RAI Volunteer Engagement & Operations Intern

This fully remote internship will support Resettlement, Asylum, and Integration (RAI) in the United States comprised of 29 dynamic offices. RAI-US delivers lasting impact in refugee and immigrant communities by providing initial resettlement, mental health, employment, workforce development, English as a second language, and immigration services in addition to services for foreign-born survivors of crime and human-trafficking. Across program areas, volunteers provide critical support to clients, programs, and offices. Volunteer refers to anyone donating their time.

The Resource, Acquisition, and Management (RAM) team is based in RAI-HQ with the mandate to support RAI-US grants, development, and volunteer management staff. The Volunteer Operations Manager supports volunteer operations systems in RAI and will directly supervise the RAM Volunteer Engagement Intern, an unpaid internship opportunity to expand capacity. This internship will be integral to: inventorying, monitoring, and uplifting promising practices and compelling examples of engagement across the RAI-US network to support volunteer recruitment, engagement, and retention; supporting the operationalization of volunteer management across the network; prioritizing and strengthening knowledge management for RAI Volunteer Management Staff.

Major Responsibilities(include but are not limited to)

• Assist with compilation and creation of trainings and referenceable resources and materials for volunteer operations systems and procedures for both staff and volunteers, such as collaborating with HQ programs to create best practice one-pagers and service description templates
• Review existing volunteer service descriptions across field office, track consistent needs and best practices and use to inform development of service description templates across IRC programs that engage volunteers
• Support RAI field offices through the creation and publishing of local webpage content, including volunteer service descriptions and web announcements
• Support with knowledge management, training, resource development, and direct volunteer opportunity posting/review for the launch of our new volunteer engagement platform, Golden
• Conduct interviews with IRC volunteers and interns, write stories for publishing on local office webpages, and design branded social media content to publicize stories supporting End of Year Fundraising Appeals (Ethical storytelling, informed consent)
• Design social toolkit (Canva) for leveraging social sharing with networks, developing volunteers as donors/fundraisers (DonorDrive), elevating volunteer stories for appreciation efforts
• Design and deliver informational sessions and other trainings to network volunteers
• Support RAI network volunteers and field office staff through a variety of strategic responses as we strive to continue our work in a changing and challenging environment
• Support and attend RAM's annual virtual conference (August) with development and volunteer management staff, by assisting the Dev Officer with logistics and/or session content
• Other duties as assigned

Learning Objectives

• Learn best practices in volunteer management and community engagement serving refugee and immigrant communities.
• Receive training on and exposure to organization's use of multiple platforms used for volunteer engagement and supporter cultivation.
• Learn IRC's brand and messaging and gain experience creating branded templates and content as part of toolkit product.
• Learn/develop skills in social media/web content and marketing, especially regarding brand alignment
• Learn/develop skills in leveraging storytelling to increase community engagement and diversify support
• Gain insight into IRC RAI-US 29 offices and contribute to national level staff support services.
  
  

Requirements

• Must be a US citizen or legal permanent resident and authorized to work in the U.S.
• Must be at least 18 years old
• Must commit to 10-15 hours a week for service term, September 2024 - May 2025 is the preferred service term (with time off for holidays and breaks) but some flexibility is possible
• Must be based in the US for the duration of the internship

Demonstrated Skills & Competencies

• Demonstrated ability to promote an organizational culture that reflects IRC's core values of service, accountability, integrity, and equality. Ability to lead in a way that recognizes that IRC's work is best accomplished through the true collaboration of individuals from many backgrounds with a great variety of skills and perspectives.
• Digitally savvy and innovative problem-solver with capacity to work independently
• Experience working with volunteers preferred
• Clear, compassionate communicator
• Social media and graphic design experience with Canva preferred
• Fluent in English, both spoken and written. Creative and compassionate communicator.
• Attention to detail and accuracy
• Interview and story writing experience
• Flexibility to adapt to the changing needs and contexts of our network and to provide relevant, targeted support
• Proficient in Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, Outlook); ability to use the internet and other digital tools for outreach and engagement communication.

This position is fully remote with a flexible schedule. It entails learning and navigating several digital platforms as well as designing a branded toolkit. The ideal candidate is enthusiastic about digging into the details of external communications & platforms to support RAI volunteer engagement strategies, about creating trainings/resources/other content to support staff and volunteers across the RAI network, and engaging warmly and compassionately with stakeholders and volunteers. Successful interns are able to prioritize time and work independently on detail-oriented inventorying or design activities initiating proactive communication with updates and questions.

Working Environment

• Fully remote, intern must use their own laptop/equipment
• Intern must have a workspace they can effectively complete their service from during regularly scheduled work hours
• All positions are contingent upon clearing a background check vetting process at no cost to the applicant

Equal Opportunity Employer: IRC is an Equal Opportunity Employer. IRC considers all applicants on the basis of merit without regard to race, sex, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.