Interning in the Nonprofit Sector
Yesterday I had lunch with a group of faculty and staff from the Human Resources and Industrial Relations Center in the Carlson School of Management, along with their guests from several nonprofits and government agencies in the Twin Cities. The occasion was to thank the guests for having provided opportunities for students to intern in various HR capacities in the nonprofit and governmental sectors.
This is a program with many mutual benefits. The agencies get bright, motivated students to help them with the many HR tasks (writing policy and training manuals, developing on-line employee surveys, etc.) that are important but tend to get set aside in resource-thin organizations. The students get great experience and valuable entries on their resumés. The HRIR program gets a valuable attractor for students and an important augmentation to its teaching capabilities. The many benefits of a good public engagement partnership are manifest.
At lunch I talked with an HR representative from the Courage Center, a remarkable organization about which I had heard a little but was glad to learn more. According to its web site,
Since 1928, Minneapolis-based Courage Center, a nonprofit rehabilitation and resource center, has had a legacy of advancing the lives of people experiencing barriers to health and independence. Our continuum of care includes rehabilitation therapies, transitional rehabilitation, pain management, vocational and community-based services, and camping and sports and recreation programs for people of all ages and abilities. Courage Center offers comprehensive rehab services for people of all ages and abilities. We specialize in pain management, brain injury, spinal cord injury and congenital disabilities. We offer accessible fitness centers, aquatic therapy, vocational and community based services, a transitional rehab program, and sports, recreation and camping.
What a great opportunity for our students to develop their professional skills and resumés while aiding an organization with such an important mission.