PICS Organization Name
The Resource Foundation
Website
http://www.resourcefnd.org/
City/State
New York, New York
Weekly Stipend
$500
Public Transportation
Yes
Housing Provided
No
Former Interns
Matt Doyle '19, Gabriela Pitten '19, Camila Novo-Viano '18
Organization Description
Since 1987, TRF has assisted donors in facilitating charitable giving to the Americas (Canada, Central & South America, Caribbean) through specialized, tailored services that enhance program results while optimizing impact. By forming partnerships with a network of nearly 400 carefully vetted nonprofit organizations in 29 countries, TRF helps donors to empower disadvantaged communities to gain and access the skills, knowledge and opportunities they need to improve their lives. Extensive experience in international grantmaking enables TRF to aid donors in successfully maneuvering the complex processes associated with supporting Latin American-based nonprofit organizations. TRF further collaborates with local nonprofit organizations across the region to implement country-based and regional initiatives that address a wide range of program areas, from youth development, education and women’s empowerment, to health services, vocational training and sustainable agriculture.
TRF leverages its regional knowledge and multilingual staff to effectively collaborate with both the grantor donors/clients as well as with the grantee local nonprofit organizations. Recognizing and understanding that many development issues are interconnected, TRF advocates for holistic projects that address the root causes of development challenges, thus ensuring programs’ efficiency and long-term sustainability. In doing this, TRF helps donors to support programs that contribute to the internationally-established global agenda and the quest to achieve the 169 targets outlined in the SDGs.
In the past, PICS interns have become an integral part of the TRF team by contributing to a series of different projects, ranging from Communications and Reporting, to Business Development and Strategy. They enable TRF to spend time on projects that greatly benefit our organization, but which oftentimes get pushed aside due to competing priorities. We are a small team (8 people) doing big things out of a WeWork location in midtown Manhattan - join us!
Internship Description
During an internship with TRF, interns gain exposure to and hands-on experience with a few key areas of nonprofit organization management: reporting/monitoring, program development, business strategy, and communications/marketing. Interns assist with the day-to-day management of concrete processes within these departments (50% of the time), while also taking the lead, in collaboration with relevant TRF team members, on several strategic projects to help strengthen these areas of TRF in the long-term (50% of the time).
Periodic meetings will be held with the intern supervisor to touch base about observations, interests and concerns throughout the internship, as well as to assess progress and address questions related to intern assignments.
The actual independent student project is meant to incorporate student interests and skills with TRF needs. This will be determined once the intern is selected. Past independent projects have included:
- Building out a strategic data impact shell in Excel where TRF records key quantitative outputs related to all supported programs;
- Research on the integrated development model and how it can specifically be applied to advance women´s empowerment initiatives;
- Research on key donor giving trends and how TRF can best position itself to take advantage of future opportunities;
- Research on peace and reintegration strategies in Latin America;
- Presentation on the TRF partnership model and how it advances Sustainable Development Goal 17;
- "Who is TRF?" institutional video; and
- "What does a TRF internship look like" video.
Internship Qualifications
Language skills (reading, speaking, writing) are crucial to this internship; Spanish and/or Portuguese are required, French is an added plus!
Valued skills:
Past interns prove that strong, independent workers who can take initiative and who aren´t afraid to ask questions are the ones who seem to thrive here at TRF. Strong writing, editing and/or translation skills are a huge plus.
9:00 am
Expected End Time
5:00 pm
Required Dates
No earlier than May 30 - no later than August 23
Internship Length
10 Weeks
Meets Certificate Requirement
No
Additional Info
In the past, some PICS interns have been fortunate to have friends or family living in the tri-state area and were able to commute easily into the city (we are located right near Penn Station and an easy walk/quick subway from Grand Central). Other interns have taken advantage of summer sublets (which are plentiful in NYC, Hoboken, etc.) and/or in summer housing available to students at NYU.
Evaluation Excerpt
The best part of my work experience this summer was working with different design and branding software to help with the organization's social media presence. The hardest part of the summer was my research project, but it was also the most rewarding part.
—Gabriela Pitten '19
I would say that my internship with TRF really allows students to understand the role of international grant-making and the large amount of projects and social changes that TRF funds. It was fairly educationally enriching in the beginning. Towards the end, the internship really proved to push me academically, which I appreciated. —Matt Doyle '19