The most important step during training courses is to keep interns more attentive and productive. The second step is to make the training beneficial. In fact, the work relationship between the intern and the employer, characterized by higher productivity, is based on performing useful tasks, instead of work that is limited to merely completing tasks without development.

For non-profit organizations, it is important to assign serious tasks to interns that can impact the success of the organization, without taking risks that might expose the organization to problems. And don’t forget that your organization has limited funding, so interns need to make considerable efforts to exceed the levels of interns in commercial organizations.

I do not suggest that you assign interns to work on internal communication strategies for the organization, or to choose a new work program, or even to negotiate with donors. However, you can assign them the following tasks over the course of the internship, which will help them in their future career paths.

Four tasks to achieve the effectiveness of training programs in your non-profit organization

These four tasks will enhance the effectiveness of interns in your non-profit organization, with the goal of gaining experience that will benefit them in their future career paths, in addition to increasing overall productivity within your organization.

  1. Social Media Posting:

Millennials are among the most skilled generations in using social media. Pew Research Center statistics show that about 81% of people aged 18 to 29 use social media, making the millennial generation advanced in all major social media platforms, except for LinkedIn, where the majority of its users are aged 30 to 49.

In general, interns may have a high competence in everything related to social media, enabling them to assist you by sharing links, images, and videos. They can also help you come up with new ideas for your social strategies.

For its part, Forbes magazine noted that social media marketing is still underutilized in the general market, and interns can handle it. In addition to being an important strategy, it can help you build a good reputation for your organization and attract new supporters, potentially yielding a substantial return on investment of up to 92%.

In this context, Forbes reminds you that interns may not be able to oversee the organization's social strategies, but they can assist you with everything related to social media marketing.

  1. Organizing and Recording Data

Inputting data into spreadsheets may not be attractive tasks, but gaining experience in this type of software is a valuable addition to any intern's resume.

Recording data related to donors or volunteers helps interns identify the kinds of information the organization obtains when fundraising or when building a database of volunteers.

You should remember that this task may not be suitable for all interns, so evaluate the interns to identify their strengths and weaknesses, and consider providing training if necessary.

  1. Sending Emails and Texts

Responding to indirect messages can be an ideal task for the intern, not only because it is time-consuming, but also as a means to enhance the intern's communication skills. This task includes sending messages to donors to request donations, conducting inquiry calls regarding certain issues, and corresponding with donors to confirm their attendance or to thank them.

Although these indirect communications are not the most appealing tasks, you can motivate interns by offering them rewards for their efforts when their emails to donors result in raising significant amounts of donations or when confirming attendees for events organized by the organization.

If you only have one intern, set goals for them, and reward them upon achieving them. Ensure that the messages sent include questions that can be answered with a yes or no, and avoid sending repetitive questions all the time. You should also ensure to work within a strategy that helps the intern answer some questions raised by donors, especially in cases where the intern may not have an answer to the posed question.

  1. Writing Posts or Creating Content for the Organization's Blog

Interns are often college graduates or in the middle of their college careers, so they will be accustomed to writing, making them ideal for quickly drafting and publishing posts on the organization’s blog. Therefore, prepare a list of the key topics for these posts that are short and light, in addition to keeping up with all new trends.

Source: Capterra

Author: Nick Morbs