INFORMATION FOR PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS
The 2008 Global Impact Internship Program supports partnerships between organizations and businesses in emerging market economies and University of Michigan graduate students (primarily MBA students) interested in pursuing summer internships related to WDI’s three research initiatives:
- Base of the Pyramid
- Social Enterprise
- Globalization of Services.
WDI Global Impact interns provide the organizations with direct access to the expertise, experience, and extensive resources of a top-ranked graduate school at minimal cost to the organization. The student interns will help increase the capacity of partner organizations by working on specific issues and challenges that the organization is facing. Projects in the past have included expansion strategies, impact assessments, new business development, and business plans (examples of our 2007 Partner Organizations).
WDI offers two types of internships, the Student-Initiated Internships and the WDI Initiative-Driven Internships. Under the first, a student is responsible for contacting the organization, co-defining the project with the organization, and obtaining a written commitment from the sponsor before submitting a proposal to WDI.
Under the WDI initiative-driven internship, WDI will work together with organizations to scope the projects. WDI will publicize, review students’ applications and match the projects with students' interest. Once we have identified strong candidates for a particular project, we will contact the organization to conduct final interviews. When the organization finds a good match, it will inform WDI of its top candidate, and WDI will make the internship fellowship offer to the student.
The internships are generally between 10–12 weeks between May and August 2008. During this time, the organization is expected to designate a project supervisor to provide direction and supervision to the interns. Partner organizations are also expected to contribute financially or in-kind (local housing, transportation, etc.). Students receive up to a $10,000 stipend and up to $1500 travel reimbursement for participating in an internship with a partner organization. WDI Global Impact Internships are competitive.
If your organization is interested in participating in WDI's Global Impact Internship program and becoming a WDI Partner Organization, please fill out the following Proposal Form.
Partner Organization Proposal Form
Proposals for 2008 summer internships are due February 12, 2008. WDI staff will notify you within two weeks after this due date, whether or not it has been accepted for the 2008 WDI Global Impact Internship program. Once accepted, WDI staff will be in touch with you to publicize and connect you with interested students.
For more information about the WDI Global Impact Internship program, please contact Sinia Whatmore at surya@umich.edu.