Exploring a Career in Non-Profits

TechnoServe was founded as a nonprofit organization in 1968 to connect enterprising people in the developing world to information and markets so that they could build competitive farms and businesses. TechnoServe now operates in over 25 countries across Africa, Latin America, and Asia improving the incomes of millions of people. You can learn more at technoserve.org

The nonprofit sector can be confusing and perhaps a bit intimidating at times. And it can be difficult to “break into” a nonprofit career because many nonprofits tend to hire experienced specialists to help them advance their missions. Sadly, this reliance on specialized experience can also result in a lack of diversity within the workplace.

So TechnoServe has established a special “Explore With Us” internship, designed to offer people of color a chance to better understand the nonprofit sector through a paid, hands-on experience designed to provide exposure, mentoring, and most importantly, marketable skills.

Due to the COVID pandemic, the internship will be remote with all communications and meetings through virtual conferencing.

The Gig: In this internship, you will participate in a special rotational program, spending time and completing assignments in different parts of our organization, which—based partly on your preferences—may include program management, business development, fundraising, marketing and communications, finance, and/or HR.

In each rotation, you’ll have a point person who will introduce you to key concepts, include you in meetings and discussions, and provide one or two relevant assignments, which could include research, a presentation and/or creative communications. The internship may also include a trip to one of our projects outside of the US in order to get a first-hand look at the impact of our work.

Based on the mutual interest of TechnoServe and the intern, the internship may be offered to the same person over consecutive years.

The Candidate: For us, passion and intellectual curiosity are far more important than your specific experiences. If you are serious about learning about the nonprofit sector and/or international development—and you’re willing to “dig in” to a series of mini-adventures, then this is likely for you. While we have a slight preference for a candidate in the Washington DC metro area, we will consider candidates from any part of the US.

We are looking for undergraduate students. We are open to full-time or part-time internships, depending on your preference and availability.

The Pay: We are offering $15 / hour. We will also fully fund the cost of a trip to one of our international programs assuming travel is allowed (and not restricted by Covid or related safety concerns) and this is of interest to the intern.

The Application: To keep things simple, all we need to do to apply for this internship is to provide a resume and a current academic transcript, and in 500 words or less answer the following questions:

• When are you available? (We’d prefer a commitment of at least 12-weeks)
• Why are you interested in this internship?
• Why should we select you?

We will contact finalists for a video interview.

Questions? Email Eboni Preston at epreston@gyfoundation.org