Looking to build capacity on your team? Interns are a valuable asset to nonprofits because they bring a fresh perspective, are (usually) technologically savvy, increase productivity, and allows you to assess compatibility if you are looking to hire in the future. The 3 month internship is particularly useful for getting to know potential full-timers, and to allow them to get to know you! According to a survey by NACE, almost 40% of employers reported a higher five-year retention rate among employees they’d hired via internship programs.
Even if you aren’t looking for future hires, interns can become ambassadors for your organization and take work off your plate. But how do you find the talent? Once you’ve written the perfect internship job description, it’s time to post it everywhere. Explore the list below to learn more about our favorite internship job posting sites, and start finding your dream interns.
First, some pro-tips for hiring interns
- Give a specific prompt: Find an intern that’s passionate about your organization. Ask them to answer a question unique to your nonprofit in their cover letter. This will help you to get a better idea of their personality, as well as to weed out the applicants that do not read the instructions. For example, our clients at Black Public Media could ask about a film the intern had seen recently, or their favorite web series.
- Use Streak: Streak is a free CRM you can add to Gmail to build out specific pipelines. It will help you keep track of what stage of the process an applicant is in, along with all email communications. Plus, color-coding!
- Assign a project: What better way to get a sense for an intern’s experience and style than to assign them a relevant project? After you conduct a phone-screening, have them write a blog post, draft social media content, write up critiques, or pull sample data, depending on the position. Schedule a quick call to discuss the project before you decide whether or not you want to hire them.
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And now, the list!
1. Idealist.com
Job posting specifically for social impact organizations and nonprofits, and a great place to look for talented interns with a passion for your field. Cost: $25 for each internship, and each lasts for 30 days.
2. Handshake
Handshake partners with over 170 universities, uniting them into one network. This platform allows you to reach students across the country with just one post; no need to go to individual college career sites. Cost: Free.
3. UCAN
Similar to Handshake, the University Career Action Network is a consortium of 20 national colleges and universities with a shared database listing thousands of internships. Another way to reach lots of schools with just one posting. Cost: Free.
4. LinkedIn
You know it, you love it: LinkedIn is a business and employment-oriented social networking site. What a perfect place for social media savvy people to search for employment opportunities! Cost: depends on some factors (including geographical location and number of positions), but can range from $10-$100.
5. Internships.com/nonprofits
Internships.com is a major hub for individuals looking for interns and internships across industries and across the country. Take advantage of the traffic on this highly coveted domain. Cost: Free.
6. Google Ad Grant
First, you should always post jobs on an easy-to-find page of your site! Then, if you have the Google AdWords Grant (and you should!) you can build out a campaign advertising an internship at your organization linking to that landing page. Be sure to bid on long-tail, specific keywords like “nonprofit internship in [your city]” or “nonprofit internship remote,” etc. Don’t have it yet? Apply for the Google Ad Grant now. Cost: Free!
We believe that betting on interns is the same as betting on the nonprofit sector, and that internship programs serve a key role in driving the best and the brightest minds into the social impact field. If you’re not convinced yet, read the rest of our thoughts on how to build an awesome internship program, and check out all of our great resources for and about interns: