My goal is to help students like you get the inside peek of possible internship and job opportunities. I want to help you put the best foot forward and get the upper hand on “hot spots” in Lubbock.
I met with Rachel Flores, program manager at the Volunteer Center of Lubbock. She was very kind and helpful in explaining the organization and what they do with me. Their office is located on 23rd and Avenue Q, which is very close to campus. The office is decorated very homey and comfortable.
Volunteer Lubbock works hard to promote non-profit organizations and working with volunteers in the Lubbock community. Through their organization, they try to connect, empower and transform the community through purposeful volunteerism and leadership development.
“We partner with about 95 local non-profits. Obviously we are a volunteer center so one piece of it is helping them find volunteers.”
The Volunteer Center of Lubbock is not only a center that helps organizations find volunteers, but also provides workshops and programming that build them up. These workshops include grant writing, fundraising, event planning and different ways to help non-profits grow. The Center’s goal is to help connect the community with these non-profits that are searching for volunteers. Many students can also work with non-profits through internships. Many non-profits will contact the Center when they need help finding students through their website with job or internship postings.
“They will let us know if they want social media interns, marketing or PR. They are the common ones. We also have social work interns and human development and family studies.”
The Volunteer Center also hosts workshops that are beneficial to students interested in going into the non-profit market. These workshops include grant-writing basics for journalism and English majors, story writing, communication skills, presentation skills and project management 101.
The Application Process
“Treat it like a career fair, just like you would going to meet a business. Bring your resume, be prepared to answer questions, be prepared to bring questions because that’s really important as well for you to feel comfortable with the organization you’re going to.”
Be sure to highlight any previous volunteer experience on your resume because that stands out to many non-profits. It is also important to make sure you have a connection to the non-profit you are interested in joining.
Getting Involved
If students are interested into entering the non-profit world, Rachel is open to meet with anyone who has questions. If you do not find anything written on the page, the Center is able to contact any agency you are interested in to see if they have an open position. Many non-profits do not realize that students can intern for them and receive credit or that they may need a student’s help, says Rachel.
Volunteer Center Internships
The Volunteer Center also has several interns each semester.
“We pretty consistently have a video internship. We do social media, but a lot of times those are pulled together depending on the skills of our interns. We have an event internship. Then we have a youth or PR internship.”
Rachel said they use a lot of mass communications students because they seem the most eager to get involved with the Center and non-profit organizations. They are open to many other majors and anyone who wants to volunteer their time.
Best Advice
“As far as looking for an internship, make sure it is something you’re passionate about. Don’t do it because you have to have an internship. It will make it seem not as much work, more fun and meaningful. Especially if you’re giving your time, and you not getting paid for it, it’s better to give your time towards something you feel passionate about.”
If you are interested in finding an internship opportunity with a non-profit, you can check out the Volunteer Center of Lubbock’s website. There is a section labeled “needs” that lists out all the volunteer or employment opportunities.
About Olivia Utley
