DOROT offers semester or year-long internships for college students interested in careers in non-profit management, community organizing, social work and working with older adults.

This internship provides students with an understanding of the issue and impact of social isolation among older adults as well as DOROT’s response. Each intern receives substantive work and project management experience. While the work done by interns varies by department we are committed to entrusting interns with significant responsibility and providing them with an opportunity to contribute to their department in a real and impactful way. All interns will be assigned a DOROT senior for a weekly friendly phone call.

There are opportunities for interns to customize projects to match interests, meet professional goals, and/or fulfill requirements for class credits.

We ask for a commitment of 8-10 hours per week, excluding school vacation weeks. In some cases, accommodations can be made for interns with extreme time constraints. Please note: At the time of this posting, DOROT is operating in a mostly remote work environment. For the spring semester (beginning in January 2022), it is possible that we will have returned to work either completely in-person or in a hybrid model. In the event we are working partially or completely in-person, some of the responsibilities detailed in the internship descriptions may take place either in the homes of seniors or onsite at DOROT. Additional information about these changes will be provided with as much advance notice as possible. All times listed are Eastern. Proof of vaccination will be required to work on-site and/or in the homes of seniors.

Internship positions will be offered and are accepted on a rolling basis. As such, availability of all posted positions are subject to change.

For more information, please visit - https://www.dorotusa.org/volunteer/high-school-college-internships/spring-and-fall-college-internship - or contact Sharon Stahl, Coordinator of College and Adult Volunteers, at sstahl@dorotusa.org.

Connect Through Tech

The Connect Through Tech (CTT) department provides 1:1 technology assistance for older adults to help them stay socially connected and allow them to access the resources and information they need to live independently in an increasingly digital world.

Preferred Work Model: Some activities remote; some activities may take place at DOROT or through visits to older adults' homes in Manhattan, depending on relevant COVID-19 related health and safety protocols.

Required Days/Hours: Must be available for Connect Through Tech Department Meetings on Thursdays at 1:15pm-1:45pm, 8-10 hours per week

1 Intern Requested

Impact and Evaluation

Measuring and promoting DOROT’s impact on alleviating social isolation and strengthening intergenerational connections is critical to our mission. The Impact and Evaluation department develops, implements, and reports success measures across DOROT’s programs and service areas to enhance delivery, foster volunteer engagement, and communicate outcomes. Interns explore social science theories within the context of a nonprofit's internally-based evaluation department.

Preferred Work Model: Fully Remote

Required Days/Hours: Any, 8-10 hours per week

Position Filled

Intergenerational Program Engagement

DOROT’s Department of Intergenerational Program Engagement connects clients and older adult volunteers to caring students in elementary, middle, and high school; creates meaningful intergenerational experiences; and helps community members assist their aging neighbors. To this end, DOROT offers a broad range of opportunities for young people and their families to engage with seniors. A college intern in the department supports these initiatives by taking on responsibility for administering selected programming involving middle school and high school students and DOROT seniors. Through this work, the intern will learn about the attributes of successful program administration, intergenerational programming and service-learning models. There will also be opportunities to build facilitation and organizational skills as well as to gain a greater understanding of the senior population in DOROT’s catchment area.

Preferred Work Model: Some activities remote; some activities may take place at DOROT or through visits to older adults' homes in Manhattan, depending on relevant COVID-19 related health and safety protocols.

Days/Hours Required: Must be available 2-4 days per week, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday 3pm-7pm; Fridays anytime; 8-10 hours per week

1 Intern Requested

Kosher Meals at Home

These interns will reach out to DOROT’s seniors to check in on those who receive Kosher Meals at Home. During the check-in phone call, interns will assess for any additional assistance that the seniors may need and be a friendly caring voice for the senior and take the weekly food order. In addition to ensuring that older adults in the Kosher Meals at Home program regularly have access to nutritious food, they will assist with Birthday Calls. Note: If DOROT is operating in-person, interns will convert Birthday Calls to in-person visits.

Preferred Work Model: Some activities remote; some activities may take place at DOROT or through visits to older adults' homes in Manhattan, depending on relevant COVID-19 related health and safety protocols.

