Help to plan, run, and manage fundraising events; create the NIUCG annual report; gain valuable practice in gathering, interpreting, summarizing and presenting data.
Internship
Do you have a passion for gardening, sustainability or leadership? Consider an internship with the NIU Communiversity Gardens.
An internship in the gardens provides a well-rounded education about sustainable gardening, local food systems, as well as other learning topics specific to your major. Additionally, you could create projects and complete tasks that will help improve the gardens and relate back to your major. Because the internship is open to all majors, the possibilities are endless.
Applications are accepted on a continual basis. Send your resume and cover letter to niucg@niu.edu. These are unpaid internships available for one to three hours of academic credit. Internships occur in fall, spring and summer semesters, so work tasks vary by season.
Take a look at the list of majors below. Each major listed offers ideas of what you could do during your internship in the Communiversity Gardens and valuable skills you can gain.
Gain experience learning different aspects of your future career by teaching volunteers, learning about how nonprofit works and is managed, gathering research to present on different plants grown in the garden, and creating marketing material.
Help organize and create efficiency within the NIUCG and their online components; help to create the NIUCG annual report; analyze patterns of views on social media.
Gain experience problem solving by analyzing safety procedures and how they can be improved within the NIUCG; gain experience working with the public; gain leadership skills by instructing volunteers.
Create and design art for the NIUCG; create marketing materials; perhaps host and "art in the garden" fundraising event or something similar; take pictures of the gardens; participate in the tie-dye fundraising event; gain experience interacting with customers at fundraisers and analyze the sales (what encouraged the most sales); gain experience in fundraising.
Gain experience instructing volunteers (teach them how to do certain tasks but also could teach about the plants), gain experience in advocacy and working with people from different backgrounds; opportunity to create art and even teach art at an event as well.
Gain teaching experience and leadership skills, analyze the effectiveness of the past designs of the NIUCG logo; create social media posts of host events relating the history of art that portrays nature with the gardens.
Create art for the NIUCG to use in the gardens or sell in fundraiser; take photos of the gardens; manage social media; gain experience in fundraising; design marketing materials; design NIUCG t-shirts; create new NIUCG logo; participate in tie-dye fundraiser.
You'll have the opportunity to study biology in the life cycles of the plants; practice problem-solving by identifying pests and diseases causing issues with the plants and coming up with solutions to keep the plants healthy; experience leading and working with people.
Come up with new ideas and ways to complete tasks in the gardens; gain problem-solving skills, experience working with people; identify the needs of the gardens and create solutions.
Soil testing, analyzing the quality of the soil and determining what amendments need to be made; future careers could include working with an environmental agency or a non-profit; experience working for a non-profit.
Research and create marketing material explaining possible benefits of children learning how to garden; create materials that teach children how to garden; experience working with volunteers; research the impact of school gardens at different levels through the DCCG; gain leadership and advocacy skills.
Gain experience in oral and written communication (in person and via different social media platforms) manage social media; experience working with individuals and groups; grant writing for the NIUCG; gain leadership skills; create marketing materials.
Gain experience leading and working with individuals; teaching experience; analyze methods gardens have in place for working with individuals with communicative disorders.
Create an annual report working with data and statistics; create a program to track harvest yields and such; management and marketing experience.
Lead yoga in the gardens; experience in fundraising; experience in promotion/advocacy and creating marketing materials.
Experience teaching and working with individuals and groups in the gardens; research school gardens through DCCG; create materials on how to teach about gardens at an elementary level; gain leadership skills; experience planning, executing, and directing fundraising events
Gain problem-solving skills, oral and written communication skills; marketing and management experience, leadership skills, create; analyze the systems that use electricity within the NIUCG and determine how to maximize efficiency.
Gain leadership and management skills; gain experience planning, executing, and directing fundraising events; practice in oral and written communication; experience working with individuals and groups from a variety of backgrounds; create material to educate children on gardening and vegetables.
Research and create materials that explain the connection between engineering technology and energy and the environment; problem-solving skills; oral and written communication skills; management skills.
