The document outlines steps for creating a nonprofit internship program, emphasizing the significance of internships in providing practical experience, fulfilling organizational needs, and mentoring future professionals. It includes insights from guest speaker Sophie Penney, detailing how to structure positions, recruit interns, and what both organizations and interns can gain from the experience. Real-life examples of intern experiences and outcomes illustrate the value of internships in developing skills and career paths in the nonprofit sector.

1. Building Your
Nonprofit Internship
Program: First Steps
8/25/16
1pm Eastern
The presentation will begin shortly.

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Our guest presenter »
Sophie Penney, Ph.D
• President of SW Coaching and Consulting
• Over 15 years of experience as a front line
fund fundraiser or development director
• Coach to numerous individuals seeking
enter the fundraising profession or
advance their careers.
• Skilled workshop facilitator and author of
numerous articles published in Advancing
Philanthropy (Association of Fundraising
Professionals).

5. Sophie W. Penney, PhD
President , SW Coaching & Consulting
Program Coordinator/Lecturer
Penn State University
Postbaccalaureate Certificate in
Fundraising Leadership
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or
transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other
electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author.

6. Poll
 Has your nonprofit hosted interns?
 Yes
 No
 If yes, were they paid or unpaid?
 Paid
 Unpaid

7. What do you hope to learn today?
 How to structure a position (job description, paid/unpaid,
etc.)?
 How to recruit interns?
 What can you expect from interns?
 How you can benefit interns?
 Other?

8. Why internships?
 Many hands make light work
 Fill gaps in expertise, e.g., publication, database
management, event planning, etc.
 Enthusiastic interns ready to dig into projects
 Interns looking to learn and gain experience
 Encourage and equip young people to move into NPOs

9. What?
 Does your nonprofit or department need to
accomplish?
 Timeframe?
 Can you primarily provide experience,
course credit, or remuneration?

10. What Does the Intern Want and Gain?
 To use existing expertise
 To learn new skills
 To learn about the world of work, particularly about
nonprofits and how they differ from for profits.
 To learn about the work of work in general,
organizational culture and operations.
 To build a portfolio to assist with job search.

11. One Intern’s Experience
Michael Barasch
Then: Intern Foxdale
Village
Now: Associate
Director of
Development
College of
Engineering
UT Austin
Project: Video to educate prospective donors about benefits
of a therapy pool.
What did Michael gain from the experience?
 The opportunity to intern at a small development shop
like Foxdale Village allowed me to gain valuable hands on
experience immediately.
 As a young development professional you need an
opportunity to gain quality work experience with donors
and an internship not only can help you get ahead but
also provide enormous help to the organization you are
working for. Having a great mentor in that internship for
one on one training was the biggest advantage I gained.
 Now that I have progressed in my career as a major gifts
officer at two major universities, I can easily look back on
my experience at Foxdale Village as a foundational piece
of my success and will always encourage students/young
professionals to seek an opportunity like I had.

12. This summer I am administrative intern at the
Pregnancy Resource Clinic in State College, PA.
My job consists of helping the office manager
and development manager with their various
tasks. I work on a range of projects-from
entering checks from donors, to counting
change collected form a fundraiser, to helping
keep the office neat and tidy. Stephanie
Hartman, Penn State Student

13. How?
 Needs assessment
 Identify the one to two most significant types of work or
projects to be accomplished, e.g., social media platform,
database, direct service, etc.
 Determine timeframe to complete project/activity
 Focus on finding someone who can help meet those
needs, but before you recruit . . .

14. Create a Position Description
 Cover the broad, but also specifics.
 Treat the intern position description as a serious
undertaking which will ensure a positive experience
for you and the intern.
 Take care not to use the description of an existing staff
member or to insert responsibilities that would
typically be performed by a paid staff member.

15. Sample Position Description
Goals
Provide the Life Saving Nonprofit with meaningful support as it encourages a culture of
philanthropy toward LSN. Provide the intern with a productive learning experience.
Reporting and Collaboration
The intern will report to the Director of Development. Key collaborators include the
Executive Director, department directors, other employees, Development Committee
members and other volunteers, residents, family members, vendors, etc.
Responsibilities
Complete weekly and monthly tasks assigned by the Director of Development. Tasks will
include, but not be limited to data management, drafting and/or editing letters and other
written material (including Web-based material), event/meeting planning, telephone
contact with internal and external constituents, preparing mailings, research, etc.
Work weekly hours as predetermined by the Director of Development and the intern.
Comply with the Values Statement of LSN, HIPPA regulations, Social Media Policy, etc.
Read professional literature and participate in training deemed necessary by LSN and the
Director of Development.

16. Sample Position Description
Skills and Abilities
Communication – Possess excellent writing, editing and speaking skills. Able to employ
technology such as the Web, Constant Contact, etc. as well as computer programs such as Word
and Excel.
Organization – Able to track tasks and projects, organize and revise data, schedule appointments,
and complete projects and tasks according to predetermined deadlines.
Collaboration/Interpersonal Skills – Able to work cooperatively with a wide array of individuals of
varying positions and ages.
Confidentiality – Must be able to maintain strict confidentiality regarding facility activities,
residents, employees, research, data collected and organized, etc.
Mission orientation – Able to understand and support the mission of LSN.
Must have a valid driver’s license, be able to use a personal computer and telephone, calculate
figures, and be able to lift under 20 lbs.

