How to Start an Internship Program For Your Nonprofit

Are you in the process of starting your social endeavor and need more hands onboard?

I think I may have the perfect solution for you… Interns! 

If you’re in the position where you: 

• Can’t pay for additional help right now 

• Don’t know how long you may need someone for

• Don’t have a structured job description 

• Don’t have a process yet to onboard people to help you

Then, hiring interns may be the right option for you! For me, finding interns to help me out was a lifesaver when I was stuck in similar situations like these, (and still is)! 

We don’t always have the means to pay another person, volunteers may leave us whenever, and it can be really difficult to find help that will stick around. For these reasons and more, an intern is a good middle ground for bringing on new help. 

In today’s post, I want to talk about why an intern is a good option for you and how you can actually get one! Let’s get started! 

WHY AN INTERN?: 

If you’re starting or running a new organization, you may need help that is more long-term, but are unsure how to go about getting it. 

Your organization may be so new that (as mentioned before) you don’t know where you need the most help or how you would even onboard someone. You may not know how to do some of the tasks yourself, let alone teach someone else. Maybe your organization can’t afford to pay for an additional employee and you feel it’s not worth your time to train someone (such as a volunteer) who isn’t even guaranteed to stay for a longer period of time. 

All of these are valid concerns! 

With interns, however, you can experiment all you want! 

Keep in mind: “Experimenting” is different from not being organized. You should be organized with your interns! 

Unlike employees, interns don’t have to be paid. 

Unlike volunteers, interns want to gain an educational experience and learn what it’s like to run a business. 

So, what does this mean for you? 

This means that…

1) There isn’t as much of a rush to get unpaid interns all up to speed as there is with employees 

2) Interns will have different intentions than volunteers and will be motivated to explore the nitty gritty details of your business… (Most volunteers just want to give their time, and in return, receive a heart-felt experience)

3) The internship would be for a set period of time, whereas, with volunteers there are no strings attached and they can disengage as they please. 

With all this having been said, I hope you understand why using interns is so great! 

And because there is no rush, you really can create all these processes alongside your interns. It’s all part of an experience for them! 

MY EXPERIENCE: 

To provide some background information, I’ve had many different types of interns over the years. 

I specifically worked with high school students and as young as they may be, they’ve all been a great service to the program and organization as a whole. 

They really do look at the world in a different light than us and provide a lot of great feedback and input. Don’t underestimate high school students! 

The interns I had were always dedicated to learning and by showing them the back-end of your business, they’ll understand more about how businesses function (which is SO valuable for any job).

INITIAL THOUGHTS: 

Now, there may be two initial thoughts that come to your mind immediately. 

Your first thought may be: Having an intern sounds great, but I’m not sure I have enough time to add-on another person.

But… YOU DO! 

Training an intern will be more of an on the job training than anything else. You provide the intern with expectations at the beginning. From there, the intern can reach out to you with any questions they have as they go along. With time, the knowledge gaps will be filled! Sounds easy, right? 

Make sure that when you delegate tasks, you delegate tasks that you somewhat already know what to do AND trust someone else to take the reins on. This way, the intern has their own room to explore and can make the job into something of their own. 

This gives the intern AUTONOMY and makes your job EASIER! 

I also recommend delegating your weak points, so that you have more time to nail down your strengths. Naturally, we all have certain strengths and not every weakness can become our strength. So, don’t waste your time worrying about your weaknesses! 

If social media isn’t your thing, for example, get someone else to do it for you. 

Your second thought may be: No one would even sign up to be an intern to do these tasks.

But… THIS COULDN’T BE FURTHER FROM THE TRUTH! 

It’s important to remember that when you’re advertising for an intern, you should be upfront with what it is you’re exactly looking for. Naturally, the people that will gravitate towards you will be the ones with experience or interest in the work needing to be done. 

Here are some questions to think through before you advertise for an intern: 

• Are you looking for someone who already has the skills you need? Do you mind teaching your intern or not? 

• What strengths or personality traits are you looking for? 

• What availability do you need? 

In regards to high schoolers, they are interested in learning more about the “real world” and about all the different aspects of a business. However, every individual has different strengths and is therefore better suited for different areas. So, if you decide to go the same route I did, pick the high schoolers that either have the most strengths that align with the position or the high schoolers that seem to be the most interested. 

Give this a try! 

