Final Project

Purpose of the final project

Apply the knowledge and experience interns have gained through the internship.
Develop and deepen your intellectual and practical skills in a community setting.
Contribute something tangible and lasting to their host boards (and to the NPBI Program).

Projects should be 20 hours of work which may include research, creation, edits and final version. If you identify a project requiring more time, consider breaking it down into smaller parts that can be accomplished over a few years with various interns.

Projects must be complete for presentation at the April graduation event and final copies are submitted to npbi@ualberta.ca by April 30.

Examples of Past Projects

Provincial Advocacy Guide: A resource to help members communicate priorities to their MLA
Welcome Letter for Board of Directors and Board Orientation Checklist
Public Relations Toolkit: Elevator pitch and guidelines for promoting the organization to community and potential donors
Online Board Satisfaction Survey: Including board satisfaction, chair evaluation, self-reflection and exit interview.
Volunteer Recruitment: Establishment of a framework to recruit, engage & retain volunteers within a non-profit organization
Toolkit for Board Members to Become Effective Ambassadors Through Storytelling
Anonymous feedback system: An initiative that enables stakeholders to share opinions without it being linked to them
Digital Literacy: Guide to improve the digital literacy of board members by increasing facility with social media and other digital platforms
Social Media Strategy: A comprehensive update of the organization’s social media strategy to ensure alignment with the organization’s goals.
Board Mentor Program: Program for existing board mentors to mentor new board members, including responsibilities, mentor/mentee tasks, 5-month schedule, and alignment with strategic plan.

Strategic Planning: Contributing to the development of a new strategic plan by creating road maps, timelines, and actionable items
Executive Director Evaluation Tool: Developed goals and process for evaluating the Executive Director’s performance.
Board Orientation Manual Updates: Create new documents to acquaint new board members with the organization’s fund development culture
Board of Directors: A new webpage that describes the roles and interests of the board of directors.
Teaching Package: Set of presentations that supplement the organization's outreach activities
Membership Development: Infographic and recommendations for increasing the organization’s membership development, including welcome packages, orientation, tracking, and renewals
Board Evaluation: Created a board evaluation tool to identify organization’s strengths and challenges and enhance board effectiveness.
Enhancing Diversity and Impact: Research report on ethical, diversity, social and governance considerations for the organization, including best practices and recommendations

Read more descriptions of projects on the Stories page, here.

Best Practices in Project Development

Interns should NOT choose a project for their board; the mentor should NOT choose a project for their intern. Project identification should be a collaborative process.

Tips for success

When choosing a project:
- Get input from the board and choose one that will enhance the board and board members’ roles and will have long-term sustainability for the board
- Explore how the project connects back to the board’s mission and vision; consider the learning opportunities for interns, (Are they enrolled in any courses that may compliment the project or organization?)
- Share your ideas with the NPBI program coordinators for feedback before beginning.
To complete the project:
- Make sure the project is finite and has a clear beginning and end with agreed upon outcomes;
- Create an action plan with incremental goals and timelines and schedule check-in meetings between mentor and intern;
- Mentors should provide on-going guidance, feedback and constructive criticism;
- Interns should ask for assistance and feedback and communicate challenges as they arise.

Usual project planning

Typically paid staff are heavily involved in the planning process for project development and volunteers are brought in during the execution phase. For example, you might have a research project you want written where all of the information has been gathered and the volunteer has been asked to write it.

Consultant-based project planning

Alternatively, mentors might look to interns for ideas that can help the organization, much like you would a consultant. However, with this approach the intern doesn’t have context or history of the organization. They do not yet understand the day-to-day challenges or the strengths and weaknesses of the organization and therefore aren’t yet in place to offer assistance.

Rethinking particiation in project planning

Interns are at various stages of their learning. As they progress through the program they develop the skills needed to be an effective board member. Involve your intern at every point of the internship and talk to them about what they are learning and how they see this helping your organization. By attending board meetings and seeing how the organization functions interns will be in a better position to see how they can assist.

Once a project is selected it is important to check in frequently with one another to offer support and identify the resources you might need or know of. Some interns may not be aware of the resources that can assist them.

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