The following are summer positions or unfilled semester positions that are still available.
Students: If you are interested in learning more about the position or applying, please contact the mentor/organization directly. You can view contact info by clicking the "More" button under each project.
Client: North Carolina Clean Energy Fund
Communications & Social Media Strategy Support Intern
Organization Overview
The NC Clean Energy Fund (soon to be the Clean Energy Fund of the Carolinas) is a nonprofit financial institution operating in North and South Carolina. Our mission is to accelerate investment in clean and efficient energy solutions and increase climate resilience in the Carolinas, particularly to the benefit of underserved populations. We partner with public and private investors, foundations and other non-profit organizations to deploy sustainable financing solutions that will create long-lasting environmental, economic and social benefits.
In January 2025, NCCEF welcomed a South Carolina Director of Strategic Partnerships and Development to help expand the mission of our organization and build strong partnerships with key public and private local and state entities in South Carolina. In August 2025, we will be rebranding to include our new name and logo. The transition from the NC Clean Energy Fund to the Clean Energy Fund of the Carolinas reflects our commitment to serving both North Carolina and South Carolina with community-focused clean energy financing for all.
Project Summary
As our organization undergoes an exciting rebrand to be more inclusive of our expansion into South Carolina, we are seeking a motivated intern to help develop and implement a refreshed communications and social media strategy. This role will be instrumental in launching our new visual identity across digital platforms, establishing and managing our Instagram (and potentially Facebook) presence, and optimizing our website as a hub for engagement and growth.
This is a hands-on opportunity for a student interested in communications, digital marketing, or nonprofit branding to gain valuable real-world experience while contributing meaningfully to a mission-driven organization.
Project Objectives
• Learn about the financing needs of North and South Carolina households and develop messaging that will encourage participation
• Develop an understanding of our current lending programs
• Support the launch of our new brand identity across digital channels
• Create and manage a new Instagram account and advise on Facebook usage
• Expand and improve website content and structure for better usability and outreach
• Develop social media guidelines and templates that can be sustained after the internship
• Assist with content creation (visual and written) aligned with our mission and rebrand
• Assist with the development of our quarterly newsletters
• Use evidence-based communication techniques to reach new or under-engaged audiences
Key Responsibilities
• Research communication best practices in the clean energy or climate finance space to inform messaging strategy
• Research and develop a social media strategy tailored to our audience and goals, including effective and cost-efficient paid ad placement
• Design and schedule social media posts using tools like Canva
• Draft content and create visuals consistent with our new branding
• Research important players in the clean energy field, including our current and potential partners
• Follow and collaborate with other parties in our ecosystem to help grow online presence, including sharing educational materials and updates from our partners.
• Collaborate with staff to collect stories, images, and updates for social media and our website
• Recommend improvements for our website layout, content, and accessibility
• Help draft a style guide or content calendar for ongoing use
• Monitor engagement and adjust strategies as needed
Project Location: Remote (potential opportunities for in-person collaboration)
Project Level: Advanced
Project Type
Internship
Skills Desired
Preferred Skills & Qualifications
• Interest in communications, marketing, media, or nonprofit work
• Familiarity with Instagram, Facebook, Canva, and WordPress
• Strong writing, storytelling, and visual design skills
• Ability to work independently and take initiative
• Graphic design or web design experience is a plus
Project Deliverables
By the end of the internship, the student will leverage their understanding of the clean energy ecosystem in the Carolinas to produce:
• A live Instagram/Facebook account with a minimum of 10 original posts, and 3 short videos and an engagement plan
• A content calendar template (1-3 months) for ongoing social media use
• Produce Tik Tok content for the Carolina SURE account
• A brief strategy document with platform recommendations and brand guidelines
• Recommendations or mockups for website improvements
• Analytics summary and reflections on audience engagement
Funding: $20/hr
Comments:
Supervision & Mentorship
The intern will report to Emily Velasquez, who will provide regular check-ins and feedback. The intern will also have the opportunity to collaborate with staff and potentially sit in on strategy or planning meetings.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the internship, the student will:
• Gain practical experience in nonprofit communications and digital strategy
• Understand how to build and sustain a brand presence across platforms
• Develop a professional portfolio with content and strategic planning documents
• Build confidence in using digital tools and creating audience-focused media
Contact Information
For more information about this project, please contact:
Emily Velasquez
EmilyV@nccleanenergyfund.org
About this Organization
Total EcoStudio projects since 2018: 0
Projects led by this mentor: 0
The Molchanov Scholars Program is an endowed internship program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's Institute for the Environment. The program is a partnership between the UNC Institute for the Environment and environmentally-focused small businesses, non-profit organizations and government institutions in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. Each summer undergraduate students are matched with an environmental internship where they gain hands-on, professional training. Each Molchanov Scholar receives a $5,000 stipend to support their summer experience.
CDS has a website for internship opportunities. There's an interest form when active listings aren't available, as well.
These are other internship opportunities that we've heard of that may be of interest to our students. You will need to contact and apply to each organization and opportunity separately. We'll do our best to keep this page up-to-date, but there may be some opportunities that have already expired.
Undergraduate Internships and Fellowships: Find opportunities to conduct authentic research through internship programs across the country
This listing includes all kinds of opportunities for students at every grade level. You can filter the results to just show what you want. Also check out the NOAA undergraduate scholarships, because they have some paid internships listed here.
Check out the Resource Assistants Program. All RAP interns receive Direct Hire Authority (DHA) at the successful conclusion of their internship, which is a useful tool that can help with future employment in a federal agency.
Kay Blada Recycling is a 501(c)(3) certified non-profit, founded in 2015 and dedicated to alleviating poverty and cleaning up plastic waste in Haiti, while providing environmental education to the children of the community.
NCPIRG Students is a student organization that works with UNC students to protect the environment, and promote civic engagement. This Fall our priority campaign is our New Voters Project, where we will be working with the student government and other student groups this fall to make sure no one misses Election Day. We have virtual volunteer and internship opportunities doing outreach, organizing events, and spreading the world through media and social media. Click here to sign up for an information session and apply.
Interns and volunteers support office administration, attend events at the UN as Peace Boat US representatives, support campaigns, projects, and educational programs through outreach efforts, and write news and blog articles about our activities. Especially valuable skills and qualities include being multi-lingual (Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, French, and Japanese are especially helpful), graphic design, networking, photography, communications, public speaking, and very importantly, a passion to support the issues that Peace Boat US works on.
Let us know if you want us to list your position by emailing ecostudio@unc.edu
Send an email to ecostudio@unc.edu.
