Grant Writing Assistant

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Title of Internship Position: Grant Writing Assistant

Time Parameters of Internship:

• Days of the week: Days to be determined - A couple of Saturdays are required
• Time each day: 7 to 10 hours each week
• Length of weeks or months: To Be Determined
• Tentative start and end dates: Currently there is no beginning or end date for this internship
• Is this a recurring opportunity? YES, we need interns all the time.
• In addition to working in the VCS office, the intern will have the ability to work from home in the development of these documents.

Location of Internship:

• Vineyard Community Services office (13798 Parkwood Drive, Burnsville, MN 55337), at least two days a week
• Intern’s home

To whom will the intern report for this position?

• Brian Geraty, Executive Director

o brian@vcsmn.org

o 952-686-8881 (mobile)

o 952-595-5980 (office)

Qualifications, skills, and characteristics requested in the intern:

We are looking for an intern who is responsible, dependable, has good time management and communication skills, and can work well on their own. Because this position will be both in the office and virtual, it is highly important to VCS that the intern is an independent worker and has good follow-through. In the very least, VCS needs an intern who is willing to work with our staff and volunteers to develop the needed documents.

Intern should be at least 21 years old, have good reading and writing skills, have reliable transportation, and have a working phone number and email address he/she checks frequently. The individual must have good note-keeping skills, as he/she will have to speak with volunteers and staff about their volunteering or service experience. Additionally, the intern will need to carefully track and submit time sheets and mileage forms. Interns are also expected to communicate several times each week via phone and email.

Understanding of the

• Grant writing process;
• importance of a clear understanding of the volunteering process

Specific duties and tasks the intern will be responsible for:

• Working with the Executive Director to create a database of potential grants and timelines for the entire grant writing process.
• Create and maintain a Grant Calendar which shows when a grant application and/or report is due and the contact information.
• Review funder websites, printed application guidelines and determine appropriateness of potential funder.
• Work with Staff and volunteers to identify areas of needs where a grant would help solve a problem or fill a need.
• Learn how to research and write grants.
• Research and help write, review and edit all affiliate grant proposals (both private foundations and government grants).
• Evaluate grant writing strategy to adapt to the organizations new strategic plan.
• Learn how to communicate with interested volunteers about what we do via phone and email.
• Work with staff to develop a list of partners who work with VCS.
• Attend community, career, and volunteer fairs with VCS staff to share information with attendees about what we do and how to get involved.
• Work with staff to engage in outreach to local newspapers, news stations, and radio stations to tell them what we do.

Training Required:

Interns will participate in orientation and training at the VCS office. This orientation and training will be roughly 3 hours in length and must be completed on a decided-upon start date. Interns will also receive on-the-job training and access to a staff person who will be available to answer questions via phone or email. Additionally, interns will be required to participate in at least six (6) hours of volunteering each month.

Benefits to the intern / Compensation:

Although this is not a paid internship position, interns will gain first-hand, individualistic experience in working at a non-profit organization. Interns will be reimbursed for any mileage spent attending meetings at our agency, as well as any mileage spent attending special events. Interns will be able to attend our functions for free and attend other events and activities as identified. Interns will also leave this experience with a professional reference, pending good performance and evaluation.

What will the intern learn?

• How to work with individuals to develop documents which provide guidance and direction.
• How to give a public presentation.
• How to communicate with the community about our organization.
• How to develop a list of contacts and organizations.
• How to connect and communicate with media outlets.
• How a nonprofit works.
• How Vineyard Community Services serves the community.