17. Leadership Centre County
Applications now being accepted for IT Internship at Leadership Centre County
Leadership Centre County is a non-profit organization that helps increase the pool of community leaders by networking and education of current
and emerging leaders. Participants enroll in a nine-month program of activities providing special information on Centre County history and
services as well as enhancing team building, conflict resolution and communication skills. LCC currently boasts over 800 alumni serving nearly
600 local organizations.
Leadership Centre County needs an IT intern to provide ongoing consultation for various information technology needs and developments. This
internship can be done for credit but is a non-paid internship.
Applicant Requirements:
 Sophomore, Junior or Senior
 Strong GPA
 Ability to multitask and work independently
 Available for academic year 2016 to 2017 starting immediately in the fall. The internship requires a time commitment of approximately 10
hours per week.
 Experience with web design and maintenance: revise and edit our existing web
 page (www.leadershipcentrecounty.org) as needed via Wordpress
 Experience with Adobe Suites such as InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop for Desktop
 Publishing
 Knowledge of Access databases and PHP highly desirable
 Reliable means of transportation for off campus location (6 miles round trip)
 Ability to meet with Executive Director once/week
If you are interested in applying for the position please send a cover letter and resume to Executive Director Georgia Abbey at
lcc@leadershipcentrecounty.org or P.O. Box 10265 State College, PA 16805.
Feel free to contact Georgia by email or phone (238-5559) for questions about the position. You can view our current web page at
www.leadershipcentrecounty.org

18. Another Intern’s Experience
Alison Shutt
Then: Intern at
Foxdale Village
Now: Director of
Development
New Jersey City
College
Project
 Design work on Crafting Your
Personal and Financial Legacy
a planned giving workbook
distributed at estate planning
workshops shared with
financial and legal advisors of
donors

19. What Allison Learned
 My internship experience was an outstanding perspective
into the complexities of the non-profit sector.
 As with most things, there are several moving pieces, but in
non-profits there is also a profound human element.
 As an intern I learned to listen - to really listen - to not only
what was required of me, but also what the unmet needs
were.
 My internship gave me the opportunity to find solutions to
fulfill those needs and ultimately allowed me to feel as
though I had made an impact.

20. How do you find candidates?
 Connect with local colleges
and universities – career development
office and/or identify departments
or programs that would enroll or
involve the type of student you seek.
 Consider children of employees or volunteers (as long
as they are not reporting to their parents).
 Word of mouth can bring you the best candidates.

21. Susan Knell
Director Career
Enrichment
Network, College of
the Liberal Arts,
Penn State
University
Information for Employers
http://www.la.psu.edu/current-
students/cen/employers
Students enrolled in the College of
the Liberal Arts frequently seek
workplace opportunities and career
exploration to provide practical focus
to their well-rounded education.
With excellent communication and
critical thinking skills, these students
are particularly suited to today's work
environments, where flexibility,
creativity, and confidence are vital to
an organization's success.

22. Who, What, Where?
 If you are a multi-site agency at what location will the
intern work? More than one?
 Where will the intern sit and/or work?
 Will you have adequate computer and other support
available to enable intern to do their job?
 To whom within the organization will the intern
report, e.g., specific department, person, program?
 Where will the intern interface with others, e.g.,
meetings, events, over meals (might they need a meal
card), etc.?

23. When?
 Timing is right for your NPO
 Includes ensuring budget and/or other resources
available to make internship viable for NPO and
intern.
 During academic year or summer?
 Daytime, evenings, weekends?
 Within next three to six months?

24. When?
Draft Timeline
 Needs assessment 30 days
 Position description 30 days or longer (depends on NPO
process for descriptions, could be longer).
 Recruitment/interviewing – 30 days.
 Offer letter – one week
 Background check? Add one to two weeks.
 Testing/training needed prior to start date?

25. Another Intern’s Story
Courtney Coover
Then: Intern
Foxdale Village
Now: Founder &
CEO of Mouse to
Your House
 Stewardship brochure
First time piece replaced use of
spreadsheet to tell the story of
philanthropy to Foxdale Village
Used MS Publisher
Interviewed participants, took
photos, etc.
 Created newsletter template --
brought process in-house
resulting in significant set up cost
savings + quicker turn around time,
and taught DoD new skills

26. What Courtney Learned
 Being an Intern at Foxdale Village completely changed my
career path. Sophie Penney (my internship coordinator)
allowed me to take projects and run with them - inviting
myriad opportunities for independent creativity as well as
"teachable moments" filled with guidance.
 Because of the variety of opportunities I was given, I was
well prepared to interview for and accept a job offer that I
firmly believe I would not have been qualified for if not for
my internship at Foxdale Village.

27. Are you feeling better prepared to
work with interns?
Yes
No
Maybe

28. Questions?
For more information contact:
Sophie W. Penney, Ph.D.
President, SW Coaching and Consulting
https://www.swcoach.net
swcoachconsult@gmail.com
(814)206-6731

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