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Why marketing internships with a nonprofit could work miracles for your resume

If you’re reading this, you likely understand the benefits of a marketing internship to enhance your skills and potentially complete your degree. In your search, don’t forget to include nonprofit organizations! While you might not think about marketing in the context of charity work, it’s in fact a vital – and interesting – combination of interests. And with a marketing internship with an NGO, you can expect to be contributing towards a meaningful cause.

We don’t tend to associate marketing with charities. Traditionally, people felt it was inappropriate for charities to spend their budget on marketing campaigns, as they thought it would cheapen their cause. But society is coming to its senses about this. The fact is that all nonprofit organizations rely on strong marketing. It’s how they raise awareness and funds for their cause. Good marketing creates an emotional response for the viewer, which in turn leads to sponsors, donations, clients, all good things that keep the charity alive. That is why we need good marketing interns in the nonprofit sector. Does that sound like you? 

Why venture to Africa to do a Marketing Internship?

If you’re looking for hands-on experience, there is no better opportunity than a marketing internship with one of our organizations. At Roots, we pair you with one of our partners that best fits your interests and needs. These partners are all dedicated to making a world a better place and will definitely benefit from someone like you. As a marketing intern, you will be an integral part of telling their story to a wider audience. 

You will be creating that emotional response so that someone is compelled to keep reading, donate, sponsor, or join the team! Our favorite part of what we do at Roots is finding the best interns and pairing them with the right people so that both parties will flourish. Don’t believe us? Here are 5 Reasons for doing your marketing internship with an NGO.

business development internships Africa

5 Reasons for doing a Marketing Internship with an NGO

1. Do cause-driven work

As a marketing intern, you can work on projects that directly benefit communities or the environment. Pick a cause you’re passionate about, and you’ll see that it will impact your drive and sense of accomplishment in your daily work. You might support social impact, environmental, gender equality, or animal welfare programs; there are plenty of opportunities with a variety of causes. 

2. Explore diverse marketing avenues

Doing a marketing internship with a charity will likely involve a range of marketing tasks. While a more traditional marketing internship might have you focus on a specific element of marketing – market research, marketing communications, or digital marketing campaigns – you can expect to do it all when you’re working for a small nonprofit. This means you’ll get to explore all aspects of marketing, sample what different marketing careers would look like, and determine where your strengths and interests really lie. 

3. Learn from social entrepreneurs

If you join a small nonprofit, you’ll likely be working with the founders or leadership of the organization. You’ll get to learn from people with entrepreneurial talent, creativity, and a wealth of experience. While you’ll be focusing on marketing, you’re likely to get a good sense of the ins and outs of nonprofit management, which will add another dimension to your learning experience. 

NGO Management Internship

4. Gain experience to add to your resume

Whether you’ll be applying for jobs in the nonprofit sector or in the business world, there is great value in the work experience gained at nonprofit organizations. It’s a good show of character, especially if you can point to tangible contributions you made to the charity you interned for. The international travel experience also shows versatility and adaptability that is likely to be noticed by future employers. 

5. See and explore exotic locations

If you are looking for a way to see areas and countries you wouldn’t normally visit while also contributing to projects that have positive impacts on their communities, doing a nonprofit internship in Africa could be a great fit for you. The locations of our marketing internships in Africa vary greatly; you might be in cosmopolitan Cape Town, on the banks of the Zambezi River in Zambia, or in a rural village in Malawi. 

Communications internship in Cape Town

How to apply for a marketing internship in Africa 

Applying is easy, and we’ll help you every step of the way! Follow these simple steps for success: 

1. Research your internship

Find out your area of interest, and research the organization, the country, what you’ll be doing with us, and how this can help with you with your future endeavors. Also take a look at our requirements list on the internship listing; some have more specific requirements and some do not. 

2. Talk to your parents/ the university

Assuming you’re a student, make sure your parents and university or college give permission. Some universities will even give you academic credit for the internship. 

3. Contact us!

Get in touch with us on our website, and we’ll do the rest! Our fee covers finding you the right internship, processing your booking, helping you prepare for your experience, and assisting you on the ground. 

4. Get ready for the experience of a lifetime!

Pack your bags! Oh, and tag us in your amazing pictures and brag about us to your friends and colleagues. We’re online on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn, as @rootsinterns. 

New marketing internships in Africa for 2021 and 2022: 

Sounds interesting? Check out all of our marketing internship listings here!

This blog post was written by Ben Parks