By Susan Sanow, CVA
Volunteer Fairfax Senior Manager, Volunteer Management Education
As we move into the most popular time to host interns, the “summer season,” are you looking at this as an added responsibility with optimism or dread? Why not embrace the possibilities:
- Need more supervisory/managerial experience? Having the responsibility of supervising interns may be a great opportunity that is right in front of you.
- Do you have a project idea, but need a team to follow through? Have your internship team turn your vision into reality?
- Feel like you are doing it all yourself? Why not refine your delegation skills with interns!
- Did you ever do an internship? Here’s your opportunity to give back to the next generation.
- Are you seeking to develop a skill that can move with you throughout your career? Managing interns provides you with that opportunity.
You have the power to mold a positive internship experience. I prefer offering a project with a beginning, middle, and end, especially if you can provide an end project worthy of their portfolio. With the right training, an intern may be able to write content for your newsletter, blog, or social media, too. Do not forget to have them contribute or review your internship training manual.
When you hire an intern, consider mutually signing an internship agreement. This way, you spell out expectations for you, your organization, and your intern. No surprises!
Best of luck to all intern supervisors for the summer of 2025.
Volunteer Fairfax offers the webinar “Opportunity Knocks: Hosting College and High School Interns” to ensure you get the most out of the intern experience. It is presented each Spring. If you would like to receive information on our upcoming Volunteer Management webinars, send an email to ssanow@volunteerfairfax.org.