Adam Hudson, a lecturer in UWM’s School of Information Studies, knows the value of partnerships that benefit everyone involved. That’s what led him to found Nonprof-IT, an internship program that connects students with local nonprofits.
What he didn’t expect was the response from alums, many of whom return as Nonprof-IT mentors. Their involvement creates a snowball effect, growing a web of professional connections for students.
When he was a college student, Hudson had access to internship opportunities, but most involved working long hours in the summer for the private sector. He realized that setup could exclude some students, especially nontraditional ones.
“UWM serves a lot of nontraditional students or working adults,” Hudson said. “The advantage here is those students get experience without needing to quit their job.”
With the creation of Nonprof-IT, Hudson focused on two areas of need: tech help for local nonprofits and the lack of flexible internships for students. Nonprofits receive support that may not otherwise be available, and in turn, students get on-the-job experience.
Former Nonprof-IT student and 2024 grad Brynn Purin says she learned a lot. “Although I learned many technical skills, the ones I still benefit from to this day are the soft skills I learned in Nonprof-IT, such as public speaking and time management.” Purin works as an associate IT operations analyst at MGIC (Mortgage Guaranty Insurance Corporation).
How Nonprof-IT works
To get started, nonprofits submit a tech-related project for consideration. If approved, Hudson matches them with three or four UWM students to tackle the project. The students do comparable or even better work than he’s seen in the private sector, Hudson said.
One of Hudson’s recent success stories centers around the Indian Council of the Elderly. The organization has been around for 45 years, but didn’t have an online presence. A team of students created everything the council needed, from designing a logo to landing a domain name.
“A lot of students suffer from imposter syndrome or think that they wouldn’t be able to do something like develop a website or create a social media campaign for an organization,” Hudson said. “This is a really safe environment to gain that confidence.”
The private sector cost for the services that UWM students provide can be staggering for smaller organizations, Hudson said. Each Nonprof-IT project saves an organization $10,000 on average. “A lot of nonprofits have a very small staff, part-time staff or volunteers, so they may not have the technical aptitude, time or resources to undertake projects like this.”
Paying it forward
As Nonprof-IT reaches its 10th anniversary, Hudson is seeing his program’s true impact. He and his students have helped over 160 nonprofits — but he’s equally excited to see alumni returning to UWM as mentors.
Mentors, who work a variety of tech jobs, meet with students on a regular basis. Students visit their mentor’s workplace, often meeting with recruiters to talk about employment opportunities. Those connections are priceless, Hudson said. “That’s what keeps me doing it.”
For many students, Nonprof-IT was the launching pad for their careers. Giamo Rivera was a graduate assistant in Nonprof-IT and co-ran the program. He’s now a data governance specialist at American Family Insurance.
“Adam presented me with opportunities that were huge stepping stones that helped me get through the early parts of my career, and I am confident that I wouldn’t be where I am today if I hadn’t had the chance to work alongside him,” Rivera said.
Written by Rachel Maidl
Link to original story: https://uwm.edu/news/uwm-instructors-nonprof-it-brings-alumni-support-full-circle/