Practice oral and written communication skills by writing social media posts, reports, newsletters, etc.; grant writing for the NIUCG; gain leadership skills; experience teaching and working with volunteers; management experience.
Get hands-on experience learning how to sustainably grow food and teach others to do the same; create and promote materials that educate individuals on how to eat sustainably and locally; help reduce food insecurity, gain leadership, communication skills, and management skills; the possibilities are literally endless
Opportunity to work with individuals and groups in the gardens; opportunity to research volunteer habits and patterns; oral and written communication experience; research how access to fresh produces and how food insecurity affects individuals and families.
Experience in management and advocacy; oral and written communication experience; an opportunity to work with individuals and groups in the gardens; research how food insecurity affects individuals and families.
Management and marketing experience; experience running social media and creating marketing material; design NIUCG merchandise; create materials for NIUCG to use; gain leadership and communication skills; create material for a fundraiser; planning and executing fundraising events.
Plan, direct and execute fundraising events; explore how a nonprofit is run and managed; create NIUCG annual report (experience with data and statistics).
Experience in oral and written communication; grant writing for the NIUCG; management and marketing experience; create material for social media, newsletters, etc.
Create maps for the NIUCG; research and create material on how different geographical regions affect gardening; oral and written communication; management and marketing experience.
Gain experience working with a nonprofit organization; teaching experience working with volunteers; gain oral and written communication skills; research and create material to educate the public on how geology affects gardening; leadership skills.
Experience teaching and working with individuals in the gardens; gain advocacy and leadership skills; gain oral and written communication skills; research the effect of gardening on the health of the human body both physically and mentally.
Gain teaching experience working with volunteers; gain leadership and communication skills; research history of the gardens and create materials to share with the public.
Gain management and leadership skills; practice communication skills; gain experience in marketing; experience working with a nonprofit; coordinate and execute fundraising events; work with individuals and groups teaching volunteers; research and relate how the hospitality and tourism industry can become more sustainable.
Gain experience teaching individuals and groups; practice and improve communication and leadership skills; opportunity for advocacy; research and relate how fresh produce impacts individuals and families.
Experience planning and executing fundraising events; gain communication and leadership skills; experience directing volunteers; research and relate how sustainable practices can be made more efficient.
Plenty of practice in written and oral communication; write social media posts, newsletters, and reports; opportunity for grant writing; management and marketing experience; interact with NIU students and members of the DeKalb community; share the story and goals of the NIUCG.
Gain experience teaching individuals and groups; could create a fitness in the gardens event; research and raise awareness of the physical/mental benefits of gardening as well as the health benefits from eating the food; gain communication and leadership skills; management and marketing experience.
Gain experience planning and executing events; experience delegating tasks; experience instructing individuals and groups; gain leadership and communication skills; help organize and create efficiency within the NIUCG; complete annual report; aiding in managing the gardens; manage social media; experience in marketing
Gain experience running social media, create and distribute announcements/posters/flyers/etc for fundraising events; experience with sales also while helping to plan and run the plant sales; identify the best ways to market the NIUCG to gain the attention of the students and encourage volunteers; gain communication and leadership skills.
Work with data and statistics while creating the annual report; utilize problem-solving skills while working in the garden and when comparing yields from the previous and current years; experience teaching volunteers; gain communication and leadership skills.
Utilize problem-solving skills while working in the gardens; identify or create a tool to most efficiently complete garden tasks; research and relate how new tools and machinery can be made to be more sustainable.
Utilize problem-solving skills while working in the gardens; research and relate how mechatronics can use sustainable practices; determine if or how mechatronics could be beneficial to the NIUCG.
Develop written and oral communication skills; determine pest and disease harming plants in the garden.
Gain communication skills; examine the effect of the different weather systems and weather on the plants; research how plants affect atmospheric processes; raise awareness on climate issues.
Gain communication and leadership skills; experience planning and executing events; create materials and middle level on gardening and produce and their importance; experience teaching individuals and groups in the gardens; raise awareness on the importance of school gardens (check out local DCCG school gardens in the area); utilize problem-solving skills while working in gardens.
