As part of my series about young people who are making an important social impact, I had the pleasure of interviewing Ellie Zimmerman. Ellie Zimmerman is the Founder and CEO of Interns 4-Good.org a social enterprise that provides over 15,000 digitally-savvy high school and college students with virtual, technology-based internships with over 350 nonprofit organizations.
In this episode, I am joined by my wonderful friend, Ellie Zimmerman. At just 19 years old, Ellie is the founder and CEO of Interns 4 Good, a national non-profit that has been featured in Forbes Magazine… how amazing is that!! While backpacking the Owyhee Mountains, Ellie got her big idea: she decided to start a non-profit that connects teenagers with unique internships and service opportunities. Three years later, Ellie has been able to scale her organization to over 16,000 teen volunteers from all over the U.S. In this episode, Ellie shares her personal journey with bringing Interns 4 Good to life. I hope that Ellie’s story ignites your inner flame and inspires you to take action in pursuit of fulfilling your unique purpose too.
Ellie Zimmerman has grown her platform from a local to a national endeavor that currently has approximately 15,000 young people signed up and roughly 7,000 engaged in opportunities serving about 300 nonprofits.
Meet the morning stars of our 41st Annual Volunteer Spirit Awards breakfast benefit. You’re invited to join us Friday, April 9 at 9 AM to cheer them (or wish them well with a journal ad).
Ellie Zimmerman, 18, of Purchase was named New York’s Top High School Youth Volunteer of 2021 by The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, America’s largest youth recognition program based exclusively on volunteer service.
As State Honorees, Ellie and Caitlyn will each receive a $2,500 scholarship, a silver medallion and an invitation to the program’s virtual national recognition celebration in April, where 10 of the 102 State Honorees will be named America’s top youth volunteers of the year. Those 10 National Honorees will earn an additional $5,000 scholarship, a gold medallion, a crystal trophy for their nominating organization and a $5,000 grant for a nonprofit charitable organization of their choice.
The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, conducted annually by Prudential Financial in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), honors students in grades 5-12 for making meaningful contributions to their communities through volunteer service.
“We created the Prudential Spirit of Community Awards 26 years ago to highlight and support the work of young people taking on the challenges of a changing world – a mission that rings truer than ever given the events of last year,” said Charles Lowrey, Prudential’s chairman and CEO. “We are proud to celebrate the vision and determination of Spirit of Community’s Class of 2021, and all the ways they’re making their communities safer, healthier and more equitable places to live.”
Ellie Zimmerman is helping pave the road for young people to connect and receive hands-on volunteer experience with nonprofits, demonstrating it is never too early to follow your passion. Now a senior in high school, Ellie started her booming nonprofit Interns 4-Good at age 16 out of her own frustration not being able to secure an internship realistic for a high school schedule.
Ellie grew up in Purchase, New York with an admiration for photography and interest in learning graphic design. But putting her skills to use outside of school was a challenge. After freshman year, she applied for internships at local nonprofits. “I spent hours sifting through a maze of online marketplaces, with nothing surfacing,” she says. Ellie also reached out to local businesses, all who required prior work experience and at least one year of college. She knew she was up against obstacles having little to do with her capabilities or eagerness to work. The Boys & Girls Club of America offered her a position, but she had to turn it down because her parents were unable to drive her each day.
That year, Ellie attended a backpacking program in the Owyhee Mountains with 25 students from across the country. In speaking to fellow peers about her difficulties securing an internship, she discovered she was not alone. “Grace, an aspiring filmmaker from Atlanta, and Troy, a talented illustrator from California, both struggled to find the experience they needed to build portfolios. Others shared their frustration trying to find volunteer opportunities that accommodated their high school schedules. Almost every member of the group chimed in with similar anecdotes.”
Ellie had a lightbulb moment and was determined to find a solution. She interviewed several local charities to understand their technological needs. “In each case, digital projects had been piling up due to a lack of adequate resources. From maintaining social media accounts to organizing photo libraries and updating websites, these common needs were ideal projects for tech-savvy teen volunteers.”
Ellie’s mission was to fix this gap by building a platform connecting nonprofits and purpose-driven companies with high school interns. For several months, she worked on plans to get Interns 4-Good off the ground. The $400 this resourceful teen won from a social entrepreneurship pitch competition covered the cost of filing for nonprofit status and she was on her way.
Ellie allocates an annual $120,000 Google awarded advertising grant to cover web server costs and online marketing. After running “Virtual Internships for Teens” and “Volunteer Website Designer” ad spots, traffic to the website soared.
