Interns can be terrific additions to a nonprofit’s capacity building journey, and can also contribute to the pipeline of future nonprofit leaders. It’s important to treat interns professionally, which starts by clarifying whether they are unpaid volunteers or paid employees.
Interns can be volunteers, in which case they are not paid, or they may be classified as employees, in which case they receive compensation. To some extent, the choice is at the discretion of the nonprofit. Know your state’s laws governing wages and hours of work, and determine whether your interns fall under the definition of “volunteer” or “employee” in your state.