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 students a chance to better understand the nonprofit sector through a paid, hands-on experience designed to provide exposure, mentoring, and most importantly, marketable skills.
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 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 from mid-May through the end of July)
- Why are you interested in this internship?
- Why should we select you?
We will contact finalists for a video interview.
Applicants must have work eligibility in the US from the time of application through the duration of the Internship. Our Arlington HQ Staff works from the office on Tuesdays & Thursdays. We're hopeful that our selected intern can join us in the office on these days.
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We encourage all qualified individuals who share TechnoServe's vision of improving the lives of others through proven business solutions to apply.
With our commitment to diversity, we are proud to be an equal opportunity employer and affirmative action employer and do not discriminate on the basis of gender, race, color, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, HIV/AIDS status, protected veteran status, disability and all other protected classes.
We are also proud of our commitment to protecting staff, partners, and beneficiaries from abuse and exploitation and thoroughly vet all final candidates through rigorous background and reference checks.
If you have a disability that affects your ability to use our online system to apply for a position at TechnoServe please contact Human Resources at [email protected] or call +1 202 785 4515.
Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with DisabilitiesThis employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws. For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.
What We Do
TechnoServe works with enterprising people in the developing world to build competitive farms, businesses, and industries. We are a nonprofit organization that develops business solutions to poverty by linking people to information, capital and markets. Our work is rooted in the idea that hardworking people can generate income, jobs and wealth for their families and communities. With five decades of proven results, we believe in the power of private enterprise to transform lives. Our success in creating business solutions to poverty is due in large part to our talented and highly committed team. TechnoServe employs more than 1,500 people, the vast majority of them host-country nationals working in the field. Our staff combine business expertise with local knowledge, relationships, and context to help hardworking men and women generate income, jobs and wealth for their families and communities. In 2020, TechnoServe's work helped transform the lives of 1.3 million people in Puerto Rico as well as countries throughout Africa, Latin American, and Asia by targeting improvements in farms, businesses, and industries. Learn more about our impact at www.technoserve.org/impact