Days/Hours Required: Both interns must be available on Mondays 2pm-3pm for a weekly department meeting. One internship is available on Mondays and Wednesdays and the other is available on Tuesdays and Thursdays (with the one-hour meeting on Mondays). 8-10 hours per week.

2 Interns Requested

Lasting Impressions

This internship will enable the intern to learn from and with older adults in a variety of ways—by capturing their legacy stories on paper, helping with small-group and large-format workshops, working on administrative and programmatic tasks, and being a member of a dynamic team that seeks to enable older adults to share who they were, who they are, and who they want to be—their legacy stories.

Preferred Work Model: Some activities remote; some activities may take place at DOROT or through visits to older adults' homes in Manhattan, depending on relevant COVID-19 related health and safety protocols.

Required Days/Hours: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday – either two afternoons or one full day, 8-10 hours per week

Position Filled

Onsite and Special Programs

The Onsite & Special Programs intern will assist with facilitating and conducting remote and, if possible, in-person classes, lectures and discussion groups for DOROT older adults as well as promote a variety of upcoming events. Strong collaboration skills and a willingness to engage with large groups of seniors is a must.

Preferred Work Model: Some activities remote; some activities may take place at DOROT or through visits to older adults' homes in Manhattan, depending on relevant COVID-19 related health and safety protocols.

Required Days/Hours: 2-3 days per week, 12pm-5pm (not Fridays), 8-10 hours per week

Position Filled

University Without Walls

DOROT’s University Without Walls (UWW) offers hundreds of teleconference programs, appealing to a wide range of interests – all over the telephone. Participants from New York and across the country can choose from ever-changing topics. The University Without Walls Intern will work directly with the Program Coordinator to complete a variety of tasks to ensure the program runs smoothly and efficiently. This internship will provide opportunities for research, data entry and engaging directly with program participants.

Preferred Work Model: Some activities remote; some activities may take place at DOROT or through visits to older adults' homes in Manhattan, depending on relevant COVID-19 related health and safety protocols.

Required Days/Hours: Any, 8-10 hours per week

Position Filled

Volunteer Services – General

The Volunteer Services intern will provide administrative support for a wide variety of volunteer programs including corporate volunteering, DOROT’s knitting and crochet volunteers, Cooking for DOROT, and cardmaking events. Through this work, the intern will learn about project and event planning and management, and nonprofit administration, as well as gain skills in communicating with volunteers, colleagues, and older adults. Interns will also be paired with older adults for weekly phone or in home visits and have the opportunity to participate in Volunteer Services programs and events.

Preferred Work Model: Some activities remote; some activities may take place at DOROT or through visits to older adults' homes in Manhattan, depending on relevant COVID-19 related health and safety protocols.

Required Days/Hours: 2 days per week (Monday/Wednesday or Tuesday/Thursday), 4-6 hours per week

1 Intern Requested

Volunteer Services – Response Team

DOROT's Response Team Intern will support the organization's program for occasional volunteers to help older adults with pressing needs. The intern will conduct outreach to older adults to engage participation, track involvement and review feedback. The intern will also provide input on program activities and learn about nonprofit program planning and coordination. In addition, the intern will visit/speak by phone with an older adult on a weekly basis.

Preferred Work Model: Some activities remote; some activities may take place at DOROT or through visits to older adults' homes in Manhattan, depending on relevant COVID-19 related health and safety protocols.

Required Days/Hours: 2 days per week (Monday/Wednesday or Tuesday/Thursday), 8-10 hours per week

1 Intern Requested

The anticipated start date for this internship is the week of January 17, 2022, with orientation taking place on Wednesday, January 12 – 2pm-5pm Eastern. Accommodations can be made for alternate start dates, if needed.

• Applicants who are interested in receiving course credit for this internship must determine their eligibility with their school’s internship coordinator prior to accepting an internship offer.*

Knowledge of Microsoft Office, Outlook, Zoom and Salesforce a plus.

• Excellent verbal and written communication
• Willingness to learn
• Enthusiastic to learn about the field of aging and engage with older adults through a variety of programs

DOROT alleviates social isolation among the elderly and provides services to help them live independently as valued members of the community. We serve the Jewish and wider community, bringing the generations together in a mutually beneficial partnership of elders, volunteers and professionals. Our work provides an effective model for others.