“Students typically find our website through Google or word of mouth. To become a volunteer, they fill out a Google form listing their skills/interests, completing two essays, and supplying a copy of their student ID, which we use to verify their age. Responses are tagged by skill and uploaded onto a master spreadsheet. Once accepted, each volunteer joins our Slack channel where they can access volunteer opportunities.”
Nonprofits may list positions on Interns 4-Good’s website or by emailing one of their volunteer nonprofit coordinators. “Our volunteers support a variety of causes with national and local organizations including the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation, Learning Ally, and Points of Light, She’s My Daughter, ENGin, and Volunteer New York. Most importantly, we work with dozens of student-led organizations that depend on our volunteers, helping young changemakers turn their dreams into reality.”
What started as an idea two years ago has surpassed Ellie’s expectations. Today, Interns 4-Good reaches 8,000 talented high school volunteers internationally and 180 nonprofit partners. “We receive around 100 new volunteer applications each day. By providing service options that are virtual, flexible, and offer real-world experience, volunteerism takes on a new meaning.”
Being one of the few virtual volunteer platforms, Interns 4-Good saw a surge in applications when COVID-19 hit. Homebound high schoolers missing extra-curricular activities and in-person social interaction created a sense of urgency for the nonprofit. Ellie was doing everything solo and knew she needed help. Luckily, the platform she created gave her access to already approved volunteers. Through a mass call to action email, she hired 18 teens to volunteer for the company. With this additional support, Ellie quickly expanded services to help the many children, parents, and teachers struggling with the transition to remote learning. During these trying times, she was amazed to watch the community she built rise to the challenge.
Creating lesson plans for teachers struggling to engage their students online was the first job Ellie and her team tackled. Within three weeks, the Interns 4-Good YouTube channel offered over 150 videos on topics ranging from space to model UN to the stock market. “Our volunteers now offer free virtual homework help to lower and middle school students, and technology support for parents and teachers struggling to navigate unfamiliar platforms such as Zoom and Google Classroom.”
While many high school seniors are planning celebratory vacations before their first year of college, Ellie is planning for Interns 4-Good’s expansion. Her strategy includes volunteers carrying the organization into their college communities as they have done within their respective high schools. “As our partnerships continue to grow, we will soon be able to provide interns not only with volunteer internship opportunities, but with paid internships with businesses that have social missions. Within the next year, I hope to transform our platform into an app that will ease the onboarding process for volunteers and organizations alike. The app will also serve as an online community for young volunteers to share information about their experiences and to spread the spirit of volunteerism among their peers.”
Two months ago, the Interns 4-Good team submitted a video pitch detailing our Tablets 4-Good initiative in the 2020 Points of Light Youth Summit Pitch Contest. This annual competition, which runs from July to August, presents the unique opportunity for teen leaders to put their plans for making a real difference in their school communities into action.
We are thrilled to announce that our video submission was selected as a finalist by the Points of Light team. Along with each of the other winning teams, Interns 4-Good has received a thousand dollar grant to implement our Tablets 4-Good this fall. Specifically, our money will be put towards purchasing refurbished tablets for underprivileged students, enabling these children to take full advantage of virtual learning opportunities.
For more information about Tablets 4-Good and how you can contribute to this important initiative, please visit the tutoring page on our website.
It has never been easier than right now to find an engaging and meaningful volunteer opportunity – especially if you’re able to volunteer remotely.
Around the world as nonprofit organizations look for ways to adapt and continue to make a difference in a post COVID-19 reality, they have increasingly been turning to technology to deliver their mission and connect with volunteers using innovative and creative solutions. At Volunteer New York!, a regional volunteer connector organization serving the suburban counties just north of New York City, there has been a 92% increase in volunteer signups since March 2020. When compared to the same time period last year, people have been raising their hands to help now more than ever!
“Several of the opportunities for literacy and tutoring programs that were listed on our website have been so popular that we had to be taken down within days of posting due to so many requests to volunteer,” said Katie Pfiefer, senior director of programs, Volunteer New York!
Since September is National Literacy Month, here are a few examples of nonprofits offering unique remote volunteering opportunities to be mentors, tutors, and readers that we hope might inspire you:
The Pajama Program: a national organization with multiple chapters whose mission is to promote and support health sleep and bedtime routines for children, has come up with ability to let volunteers host Virtual Reading Parties for Kids as a way to spark the imagination of children and bring communities together during COVID-19.
Quarantine Tutors: an organization founded by students for students as a result of this pandemic after they saw a need to help those who were experiencing challenges with remote e-learning. Their opportunity for volunteers (who face a stringent screening process) to become Virtual Tutors relies on using Zoom, FaceTime or Google Meet.
Another great example of how established nonprofits are adapting is the organization JCY-Westchester Community Partners. They have come up with a specialized eTutor Program specifically to match volunteer mentors to help students with their assignments remotely.