10 THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND BEFORE GETTING YOURSELF A HIGH SCHOOL INTERN:  

1. Keep expectations realistic

While high school students do bring a lot of value to the table, school is their first priority. Make sure to keep your expectations realistic. For example, you may have to work with juniors and seniors since they’ll most likely be more mature and have better time management. However, juniors and seniors are also busy. So, they may only have a few hours out of their week to work for you. Additionally, high school students are kids and they’re still learning. So, be patient. It may take them a little longer to finish a task. Lastly, they may not have transportation and may still rely on their parents to drop them off and pick them up. 

2. Meet in a public place 

Again, high school students are still kids. Therefore, just to be safe I would recommend always meeting with them in a public setting. I always met with my interns at Starbucks and at the beginning of the internship, I would meet with and introduce myself to each intern’s parents so that they knew who I was, who their kid was going to be working with, and to make sure that they were on the same page as we were. 

3. Treat it as a job interview 

Have you ever heard someone say that the first impression is the most important one? Well, it’s true! When you meet these high school students for the first time, make sure to treat it as a job interview. You should want your internship opportunity to give off the impression that it is a valuable experience for the high school students, it’s something that they must consider seriously before committing to, and it’s not something that they can just blow off. You also want to choose the best high school students for the internship. Treating this internship position as a job interview will weed out the students who truly don’t want to do it and you’ll see each student’s strengths come through during their interview time. 

4. Be clear in your communication 

Communication is vital in any relationship - whether it’s with your spouse, a friend, or an employee. Communication is especially important when it comes to working with high school students. High school students may not have a lot of work experience yet and may have never worked with a boss before. Therefore, they may not know what type of questions to ask to understand the expectations that have been set for them. High school students need to understand where it’s okay to step and to not step and what their boundaries are. So, be very clear with what it is you need from the student and how you’d like to go about it. Maybe you all will check-in every week to discuss progress and to hold the student accountable. It’s really up to you! 

5. Make processes repeatable 

If you have any instructions that you find yourself repeating again and again such as logging into the backend of a website, for example, write out each step to make the process repeatable. This way, you don’t have to repeat yourself with each intern. You can simply type up and print out the instructions for the intern, and the intern can then read over and use the template… Ta da!

6. Find a place for each student intern based on interests and strengths 

In the case that you need help with more general tasks rather than with a specific position, find a place for each of your student interns by aligning them with what they are interested in doing or are good at. If they don’t like social media, don’t fit them into social media. It won’t be much fun for them! If they prefer planning instead, then let them help you with setting up your next event. 

7. Recruit students through their school 

The best way to recruit students is through the school system. If your local school system is open to helping you out, you’ll gain access to a wide variety of high school students. At my local high school, there is a career center, so I got in touch with them. I asked how I could find interns for my non-profit and they put my advertisement and information in the school bulletin board. Students would contact the career center saying they’re interested in applying and I would interview them at the school with a staff member present. If your local school doesn’t have a career center, reach out to the counselor’s office! 

8. Specify time 

Specify the duration of the internship upfront. Mine are usually a semester or two!  

9. Give letter of recommendation 

A letter of recommendation may not seem like much to offer, but it really is. High schoolers need good letters of recommendation for their college applications. Letters of recommendation say a lot about one’s character and it’s not a teacher providing it, but an authority figure from a work environment. 

10. Keep in touch with your interns 

Don’t lose contact with your interns just because the internship is over. Serve as a good professional connection for them in the future and make contact with them every so often to stay updated on their life. This personal touch will make them feel valued and appreciated for the work they’ve done. 

FINAL THOUGHTS: 

If you’re thinking about getting student interns, don’t doubt the value you’re providing them. You can offer real grassroot experiences that will inspire and enable them to perhaps start their own businesses in the near future. At the same time, they’ll have more realistic expectations after seeing the not so glamorous side that every business comes with that they may not see on social media. Overall, you’re doing yourself, the student, and your community a service. 

You’re pouring back into the community and it’s a win-win for everyone involved! 

Be patient with your student interns and I promise you that once they get the hang of things, you’ll feel relieved with the workload they take off of you. 

So, do you think an intern is a good middle ground in comparison to an employee or volunteer? Yes or no? Comment below!

And if you have any questions, feel free to message me on my social media. 

See you in the next blog!