A Wider Circle’s Mission

The mission of A Wider Circle is to advance equity in the greater Washington, DC region by fostering the exchange of goods, skills, and connections from neighbor to neighbor, and by engaging in advocacy to address the root causes of poverty.

Internship Objectives

To provide interns with:

• A first-hand understanding of the operations of a mission-focused organization. 
• Professional work experience that complements their academic studies.
• A chance to better understand the challenges faced by individuals and families currently living in poverty.

Internships are offered to undergraduate or graduate students for Fall, Spring, and Summer semesters. The Community Engagement Internship has both an undergrad/grad position and a position for high school students. Our main requirement for interns is a passion for serving people and a belief that your work can make a difference in the lives of others. A Wider Circle is focused on providing meaningful learning experiences, where interns are trained on the fundamental job responsibilities of working in a nonprofit setting.

We foster professional growth by providing training, mentoring, evaluation, and supervision. Interns work between 12–30 hours per week, depending on their course schedule.

Internship Positions

• To apply for an internship, please send a resume and cover letter to  intern@awidercircle.org indicating your position of interest and semester of choice.
• All internships are unpaid
• Unless otherwise noted, internships take place in Silver Spring, MD
• Our location is accessible by bus, but it does include a walk of about 10 minutes from the bus stop. There is free parking on site. 
• Interns work between 12–30 hours per week, depending on their course schedule.

Essential Support:

A direct service role in which you can assist individuals and families as they come to A Wider Circle to select basic need items and receive other services through our Essential Support Program. Conducting confidential intake sessions, guiding clients through our process from beginning to end, documenting testimonials, and conducting confirmation calls for appointments are key parts of this placement. In addition, conducting confidential follow-up telephone interviews to identify how we can serve clients more holistically and measure the impact of our services are key parts of this placement. An orientation toward excellent customer service is necessary for this position.

– Fully in-person internship

Research:

In this internship, you will develop and hone research skills by collecting and analyzing investigative qualitative and quantitative data, which will inform research team members, staff, volunteers, and contributors about issues that relate to A Wider Circle’s programs. These issues may include research on furniture banks, programs related to our community-based programs, and other relevant non-profits. Other responsibilities include data cleaning and analysis of our programs. For those applying to the Research internship, please submit a writing sample.

– Hybrid or fully in-person internship

Development:

Interns in this role will work directly with our Development team, providing critical support for our fundraising efforts. Responsibilities include assisting with prospect research for potential individual, corporate, and foundation partners; assisting with the development of draft language for outreach to prospective partners; supporting the administrative needs of the Development Department; supporting A Wider Circle events and campaigns as needed; conducting in-depth research on A Wider Circle’s donor base focusing on major gifts and new donors; supporting lapsed donor outreach and follow up; creating presentations that highlight our core services, and organizing and managing branded materials inventory.

– Hybrid (50/50) or fully in-person internship
– Minimum weeks or months for the internship 8 weeks or 2 months

Professional Development Center:

A Wider Circle’s Professional Development Center provides professional clothing and accessories to 3,000 individuals a year. Clients also receive one-on-one and group workforce development support. Interns will directly support the continuous improvement and expansion of these valuable services to the community. This internship will focus on three main skills: Client Relations, Outreach and Development, and Data Analytics.

– Fully in-person internship

Human Resources:

A Wider Circle’s Human Resources Department manages the employee life cycle and oversees all employment-related issues and seeks interns who can support online recruitment sourcing, maintain job folders, create and post jobs, create offer letters, establish workforce partnerships, create standard operating procedures, research HR best practices, schedule interviews, track invoices for job postings, and participate in career fairs. Must be proficient in Google Suite.

– Fully in-person internship

Community Engagement Internship:

A Wider Circle’s Community Engagement Internship will expose interns to a wide variety of nonprofit skills, both front-facing and behind the scenes. There are two unique tracks for this internship one for undergrad/grad students and one for high school students. This is a dynamic opportunity to understand how nonprofits like ours function and network among the many companies and groups that volunteer with us. Interns will have the opportunity to communicate via phone and email to a number of different entities; work on and clean up databases; present our mission and give tours to new volunteer groups; create and support processes for improved flow; attend team meetings; and interact regularly with people in many positions in the organization. The internship is sponsored by the Volunteer Team, which supports the hundreds of volunteers monthly that our organization depends on. The internship will include a mix of administrative skill building and developing a personal aptitude and style to orient, educate, and support both individual volunteers and school and corporate groups that visit A Wider Circle.

– Fully in-person internship

Ward 8 Hub:

A Wider Circle’s Ward 8 Hub in Southeast DC’s Washington Highlands neighborhood opens its doors Monday through Thursday each week to local residents and the wider community for health and wellness programming, resource navigation, mental health and art therapy, career counseling, and the provision of basic needs like food and clothing. We also operate the second iteration of our Partnership to Independence long-term individual support program at the Ward 8 Hub. Our work is rooted in creating a safe space, connecting neighbors to one another, and helping to facilitate community goals that are important to residents.

Both masters and undergraduate students from a variety of disciplines who can spend at least one semester on site are welcome to apply. *Note: MSW or other students who require supervision from a someone with specific credentials must find their own off-site supervisor. We welcome applicants who have a commitment to place-based, community-centered programs and to racial justice; and who can thrive in busy, dynamic, and sometimes challenging environments. Intern tasks will be tailored to the individual’s skillset, and may include online research, preparation for and facilitation of workshops and trainings, data entry, neighborhood asset mapping, outreach efforts, and working 1-on-1 with clients for resource navigation. Interns are highly valued, included in team meetings and decision-making, and can make a lasting difference at the Ward 8 Hub. The Ward 8 Hub is not close to the Metro but is on 2 bus lines and provides ample street parking.

– Fully in-person internship