One standout organization that is leading the way to advance opportunity and education for teens while embracing technology is Interns 4-Good, which was founded by a Westchester high school student, Ellie Zimmerman. Check out what this innovative organization is up to in Ellie’s own words:
Interns 4-Good is a 501(3)(c) organization that connects teens with remote, skill-based internship opportunities at nonprofit organizations. Initially, I created the organization to allow high schoolers to utilize their skills and build their resumes while providing nonprofits with much-needed support. The nonprofits we work with serve causes ranging from health care to the education system. In response to COVID-19, Interns 4-Good mobilized its network of talented volunteers to help students in underserved communities with the transition to online learning. We set up a Zoom hotline to support teachers in navigating unfamiliar technology. Our volunteers also began tutoring lower and middle school students. When summer rolled around, we shifted gears to create fun summer enrichment programs and a virtual camp. To date, over 600 students have benefited from these services.
However, there are many students who do not have access to the technology needed for online learning. During this critical developmental time in many students’ learning careers, there is an immediate need for help. There are hundreds of students in need of electronic devices in order to benefit from our tutoring services and, more importantly, to participate in online learning.
Thanks to a grant from Points of Light, Interns 4-Good is planning to purchase refurbished tablets for these students. Our membership with TechSoup, a nonprofit technology marketplace, will allow us to obtain these tablets at discounted rates as low as $20. After securing the tablets, we will then follow up with a tutor to provide free homework help throughout the school year.
With thanks to resilient nonprofits and the amazing leadership of young changemakers like Ellie, there are more opportunities to make a difference with your time from the safety of your home. And there has never been a more important time than now to get off the sidelines and get started. To find volunteer opportunities near you, visit pointsoflight.org/volunteer to search the listings of hundreds of volunteer connector organizations around the globe!
Alzar School was founded upon the belief that young people, all on their own, can spark real change and make a positive impact on the world. Institutional procedures, rules and social perceptions of teens as immature mischief-makers often inhibit youth from stepping into leadership positions. Many young people are left feeling like they require guidance or permission in order to act upon issues. Not so at Alzar School! Instilling the confidence and skills to act is central to Alzar School’s Capstone Leadership Course and Culminating Leadership Projects. There is no better example of a young leader than Ellie Zimmerman, Spring 2019 alumna and founder of the 501(c}3 nonprofit, Interns 4-Good.
Interns 4-Good is an online platform that provides high school students with virtual, skills-based internships at nonprofit organizations. Through the Interns 4-Good website, Ellie and her team connect youth with partner nonprofits offering short term internships that draw upon real-life business skills such as Photoshop, web design and film making. The benefits are twofold. Teen volunteers are able to build their resumes, develop professional skills, and complete their service hours and nonprofits gain much-needed support and a way to engage with a younger demographic…
Interns 4-Good announced today it has been named a “2020 Top-Rated Nonprofit” by GreatNonprofits, the leading provider of user reviews of charities and nonprofits.
Interns 4-Good pairs teens with remote, skill-based internship opportunities with nonprofit organizations and has recently opened up various educational services to support teachers, parents, and students in their transition to virtual learning.
“We are honored to be named a 2020 Top-Rated Nonprofit,” says Ellie Zimmerman, the CEO and Founder at Interns 4-Good. “We are proud of our accomplishments this year, including our initiative in support of the BLM movement and other social justice organizations, free, virtual tutoring, and technological support for educators through our “tech hotline”.”
The Top-Rated Nonprofit Award is based on the rating and number of reviews that Interns 4-Good received from volunteers, donors and aid recipients. The organization has many five star ratings and glowing comments. One comment from a volunteer includes:
“I had the opportunity to volunteer with Interns 4-Good this summer and I completely loved it! The whole community, as well as the CEO are incredibly supportive and always willing to help! There’s a variety of internships and volunteer opportunities you can sign up for so there’s always a way in which you can help. Joining Interns 4-Good is an experience I would definitely recommend to anyone wanting to make an impact. I am really happy to be part of this organization!”
“Interns 4-Good is a great example of a nonprofit making a real difference in their community,” said Perla Ni, CEO of GreatNonprofits, “Their award is well-deserved recognition not only of their work, but the tremendous support they receive, as shown by the many outstanding reviews they have received from people who have direct experience working with Interns 4-Good.”
GreatNonprofits is the leading website where people share stories about their personal experiences on more than 1.6 million charities and nonprofits. The GreatNonprofits Top-Rated Awards are the only awards for nonprofits determined by those who have direct experience with the charities – as donors, volunteers and recipients of aid.
