PHFH Marketing and Outreach Internship Position
Job Title: Communications and Marketing Intern
Pay: This position is unpaid, but provisions could be made to receive credit
Job Description: Palouse HFH staff will design internship opportunities based on the experience needed by the individual, as well as Habitat's priorities.
Our goal would be for this intern to become familiar with Palouse Habitat for Humanity, its purpose and activities.
They will work with PHFH staff, board members and volunteers to review the existing communications strategies, and their work could include a combination of the following:
- Newsletters
- Press releases
- fundraising communication
- helping to plan and carry out events, including fundraisers, donor & volunteer appreciation, etc
- draft talking points and powerpoints
- brochure, fact sheets & flier updates
- radio and print media ads
- bulk email and social media updates
- website content management, input into website update
- Social media
The intern will make recommendations for a communications and marketing plan to raise community awareness of PHFH and its programs, increase participation at the annual fundraiser dinner/auction, promote donations and sales at the Surplus Sale, recruit new long term volunteers for committees, the build programs and the Surplus Sale. Intern will then work with PFHF staff and volunteers to implement the changes and updates, and develop plans for ongoing management of the communications and marketing strategy.
Dates: Fall annually, Spring annually
Hours: Flexible. Palouse HFH is willing to identify specific areas of focus and work with the student intern to determine appropriate hours, up to meeting course credit requirements. Intern will set regular week-day office hours in the PHFH office in Moscow, where the intern will have access to a computer work station, to allow for collaboration with PHFH staff and volunteers. Some work will be completed at the Surplus Sale at 304 N. Main Street in Moscow, some work will be in the community, and intern must be willing to occasionally travel to help with weekend or evening events in the local area.
Skills and Experience Required: Intern will have strong written and verbal communications skills; conduct themselves in a professional manner with co-workers, the public and volunteers; be comfortable using Microsoft office suite programs, including Word & Excel, Publisher, InDesign or equivalent program for publications; have basic experience with website management and programming, with communications tools like Vertical Response, and internet social networks. Intern must be willing to familiarize themselves with the operations and mission of Palouse Habitat for Humanity. Intern must be able to provide their own transportation.
Preferences: Communications or Marketing major; Junior, Senior or graduate level student with experience working with non-profit organizations.
Contact Information:
Jennifer Wallace, Executive Director
Palouse Habitat for Humanity
306 N. Main Street, Moscow, Idaho 83843
208-883-8502 director@palousehabitat.org
Introduction to Palouse Habitat for Humanity:
Palouse Habitat for Humanity (PHFH) is a nonprofit 501 C 3 organization, the local affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International. It is a Christian ministry which partners with all who want to help meet its mission to eliminate poverty housing in the Palouse area (Whitman County, Washington and Latah County, Idaho).
PHFH has built a new home each year since 2009, and completed a total of 14. Home #15 is currently underway in Moscow Idaho with a single mother and three daughters. Two years ago PHFH launched its Home Repair program, reaching out to low income home owners in need of simple home repairs or modifications.
PHFH offers a hand up, not a hand out. Partner families for both programs are selected based on need, ability to make payments to cover the cost materials used, and willingness to participate in the project. For example, Home Build program partner families help in the construction of their home by putting in 300-500 of their own “sweat equity” hours. On completion, they purchase the home from PHFH for a zero-interest mortgage based on the cost of materials used to build the home. Volunteer labor and donated supplies help to keep the cost of the homes at about $100,000.
Funds to cover program and overhead costs come from an annual signature fundraising event in the spring, a variety of smaller fundraisers hosted by local community supporters throughout the year, donations by local supporters, newsletter, and grants. The two-year old Surplus Sale, which sells donated home improvement and décor materials, also provides a source of home building funds. A volunteer board governs PHFH, along with active committees, including Family Selection, Family Support, Site Selection, Construction, Development, and Faith Relations. PHFH currently has a part time executive director, office manager, volunteer coordinator and Surplus Sale manager, as well as several dedicated office volunteer staff. We typically use 500 volunteers a year, who put in up to 6000 hours between the build site, the Surplus Sale, board and committees, and our Home Build and Home Repair programs. Those volunteers are community members, business leaders and university students.
PHFH is interested in creating more public awareness of its programs, with the goals of : 1) making sure we’re reaching the broadest possible audience of potential home build and home repair partners; 2) increasing quality donations to the Surplus Sale; 3) growing financial support; 4)maximizing volunteer participation. An important part of achieving those goals will be reviewing and updating our communications and marketing program with volunteers and the public.