VOLUNTEER WITH US
Women with a Vision is always looking for volunteers and interns to join us in advocating for marginalized communities in Louisiana. WWAV offers internship and volunteer opportunities at our office in New Orleans year-round.
Volunteer work with WWAV offers participants a chance to immerse themselves in a small Southern-based grassroots nonprofit, to garner experience in community organizing, non-profit administration, health education, community outreach, and social justice and human rights advocacy.
Opportunities vary but may include community outreach, assisting staff with projects, research, attending community meetings, assisting in online and print communications, event planning, social services assistance, data analysis, maintaining daily needs of the office (answering phones, mail and email correspondence, welcoming clients, etc.), fundraising, and engaging in advocacy efforts aimed at curtailing human rights violations locally and nationally.
Positions are generally unpaid, but if you are a student, WWAV staff can work with you and your school/college/university so that you can receive credit for your time here. For those undergrads and grad students looking to perform internships, externships, practicums, or clinicals with us, please mention the necessary requirements for those placements in your application to us. WWAV is a particular good fit for social work, public health, public policy, psychology/counseling, and law school students. We accept rolling applications for Fall, Spring and Summer internships for undergraduate and graduate students.
Interns and volunteers play a vital role in our organization and will be expected to maintain professionalism, commitment, and compassion toward the communities we serve. Because we are a small but powerful organization that engages specific communities, our intern must possess the ability to maintain and successfully complete their workload autonomously, as well as the have the flexibility to adjust to the ever changing needs of the organization.
All volunteer candidates must attend an orientation prior to the start. There is no minimum or maximum commitment time or required length for your service — we only ask that you come ready to contribute to the work we’re doing and ready to work.
Some current volunteer and internship opportunities include:
Administrative & Office Support
Administrative volunteers will work with the WWAV staff to provide support for in-house office functions. You could be asked to assist with a range of front-desk and administrative duties, including: answering phones, patient follow-up, resource referrals, general program assistance, and depending on your prior training and experience, some intake or social services work.
Community Outreach
Outreach volunteers will work with WWAV staff to support the organization’s efforts in community engagement, advocacy, and education. You could partake in a range of duties, including tabling at events and health fairs, event planning, program support, canvassing, health education support, voter outreach, and other general outreach activities, such as attending community meetings, lectures, trainings, and special events to enhance WWAV’s presence in the community and to connect with our community and client bases.
Development & Fundraising
Development interns will assist WWAV staff in all fundraising activities, both at the grassroots level and in larger arenas. Volunteers will have the opportunity to: research potential funding sources (foundations, corporations, individuals, and public sources), explore donors and grant opportunities, assist in grant-writing and proposal writing, send acknowledgement letters and other correspondence, assist with donor and database management, and explore ways to increase the organization’s visibility to potential new donors. The volunteer will also assist in running fundraising events, and help WWAV set up internet and social media fundraising campaigns.
Communications & Marketing
Communications interns will support the work of the communications team. This may include researching and developing educational materials, taking photos and videos for promotional work, drafting materials and correspondence, and creating info sheets, policy briefs, event programs, flyers, and reports. Interns may also assist in writing for the blog, updating social media platforms, creating social media campaigns, and performing online outreach.
Areas of program work may include:
- HIV/AIDS Education and Advocacy
- Gender-Based Violence Prevention
- Sexual and Reproductive Health Education
- Harm Reduction
- LGBTQ Rights
- Reproductive Justice Advocacy
- Civic Engagement and Public Policy
- Social WorkPublic Health
Internship skills needed:
- Computer Literacy; Proficiency in PCs and Macs preferred, with knowledge of Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Powerpoint, and Publisher)
- Knowledge of social media platforms and use of web-based tools like Google Docs
- Effective communication, both written and verbal
- Ability to operate autonomously
- Ability to communicate effectively over the phone and in-person
- Ability to learn and adapt quickly
- Strong organizational skills
- Commitment to the mission of Women With a Vision, Inc.
- A passion for social justice, and an interest in work rooted in ending racial, gender, class, and sexual oppression
- Reliable transportation
- Willingness to work with diverse populations around complex community issues, including working with drug users, sex workers, formerly-incarcerated individuals, communities of color, low-income communities, and LGBTQ communities.
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