Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Interested in Interning for a Nonprofit?

The National Kidney Foundation Serving the Delaware Valley (NKFDV) is currently seeking a special events and development intern to begin immediately. Daily intern responsibilities will include assisting with the planning of development events, such as the annual Kidney Ball, and development campaigns, such as Casual for Kidneys, a program where children can make a donation to the NKFDV to dress down for a day of school. NKFDV interns gain hands-on experience finalizing details of events as well as media coverage for them. This is a great opportunity for anyone who would like to see how a communications background can be put to use helping those who are ill and less fortunate.

I have a soft spot for the NKFDV because I’ve been interning there myself for the past 10 months and have learned a great deal from my experiences. The office is small and interns really feel like an integral part of the staff. Interns really do get hands on event planning and development experience. For example, during my time with the NKFDV I’ve assisted my boss with the planning of two major events: High Heels Kick Out Kidney Disease and the 2nd Annual Wilmington Kidney Walk. I’ve also been able to develop my social media skills through this internship. Over the summer I handled some media relations for the 8th Annual Philadelphia Zoo Kidney Walk. I was responsible for the Twitter and Facebook accounts and got a chance to write press releases and media alerts for the event. I also got a chance to work side by side with a PR professional from Maven Communications who donated her time to help assist with the media relations for the walk.

This internship will definitely be what you make of it and there are many possibilities for personal growth and development at the National Kidney Foundation. The position is unpaid, but I have been able to earn my work study grant through this internship because it is a nonprofit. Hours and days of work are flexible and you can basically set whatever schedule works best for you.

If you are interested in this position please contact Internship Coordinator Kimberly Hamm at kimberly.hamm@kidney.org or 215-923-8611. Good luck!

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