paid experience and an early-career network of sector professionals to support their post-graduation entry into the workforce. Participating employers will benefit through their access to bright and talented soon-to-be college graduates, many of whom come from racially underrepresented or other marginalized populations that are too often missing from traditional candidate search efforts.

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