Leading EDGE

The Nonprofit Alliance believes that the nonprofit sector’s ability to change the world is not possible without diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). As part of The Nonprofit Alliance Foundation’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Initiative, the Leading EDGE Student Internship Program aims to elevate the visibility of college-age job candidates, including those in underrepresented and first-generation student populations, within the employer job market.

To ensure these efforts are met, we have created a process that allows us to provide a more diverse pipeline of candidates and aims to reduce unconscious bias, including:
– Adherence to and posting of EEOC regulations and EEO laws
– Outreach to community colleges, historically black colleges (HBCUs), Hispanic serving institutions (HSIs), and campus student groups
– Application and qualification adjustments (i.e. removing degree requirements, using skill-based qualifiers, etc.)

We also ask you to keep this in mind as part of your participation and will continue to provide materials for your reference as we work together to diversify the nonprofit sector.

Recommended Resources: 
– TNPA Webinars
– DEI Lab Sessions
– 12 Inclusive Hiring Practices Your Organization Should Implement
– What is Skill-Based Hiring?
– 10 (Practical) DEI Tips of the Day To Implement in 2024

There are various benefits to hosting an intern through TNPA’s Leading EDGE internship program:

• Interns can help you leverage your time by taking some tasks off your plate. They can provide help with ongoing projects that need additional assistance, as well as extra projects that require development or updates.

• Interns offer an outside perspective, energy, and fresh ideas, and can help implement different ways of doing things. They are technologically savvy. They are eager to learn about the industry, and be part of your company.

• For growing businesses, interns can be a pipeline of future entry-level hires; the internship serves as an invaluable 8-week interview.

In addition, hosting an intern through our program makes you part of The Nonprofit Alliance’s DEI efforts based on our belief that the nonprofit sector’s ability to change the world is not possible without diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).

Leading EDGE now offers micro-internships in addition to the summer internship program. A micro-internship is a short-term project that can typically be completed within 5-40 hours and is due within a few days to a few weeks. These projects require no onboarding and can be completed by a college student with minimal instruction. These are important but low-risk tasks that aren’t the best use of your time.

PLEASE NOTE: Micro-internships are not meant to replace traditional internship programs but rather complement and even supplement them. Due to their short-term nature, micro-internships will be available year-round to find on-demand project support while simultaneously allowing you to engage and evaluate potential talent for hiring or Leading EDGE summer internships. Also perfect for TNPA employers who are unable to host interns for the summer.

Our summer internship program is structured as a partnership between TNPA and you as the host organization where we help you with recruitment, matching, and preparation for a 10-week internship with your selected student. Preparation includes an orientation before the internship begins to go over the learning objectives and goals, daily responsibilities, short- and long-term projects, supervisor assignments, evaluation procedures, and policies and expectations that you plan to offer your student. TNPA will also check-in with you periodically throughout the 10 weeks and/or be available to answer any questions. Then at the end of the 10 weeks, we’ll get together to send all of our students off into the next phase of their career journeys.

• 1/1/25 – Enrollment forms due
• 2/3 to 4/25 – Internships will be posted for students to apply. Resumes will be sent to employers for review,  interviews, and offers/hires.
• 4/25 – Applications close
• 5/19 to 5/30 – Virtual orientations for students and employers (recordings will be available for those who can’t make it)
• 6/2 – Internships begin the week of June 2 and go until August 8

We require that all interns placed through our program receive a wage or financial stipend from the employer that is no less than your local minimum wage for 2025 or a suggested wage of at least $17.50/hr. to be competitive. This helps us ensure that we are opening doors for more students, i.e., not precluding participation by students who need income from summer jobs to cover school and living costs.

As our program grows we anticipate that we will have a scholarship fund available to help supplement the stipend expenses for smaller nonprofits, but that may not be available during the summer 2025 session. Nonprofit TNPA members do not have to pay a placement fee; businesses that provide services to nonprofits and receive a TNPA intern placement will pay an additional fee to help offset the overall program expenses. Please see below for a breakdown of the possible costs to your organization based on the typical wages and number of hours set by you as the employer. Note: Fees only apply if and when an intern is hired through the program.

Note: The hours above are estimates and not restricted to what’s listed above.

*The placement fees for corporations and non-member nonprofits will help TNPA place interns with nonprofit member organizations and offset the overall program expenses, including:

– Recruitment and administrative services offered by TNPA
– Program development and student support (i.e. webinar events, mentorship, networking meet-ups, and other learning opportunities)
– Program expansion to include more nonprofit opportunities in the next cycle

PLEASE NOTE: Employer hosts are advised to check with their local state laws on whether an intern is considered an “employee” and therefore subject to employment regulations in terms of wage requirements, workers’ compensation issues, safety and harassment policies, termination guidelines, and how other traditional employee benefits and business responsibilities do or don’t apply to interns.

Other costs could include office expenses, IT, admin, project costs, etc. These costs are the responsibility of the employer.

• Must be able to pay a stipend or hourly wage that’s no less than your local minimum wage for 2025 or a suggested wage of at least $17.50/hr. to be competitive
• Must assign an intern supervisor/manager to ensure your program runs smoothly and provide feedback to TNPA. This person should also assist in the hiring process of your intern, conduct orientations, collaborate with the intern to develop learning goals, and regularly evaluate the intern’s performance.
• Must be responsive to TNPA communications and willing to provide feedback via periodic emails or calls/Zoom check-ins
• Must provide a learning experience where students can utilize the knowledge they’ve acquired through their academic education, receive guidance and feedback to facilitate the learning process, and engage in ongoing contemplation of learning objectives throughout the course of the internship.

For summer 2025, we are focusing our student recruitment on D.C., New York City, and Chicago area schools with most of our in-person and hybrid placements in these three areas. Remote positions will also be accepted from employers outside of these areas.

TNPAF offers many other ways to get involved with Leading EDGE. For instance, you and your colleagues can become mentors, event speakers, or committee members. We also offer sponsorship opportunities that give your organization maximum exposure to university students, faculty, and TNPA members. Look out for more information to sign up or contact Shelby Truxon at struxon@tnpa.org to get involved.

Please Note: Mentor enrollment is only available to gold level Leading EDGE sponsors at the moment. For more information, please view our sponsorship offerings or contact Shelby Truxon at struxon@tnpa.org.

Our mentor directory offers nonprofit industry professionals at all levels of experience the opportunity to mentor college-age students and recent grads through one-on-one mentorship. To get started, mentors can add their names to our mentor directory for students to look through and request mentorship. Once requested, we’ll confirm availability and connect the mentor with their mentee for further discussion. TNPA will also provide suggested guidance on how to mentor each student through short-term interactions. NOTE: To maximize the mentee’s experience, we do require at least 3 months of availability from each mentor once connected. Other than that, the terms of the mentorship (i.e. dates, contact methods, frequency, etc.) will be up to each mentor and mentee.

A perfect way to share your knowledge and expertise with others, pay it forward, enhance your leadership skills and professional growth, and establish meaningful professional relationships.