Gain communication and leadership skills; experience teaching individuals and groups in the gardens; research the effect of music on plants.
Gain first-hand experience in how a non-profit is run and managed; learn about how the NIUCG was established; experience working for a non-profit; opportunity for advocacy (especially environmental advocacy); gain communication and leadership skills; experience planning and executing fundraising events; work and learn how sales are conducted; management experience; experience in marketing while running social media and raising awareness of events; there's so much you could learn!
Experience in problem-solving/identification skills while working with plants and identifying/solving issues pest and diseases; gain leadership and communication skills; experience working with volunteers; gain excellent time management skills.
Gain communication and leadership skills; management experience planning and running events also conducting and delegating tasks in the gardens; marketing experience running social media and raising awareness of events; experience working with individuals and groups in the gardens; teaching volunteers how to garden; create material and share on how to garden, the importance, sustainable practices; raise awareness on food waste, food insecurity; food justice, etc; learn how to grow healthy fresh produce and share the information with others; inform public on the impact fresh produce has nutritionally especially; research benefits of gardening on health; utilize problem-solving skills; etc. so much would be beneficial!
Experience in management and marketing; gain communication and leadership skills; experience instructing volunteers as individuals or groups; gain time management skills; utilize problem-solving skills; discover how to increase efficiency at NIUCG; create an annual report.
Gain oral and written communication skills and leadership skills; management and marketing skills; utilize problem-solving skills; experience working with and directing volunteers in gardens.
Experience teaching individuals and groups in gardens; experience with management in completing/delegating tasks, running social media, overseeing volunteers; planning and executing fundraising events; gain communication and leadership skills; research physical benefits of gardening, nutritional benefits, etc.; possibly lead fitness class in gardens.
Gain oral and written communication skills; experience teaching volunteers; utilize problem-solving skills.
Gain communication and leadership skills; gain management skills; experience working with a non-profit; opportunity for advocacy; research environmental policy and what can be done to promote more sustainable practices.
Experience working for a non-profit; experience working and teaching volunteers; experience in marketing; research volunteer habits and come up with ideas on how to recruit/encourage more volunteers; gain communication, leadership, and management skills; research psychology of plants and health benefits, etc.
Gain management and marketing experience; gain communication and leadership skills; experience teaching and working with volunteers; opportunity for advocacy; experience working with a non-profit.
Experience teaching and working with volunteers; discover how the NIUCG can be made more accommodating; gain communication and leadership skills; gain management skills.
Gain communication and leadership skills; gain management and marketing skills; observe and interact with volunteers.
Gain communication and leadership skills; gain management skills (planning and executing events, completing and delegating tasks, running events; managing social media, directing volunteers); teach individuals and groups in the gardens; gain time management skills; utilize problem-solving skills; research benefits of teaching gardening and share results; create a program and advocate for teaching gardening in special education classrooms.
Gain marketing skills by running social media and create and distributing content to raise awareness of fundraisers, events, etc., gain management skills by completing/delegating tasks, directing volunteers, planning, executing, and overseeing events and fundraisers, etc., gain communication and leadership skills, research physical and nutrition benefits of fresh produce; research how the sports industry can be made more sustainable
Utilize problem-solving skills while working in the gardens; gain communication and leadership skills; create an annual report; analyze past and present yields; teaching experience working with volunteers.
Gain communication and leadership skills; experience in marketing and management; experience in advocacy
Gain communication and leadership skills; experience in marketing and management; experience in advocacy; experience teaching volunteers in gardens.
Gain communication and leadership skills; experience in advocacy; experience working for a non-profit; discover how the NIUCG can become more inclusive; research how gardening and access to fresh produce impacts different communities and minorities.
Gain communication and leadership skills; gain management and marketing experience; teaching experience working with volunteers; experience in advocacy; research and share on different foods grown around the world that are grown or could be grown in the gardens; research differences of gardening around the world; share recipes on different foods consumed by different cultures; research the sustainability difference found between different countries and their gardening practices.
