Impact Interns is community building program that represents a partnership between a company, 20 high school students and 20 local nonprofit organizations. The program has the dual benefit of increasing the readiness of high school students for the workforce while also increasing the capacity of local nonprofits.

2. How is this program different from other internship programs?

While other intern programs typically drop students into a summer job with little preparation, EPI works with the local high school to provide a 10-week curriculum that prepares students to become high-impact summer interns. The program has a particular focus on underserved students.

3. What is the total cost of the program and how much of the budget is spent on the program?

The cost of the Impact Interns program is $95,000, with 84 percent of the budget spent on the program and 16 percent on overhead and administration. EPI is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization.

4. What Is the Return on Investment of the program?

• 2,400 hours impacting nonprofits: as interns add capacity/productivity for the nonprofits
• 3,000 hours impacting students: as students learn workplace skills in the classroom and at the nonprofits
• 5,400 total program hours

5. How is the impact of the program measured?

Pre- and post-interviews are conducted with the teachers, students and nonprofit management to determine quantitative measurements of the program's performance versus objectives.

6. Who is responsible for managing the program?

An experienced EPI coordinator has overall responsibility, working closely with the high school, the assigned teacher, the students and the nonprofits. EPI's coordinator will maintain a regular dialog with the client to keep them apprised of the program's progress.

7. How does the program unfold throughout the year?

The Impact Interns program unfolds in three phases:

• Fall and early winter: Comprehensive preprogram assessment to select school, teacher, 20 students and 20 nonprofits.
• Spring: 10-to-12 week classroom instruction on work skills, including a nonprofit orientation.
• Summer: 120-hour internship at the nonprofits and post-program assessment

8. Has this been done before and what was the outcome?

The Impact Interns program is the result of a two-year pilot program conducted in Orange County, California, and funded by the Pacific Life Foundation. Here's what the president of the Foundation had to say about the program:

"We commend your team on developing a workplace training skills program which successfully prepared high school students to work at a nonprofit agency. We are pleased that the participating nonprofit agencies benefited tremendously by having a productive paid intern."

9. Can EPI design a smaller program?

From the experience of the Orange County pilot program, EPI has concluded that the 20-student and 20-nonprofit model is the smallest scale that is economically feasible. However, EPI is willing to work with two or three corporations to join together to fund one program.

10. Who is EPI and what is its track record?

EPI has more than 20 years of success in meeting its mission of developing successful, long-lasting business/education partnerships that have a positive impact on America's youth, the workforce of tomorrow.

EPI's clients include Champion International Corporation, MBNA Bank, Union Pacific Corporation, Oregon University System GEAR UP and Pacific Life Foundation.

EPI's programs for these clients are highly rewarded and recognized, most recently with the 2010 National Governors Association award for The Principals Partnership program funded by Union Pacific Foundation.

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