Nonprofit Internship Opportunities: Strategies For Success
Empowering nonprofits to grow their impact starts with building a strong team. In many cases, a strong team includes bringing on interns to help support your nonprofit. As summer approaches, here’s how to attract the best nonprofit interns while balancing your budget and mission goals.
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Weighing The Value Of Paid Internships
Hiring nonprofit interns can bring fresh perspectives to your organization, but compensation matters. While 57% of nonprofit internships are unpaid, offering pay can widen your applicant pool and attract top talent. Unpaid roles may limit candidates to those who can afford to work for free, potentially missing out on diverse, qualified nonprofit interns. Plus, unpaid internships risk violating Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) regulations if tasks have a commercial aspect or involve interstate transactions — consult your attorney to ensure compliance.
Define Expectations For Nonprofit Interns
When recruiting nonprofit interns, clarity is key. Consider the role’s demands: Will nonprofit interns need extensive training or work fixed hours, like 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., onsite? Strategic projects can position interns as future leaders, but the more you expect, the more they’ll expect in return — whether that’s meaningful experience or compensation. Treating nonprofit interns as valued contributors ensures they’re invested in your mission and sets the stage for long-term impact.
Understand The Intern’s Perspective
For nonprofit interns, unpaid roles can create financial hurdles. College credit in lieu of pay often comes with tuition costs, and expenses like housing or transportation can add up. If your nonprofit isn’t high-profile, like those in politics or the arts, unpaid roles may deter top candidates who have paid options elsewhere. Consider covering costs for nonprofit interns to make your opportunity accessible and appealing to the best talent.
Invest In Your Nonprofit’s Future
Internships benefit both your organization and nonprofit interns. Nonprofit interns gain hands-on experience and insight into nonprofit operations, while you gain support and new ideas for your mission. GBQ’s nonprofit services team can help you explore ways to allocate funds for intern compensation, ensuring you attract the brightest nonprofit interns to drive your vision forward. Let’s connect to discuss how to make this a reality.
Looking for more insight to help you invest in your nonprofit’s long-term success? Check out these resources:
Should Your Nonprofit Compete, Collaborate, Or Both?
Are Your Nonprofit Board Meetings As Focused As They Could Be?
Outsourcing HR Tasks Can Help Understaffed, Overworked Nonprofits
