Spring Break
Nonprofit connects businesses, students
Experience not needed
KATIE ANDREW
Issue date: 11/19/08 Section: Variety
"No experience required" is not often a phrase heard by students. Whether it's finding a job, a credit card or an internship, the vicious cycle of needing experience to gain experience rears its ugly head.
Common Ground, a local nonprofit resource center, created a solution by providing no-experience-necessary student internships with local progressive action organizations.
"Our mission is to help all these organizations meet their goals," said Common Ground executive director and University senior Jenna Moon.
"Basically we have groups come to us who either have an organization started or are trying to get one started. They can become an affiliate, which means they would be able to use all of our facilities."
The facilities and services Common Ground offers to affiliate organizations includes (but is not limited to) a meeting space, resource library, computers, copy and fax machine. Most importantly, Common Ground offers fiscal sponsorship to its affiliates.
"If a group is trying to gain nonprofit status but hasn't gotten it yet, we can offer that so that they can receive grants and large individual donations as well that are tax deductible," Moon said.
Moon explained how the internship program solves problems for both affiliates and students.
"There are so many nonprofit organizations in Athens, but it's really, really hard to get in any kind of entry level position," Moon said.
"We decided we wanted to start an internship program where recent or current undergraduate students apply for the program. They don't have to have any prior experience, they just need to have a desire to learn about the nonprofit sector."
Although the internships are 20 hours a week, Moon said they are more than willing to work with the schedules of the interns and they have the opportunity to do some work from home.
"[The program] serves our affiliates, because most of those organizations are very small. They definitely don't have the time to have an intern, or probably even a space for the intern to work. We provide a workspace, accountability, mentoring, a computer to work at, and we also do all the advertising for the program and the interviewing process," Moon said.
Interested affiliate organizations simply submit a project application and maintain contact with the assigned intern.
"I found out about this internship through my adviser over the summer," said Stephen Clayton, a senior from Athens.
Clayton is interested in doing something positive for the community. The interns are working on a proposal to receive sponsorship from a University professor in order to receive University funding for P.L.A.C.E.'s event.
"It's a local food symposium for Spring 2010," said senior Heidi Sarazen.
Sarazen said P.L.A.C.E. advocates the economic, environmental, and nutritional benefits of a strong local food culture.
The interns described their organization's alignment with the Slow Food movement, which emphasizes the importance of preserving cultural cuisine by supporting local food.
"The problem we're facing is supply," she said.
Clayton and Sarazen said they would recommend the internship program to others.
"We're writing proposals, press releases, organizing events ... I'd never done anything like that before. It's a really great experience to have," Sarazen said. "It's really hands-on."
The Common Ground Internship program will begin Jan. 19 and end April 24.
Those interested can apply online at www.commongroundathens.org, or go to the Newton Street space on Baxter Street.
The application deadline is Dec. 1. If you don't have time for an internship but still want to be involved with Common Ground, it is always accepting volunteers.
Common Ground, a local nonprofit resource center, created a solution by providing no-experience-necessary student internships with local progressive action organizations.
"Our mission is to help all these organizations meet their goals," said Common Ground executive director and University senior Jenna Moon.
"Basically we have groups come to us who either have an organization started or are trying to get one started. They can become an affiliate, which means they would be able to use all of our facilities."
The facilities and services Common Ground offers to affiliate organizations includes (but is not limited to) a meeting space, resource library, computers, copy and fax machine. Most importantly, Common Ground offers fiscal sponsorship to its affiliates.
"If a group is trying to gain nonprofit status but hasn't gotten it yet, we can offer that so that they can receive grants and large individual donations as well that are tax deductible," Moon said.
Moon explained how the internship program solves problems for both affiliates and students.
"There are so many nonprofit organizations in Athens, but it's really, really hard to get in any kind of entry level position," Moon said.
"We decided we wanted to start an internship program where recent or current undergraduate students apply for the program. They don't have to have any prior experience, they just need to have a desire to learn about the nonprofit sector."
Although the internships are 20 hours a week, Moon said they are more than willing to work with the schedules of the interns and they have the opportunity to do some work from home.
"[The program] serves our affiliates, because most of those organizations are very small. They definitely don't have the time to have an intern, or probably even a space for the intern to work. We provide a workspace, accountability, mentoring, a computer to work at, and we also do all the advertising for the program and the interviewing process," Moon said.
Interested affiliate organizations simply submit a project application and maintain contact with the assigned intern.
"I found out about this internship through my adviser over the summer," said Stephen Clayton, a senior from Athens.
Clayton is interested in doing something positive for the community. The interns are working on a proposal to receive sponsorship from a University professor in order to receive University funding for P.L.A.C.E.'s event.
"It's a local food symposium for Spring 2010," said senior Heidi Sarazen.
Sarazen said P.L.A.C.E. advocates the economic, environmental, and nutritional benefits of a strong local food culture.
The interns described their organization's alignment with the Slow Food movement, which emphasizes the importance of preserving cultural cuisine by supporting local food.
"The problem we're facing is supply," she said.
Clayton and Sarazen said they would recommend the internship program to others.
"We're writing proposals, press releases, organizing events ... I'd never done anything like that before. It's a really great experience to have," Sarazen said. "It's really hands-on."
The Common Ground Internship program will begin Jan. 19 and end April 24.
Those interested can apply online at www.commongroundathens.org, or go to the Newton Street space on Baxter Street.
The application deadline is Dec. 1. If you don't have time for an internship but still want to be involved with Common Ground, it is always accepting volunteers.
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