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Ronald McDonald House - Houston Internship

Schedule:

This internship position is for the 2017 fall semester, ideally from September-December (approximately 12 weeks). Hours will be determined individually with the selected intern and the staff Marketing Coordinator based upon need and desire, to be scheduled within the work week Monday-Friday from 10 AM to 5 PM. This internship is unpaid, however the minimum time commitment required is 6 hours weekly, with the opportunity to serve up to a maximum of 20 hours per week. We will work with students on an individual basis to design a shift schedule that meets course and credit requirements.

Organizational Mission:

Ronald McDonald House Houston offers a home away from home providing care, compassion and hope to families with seriously ill children being treated in Texas Medical Center member institutions.

Internship Purpose:

This internship provides an overall insight into the marketing and communications processes of a global nonprofit. The intern will support the Advancement team – the fundraising arm of our organization – and specifically the Marketing Coordinator, who oversees all organizational branding and external communications, as well as marketing and communication efforts for our fundraising events. The internship will focus on marketing and communications for fundraising purposes and will offer the opportunity to work with other Advancement team members on our annual fundraising campaigns and events. Additionally, there will be expected to complete readings related to the assignments to enhance his/her experience and will receive coaching on his/her performance throughout the semester.

Duties and Responsibilities:

The responsibilities will vary depending on the intern’s particular skill set and interests. The selected intern will work closely with our Marketing Coordinator on various projects throughout the semester:

  • Assist with the publicity and marketing for our annual fun run, the Trafigura Run for the House, and our Chevron Houston Marathon running team.
  • Assist with public relations efforts for our inaugural Spirit of Hope Luncheon.
  • Create graphics for social media accounts and other in-House graphic design projects.
  • Development of content for upcoming social fundraising campaign
  • Conduct interviews and write copy for impact stories (family, volunteer, or donor) for use in online marketing efforts.

Qualifications and Requirements:

  • Excellent organizational skills. If you like to color-code, you are speaking our language!
  • Self-starter who takes initiative and can work independently.
  • Good listener. We want you to be receptive to feedback, coaching and experimentation – we are always learning.
  • Collaborative team-player. We are a small team that works very hard – and we look forward to having another player join us.
  • Adaptable and willing to work where needed. While the majority of our time is spent on our assignments, sometimes there is no one except our team to accomplish a task and we will need to hunker down and get it done, together.
  • Understand the urgency of prompt, personal follow-up. Relationships are built on trust and communications, and it is our responsibility to develop them.
  • Empathetic and compassionate. We serve families with varying cultural backgrounds and children of various ages who may be very ill.
  • Familiarity using computers and comfortable with technology in general; comfortable using Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Excel.
  • Ability to maintain professional behavior when representing Ronald McDonald House Houston at formal events, meetings, and during phone calls.

The following skills are not required but would be very beneficial. Please indicate any experience you have with the following in your résumé or letter of interest and provide samples, where possible:

  • Photography or video (capturing or editing)
  • Coding or web development experience
  • Graphic design (familiarity with Photoshop is a plus)
  • Public relations and media outreach

Physical Demands:
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by a volunteer to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

  • While performing the duties of this job the volunteer is regularly required to walk distances, sit and stand, use hands to finger manipulation, handle, feel, reach with arms and hands, and talk or hear.
  • The volunteer may be required to lift up to 25 pounds.
  • The vision requirements include close, distance, peripheral, and depth perception.
  • A vehicle is not required; however, an intern may be asked to accompany staff to meetings or to run errands on behalf of Ronald McDonald House Houston.

Application Submission:
Please submit the following materials by email to mc@rmhhouston.org by Monday, September 11:

  • Letter of interest summarizing your previous experience and how it applies to this internship, as well as what you hope to gain from this experience to prepare you for the future.
  • 1-page résumé
  • 1-2 writing samples
  • 2-3 professional or academic references

After reviewing your completed application, our staff will contact you to discuss next steps.