The nonprofit sector is facing what experts call an unprecedented workforce crisis with organizations in Wisconsin and across the country struggling to recruit and retain talented staff.
To cultivate new sources of talent and leadership, since 2003 the Theodore W. Batterman Family Foundation has been providing scholarship dollars for college students completing 10-week summer internships at nonprofit organizations in Rock and Jefferson counties as part of the College-to-Work Nonprofit Internship program.
"The Batterman Foundation was a tremendous advocate for the program from the onset. Their success paved the way for the participation of nonprofits and other funders including Siebert Lutheran Foundation, Northwestern Mutual Foundation, and George & Julie Mosher," said David C. Wolfson, vice president of Wisconsin Foundation for Independent Colleges (WFIC) which manages the internship program.
Philanthropic dollars directed towards the program primarily benefit three groups:
- Students benefit through hands-on experience at community based organizations and exposure to social-change efforts.
- Nonprofits gain from the work of capable interns as well as the opportunity to nurture young people to become strong nonprofit leaders.
- The quality of education at Wisconsin's 20 private colleges is enriched by increasing the number of students with experience in the nonprofit sector.
"To ensure that the agencies have the capacity to provide a meaningful experience for the student, we target nonprofits that are grantees of the Foundation. The Alzheimer's Support Center in Janesville, Jefferson County Literacy Council, Milton Historical Society, and YWCA of Rock County are some of these organizations," said Carmen Witt, former executive director for the Theodore W. Batterman Family Foundation.
Since 2003, the Batterman Family Foundation has supported 48 students through the internship program. These interns could become the future leaders of Wisconsin's nonprofit arena, reducing the sector's projected workforce shortfall and strengthening communities through their leadership.
