Building a Diverse Network of Future Talent Through Nonprofit Internships

Welcome to the latest edition of Moving Forward, a newsletter designed to help nonprofits exchange ideas and learn from one another to unlock the full potential of the sector.

For many professionals, internships can be a launchpad to a rewarding career. For the organizations that welcome them, these opportunities can also be a powerful way to nurture promising talent and build a strong pipeline for full-time roles. To learn more about how nonprofits can successfully incorporate internships into their talent strategy, we spoke to Sara B. Chandler , Managing Director of Equity & Access at Elemental Impact , a nonprofit investor in climate technologies that has a wealth of experience in the internship space.

It's been about 4 years since Elemental Excelerator, Clean Energy Leadership, and FutureMap launched the EDICT (Empowering Diverse Climate Talent) Internship Program. What are some key lessons you've learned since launching the program?

The development of EDICT has been one of the most fulfilling experiences of my career, centered around providing meaningful opportunities for young people exploring careers in climate. We've learned several key lessons along the way:

1. Embrace Iteration: At Elemental, we value a Growth Mindset, understanding that achieving ambitious goals requires iteration and continuous improvement. By embracing trial and error, we lower the stakes and enhance collaboration, making our work both challenging and joyful. You can learn more about our Values in this roundup of last year’s NY Climate Week, including a celebrity-hosted EDICT event we partnered on with LinkedIn!?
2. Cultivate a Feedback Culture: Regular feedback empowers our team to navigate challenges early and stay connected. With guidance from Nikki Silvestri , we’ve integrated a DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) Leadership Skills framework, allowing us to handle difficult conversations constructively.
3. Align Strengths: Our program’s success lies in scoping each partner's role effectively, enabling everyone to work from their strengths. Open conversations about scope and capacity ensure that we’re aligned and focused on making the program the best it can be.
4. Invest in Mentorship: Partnering with the Clean Energy Leadership Institute (CELI), we match interns with mentors to support their climate careers. Two years ago, we expanded this by introducing intern coordinator roles, improving efficiency and relationships. Mentorship has proven to be a powerful investment, creating a cycle of positive impact.

EDICT is designed to create a diverse pipeline of talent for the climate sector as a whole, and this is a great example of how internships can be a valuable way for nonprofits to identify future talent for their own workforce. For nonprofits considering welcoming interns into their organizations, what are some steps they can take to ensure they're attracting applicants from diverse backgrounds?

Our goal is to launch a diverse talent pipeline for our sector, and to achieve this, we must support both talent and employers. Building and retaining a diverse workforce requires employers to strengthen their DEIA (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility) practices. Over the past four years, we've equipped numerous employers with the tools and resources to create an inclusive culture that sets interns up for success.

If you're an employer looking to attract diverse applicants, focus on these key areas:

1. Job Descriptions: Emphasize lived experience, use inclusive language, and consider investing in tools that detect bias.
2. Sourcing: Partner with organizations and job boards serving excluded populations, attend diverse career fairs, and work with specialized recruiting firms.
3. Resume Reviews: Anonymize resumes and involve multiple reviewers to ensure fair evaluation.
4. Interviewing: Conduct structured interviews with clear criteria and standardized scoring.
5. Empower Teams: Equitable hiring isn’t just HR’s job. Equip everyone with the basics of equitable hiring practices and the ability to spot bias, ensuring fairness at every stage of the process.

Additionally, create surveys to measure and improve stakeholder experiences, and offer bias training to your team. Internships are a critical step in launching careers in the climate sector (and others) and can help align your organization with equity goals in recruitment, culture, and development. Implementing these tips during the internship process can attract top talent to your organization.

What are some actions nonprofits can take when designing and managing internships to ensure that these opportunities are mutually beneficial for the organization and the interns?

We've had the privilege of working with employers who are committed to creating mutually beneficial opportunities. Here are a few actions we encourage EDICT (and other) employers to consider:

1. Onboarding: A clear onboarding process sets expectations, builds confidence, and helps interns achieve early wins. Providing context during onboarding prevents them from feeling lost.
2. Work Plans: Develop a work plan with clear objectives and weekly deliverables. Revisit and adjust it every two weeks to ensure alignment and clarity for both the organization and the intern.
3. Training: Ongoing training fosters a culture of continuous improvement and learning, encouraging team members to share their talents.
4. Clear Escalation Channels: Establish clear points of contact for troubleshooting issues, ensuring problems are addressed quickly and don't impact the intern's experience or the organization’s goals.

What can organizations do to maintain strong relationships with former interns, even if a full-time role isn't available right now?

Our partner Sruti Bharat , Founder of FutureMap, offers great tips for maintaining relationships with former interns, even if a full-time role isn't available:

1. Reflect on Your Experience: Think about how you felt after leaving a job and what made a lasting impact on you. Use these insights to shape your relationship with your intern.
2. Final Performance Review: Conduct a self-evaluation with the intern, allowing them to reflect on their performance and identify areas for future growth. This helps you support their long-term success.
3. Provide Feedback: Use the STAR/AR model to offer actionable feedback that focuses on growth and improvement. Be intentional in showing interest in their development.
4. Be Honest About Support: Clearly communicate the support you're willing and able to provide. This can take many forms, such as ad-hoc check-ins, offering learning resources, inviting former interns to networking events, providing mentorship, or serving as a reference.

Our goal is for EDICT's network to be as strong as Harvard's — or Howard's — creating lasting relationships in the climate sector.

Does your nonprofit team include former interns? What steps did you take to foster valuable, lasting relationships? Join the conversation by sharing your thoughts in the comments section.

• How to Write Nonprofit Job Descriptions and Duties: Discover more tips for writing inclusive, compelling job posts that can help your nonprofit attract great interns and other talent.?
• Free learning resources: Looking for more learning resources to help your interns develop their skills? Check out these free learning paths from Microsoft and LinkedIn, unlocked through 2025, which include courses on generative AI, project management, collaboration, and more.?
• How Teach For America Meets Ambitious Diversity Hiring Goals: Learn how one nonprofit leverages LinkedIn to help build teams that reflect the diversity of the communities it serves.

Is there a particular topic you'd like us to cover or a nonprofit thought leader you'd love to hear from? Let us know in the comments!