Organization: Direct Relief
Direct Relief is a humanitarian nonprofit agency working to improve the health and lives of people around the world without regard to politics, religion, ethnicity, gender, or ability to pay. Active in all 50 states and over 100 countries, the organization is equally committed to providing aid to a Santa Barbara street clinic and a Bangladesh hospital serving Rohingya refugees. Direct Relief responds to disease outbreaks (including a large-scale response to the COVID-19 pandemic), natural disasters, and humanitarian crises; works to reduce the global burden of both chronic and infectious disease; and strives to create better outcomes for mothers and children, among many other goals.
The organization works primarily by delivering medications, supplies, and funding to health centers, clinics, hospitals, public agencies, and organizations serving a particular locality. Local clinicians and organizations know best the unique needs of the communities they serve; Direct Relief’s goal is to understand, respect, and help meet those needs.
While the organization’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic or a large-scale event, such as a hurricane or outbreak of conflict, is more likely to draw media attention, Direct Relief also works over the long term with healthcare providers and communities to improve health outcomes and enhance disaster recovery and resiliency. You’re equally likely to see Direct Relief staff members delivering an emergency shipment to the Bahamas, coordinating solar power installation on a clinic roof in Puerto Rico, or working to provide family planning options to displaced people in Syria.
Position: Communications Fellow
In order to inform the general public and existing and potential donors about Direct Relief’s local and global impact, Direct Relief publishes regular news stories and press releases, is active on social media, and produces a regular newsletter, among other communications strategies.
The Communications Fellow will be responsible for helping to research, report, and source stories, as well as updating webpage content and assisting with social media engagement. Work might include interviewing Direct Relief’s partners or experts in the field of public health or humanitarian issues; crafting copy for the organization’s website; and writing stories or profiles for the news feed.
The internship is an ideal fit for a graduate student interested in nonprofit work, communications, or marketing. You’ll develop materials for a professional portfolio – precisely the kind of work companies and organizations are likely to need. Along the way, you’ll learn organizational storytelling and research skills in a supportive, lively environment. You’ll gain an understanding of how nonprofits engage audiences and bring their mission and work to life. And because the organization is focused on advancing global health and reducing inequality, you’ll also gain broad knowledge about larger humanitarian, health, and environmental issues.
The Fellow will work either remotely or in the Direct Relief headquarters alongside Direct Relief’s Communications team, but will also receive input and guidance from staff members who implement the organization’s programs and work closely with its donors. The internship will start in June 2022 and will take place over 20 weeks, for 10 hours per week.