updated May 2022

If you're under-resourced and overwhelmed, I highly recommend bringing on a nonprofit marketing and communications intern this summer. I’ve had an intern every summer for nearly a decade, and so I know what an incredible resource they are to prepare for the busiest seasons ahead. 

College students and recent graduates are on the hunt for summer internships. Now is the time to create a job description and get your listing to the local college and other job boards (Idealist and handshake are my go-to).

Before you take on a summer intern, here are a few tips for a successful experience for both you and your intern.

• Know the federal and state laws. Interns are not free labor. Be cautious about what kind of tasks your intern takes on. Consider providing a summer stipend, or look for students who will receive academic credit. 

• Interns will need training and oversight. If you were hoping to hand over your social media credentials and get back to your to-do list, you'll be frustrated with your intern all summer. Be very clear on expected tasks and responsibilities, and set up frequent check-ins in the beginning, to make sure they are equipped to do their job. I'm not suggesting micromanaging, but I know from experience to expect a learning curve and therefore to be available for guidance. 

• Provide a valuable experience. No matter what compensation your intern receives, it will likely not match the level of work they will put in. You can give your intern a rich internship experience, even remotely. Let them take on a marketing project of their own, set up short weekly mentorship video calls, and e-introduce them to other colleagues they may network with. 

Are you stuck on what activities and tasks to give your marketing communications intern? Try these ten virtual tasks:

Content Development 

Get your summer content done, and more content to get you through the rest of the year. Have your intern scour your current online presence and print materials to get to know your nonprofit’s style and voice as a start. Here are a few kinds of content projects:

• New webpages

• Blog posts

• Email newsletters

• Social media campaigns and posts

• Organization, fundraising, and program fact sheets

• Fundraising materials

Proof Reading

Take advantage of another pair of eyes, and have your intern proof and copy-edit your work. You can even have them proof your website and published blog posts to catch errors you may have missed. 

Social Media Management

While I don’t recommend handing over complete access to your social media channels, an intern can take on quite a bit of social media content development, scheduling, monitoring, and coming up with new fresh ideas to boost following and engagement. 

If you are going to entirely turn over social media to your intern, be sure to have a social media management guide. 

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

When was the last time you updated your website’s SEO? Did that question just make your head spin? 

If your intern has a knack for keyword research, good SEO writing, creating medium-tail keywords, and other SEO best practices, let them do a search engine optimization overhaul of your website. Have them claim your Google Biz account if you haven’t done so already.

Media & Press Database

If your press releases are going into an abyss, have your intern develop or update a media and press database.

A media and press database should include journalist/editor name, publications, email, and Twitter handle. You may even want to include recent articles written that are relevant to your nonprofit to reference while pitching. Most definitely indicate if a journalist and publication wrote about your nonprofit.

Be sure to have your intern include plenty of local journalists and publications. Your database should also be relevant to your industry. If your nonprofit is education-focused, then have your intern research publications and journalists that cover an education beat.  

Marketing Trend Research

The first task I give to all of my marketing communications interns is to compile a marketing trend research report. While these kinds of articles tend to roll out towards the end of the year, there’s still plenty of new marketing trend information circulating during the summer months.

I have my interns research both scholarly articles and posts written by experts. Their findings look like the annual digital marketing trend post I publish on my website: 2022 Nonprofit Marketing Trends You Can’t Ignore.

Marketing Analytics Reports

While I always produce monthly analytics reports for the digital platforms I use, I tend to ask my interns to take a deeper dive into how our marketing has performed during the first half of the year.

Give your interns backend access to data on your website (Google Analytics), blog, email marketing, and social media. Have them compile a report that may include:

• Audience demographics

• Best and worst-performing posts and emails

• Day and time of best and worst-performing posts and emails

• Posts and emails with most engagement 

• Most and least visited webpages

• Preferred device used to read the website (desktop vs. mobile) 

• Basic analysis of findings and recommendations, i.e., audience insights, well-performing media, and best days and times to post on social media or send emails.

Graphic Design

If your intern has a knack for graphic design or even a basic understanding of tools like Canva (snag a free nonprofit pro account), have them design materials and assets for your organization. Here are a few kinds of materials they can help create:

• Social media and email assets

• GIFS

• Simple animation videos

• Flyers

• Infographics

• Organization, fundraising, and program fact sheets

• Brand guide

Update Image Library

Having a substantial image library is crucial to quickly get out social media posts, emails, and flyers. Consider having your intern create or expand on an image library.

As a start, have your intern email staff requesting the kinds of images they typically need for their respective programs. The fundraising director may need photos of volunteering and depictions of giving, while the maternal health coordinator may be short on images of breastfeeding moms. 

If you don’t have a budget, your intern can find free-to-use images on sites like Unsplash. 

Create a New Marketing Initiative 

As I said earlier in this post, a perfect way to give your intern a valuable internship experience is to encourage them to dream up a new marketing initiative for your organization. Maybe they want to put in practice something they are learning in the classroom, or they’re eager to try a new and innovative marketing idea of their own. It may be one of the most successful marketing initiatives in your organization!

Are you planning on bringing on a virtual intern this summer? What kind of projects are you planning on having them take on? Let me know in the comments.