When I studied museum curatorship at university, I completed two volunteer internships at local museums. Each of these internships required a specific time commitment to complete assigned projects under the supervision of experienced museum staff. I learnt cataloguing software, budgeting and methods for conserving/displaying museum objects. And the museum benefited from my enthusiasm to complete my assigned projects, and my unique knowledge and experiences.
Setting up an internship program may seem like a lot of unnecessary work for little gain, especially if your organization already employs a team of volunteers, but the benefits make it worthwhile.
An internship program employs volunteers for project-based work over a set period of time. Internships target applicants trained or in the process of training for specific duties, most often students in tertiary education.
Benefits for the Organization
- You can target your internship program to seek volunteers with certain skills. For example, a museum wanting a volunteer to catalogue a collection of paintings can target volunteers pursuing Art History degrees.
- Because internships normally focus on a specific project, you can utilize interns to tackle new ventures or implement programs that supplement your current services. Your organization’s clients benefit from these new services.
- Rather then feeling obligated to find work for every volunteer that shows up, an internship – much like a paid position – allows you to interview prospective volunteers and choose the best for the job.
- Interns from educational institutions bring up-to-date knowledge and engage your organization in a two-way share of ideas.
- The specific, mutually-agreed timeline allows the organization to extract a firm commitment from a volunteer.
- Volunteers seeking work experience through internships are motivated individuals with the passion for your cause.
Benefits for Staff
- Staff gain experience training volunteers and learn from their skills.
- Often, the input of volunteers allows paid staff to look critically at their procedures and change their work methods to take advantage of volunteer involvement.
- Delegating jobs to interns frees staff members to pursue other projects
- Staff input into the formation of a volunteer internship program ensures each internship complements and enhances their own positions.
Benefits for the Intern
- Interns from educational organizations have the opportunity to apply their theoretical learning to practical situations.
- The on-site experience gives interns an edge in competitive job markets
- The intern learns new skills and gains firsthand knowledge of your organization.
- Interns receive letters of reference for future job applications
- The intern may gain qualifications or complete a practical requirement of a degree program (for example; museum and journalism interns)
- The intern may learn of new opportunities within their industry
- Interns make a positive contribution to their community.
