Friends in Faith Communications InternAt — St. Philip the Apostle Church
The Friends in Faith Communications Intern will gain hands-on professional experience in nonprofit and faith-based communications while supporting St. Philip the Apostle Church's digital, print, public relations, and audiovisual communications.
Working alongside staff mentors with professional and educational backgrounds in communications, public relations, audiovisual production, and digital strategy, the intern will receive practical training and mentorship in brand management, community outreach, bilingual content strategy, public relations writing, video production, digital content design, social media strategy, and communications analytics.
A particular focus of the internship will be learning how an organization develops communications for diverse audiences and strengthening engagement with the parish's Spanish-speaking community.
Tasks, Projects & Assignments
Bilingual Brand & Community Outreach
Assist staff in developing bilingual messaging and culturally responsive communications to strengthen engagement with the parish's Spanish-speaking community. When appropriate to the intern's language proficiency, assist with drafting or reviewing Spanish-language content under staff supervision.
Public Relations & Brand Management
Support staff in developing public-facing communications, maintaining consistent organizational messaging and brand standards, and strengthening community relations across communications channels.
Video Production & Filming
Work alongside experienced staff to learn filming, interviewing, composition, audio, and editing techniques while creating promotional and informational video content for parish websites, social media, events, and ministries.
Social Media & Analytics Strategy
Assist staff with planning and creating content for social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook; contribute to content calendars and scheduling; and analyze digital performance metrics to evaluate audience engagement, brand reach, and campaign effectiveness.
Graphic Design & Branding
Create flyers, digital graphics, promotional materials, and other branded communications using tools such as Canva and Adobe Creative Cloud while receiving staff feedback on design principles, messaging, and brand consistency.
PR Writing & Parish Communications
Draft, format, edit, and proofread content for parish bulletins, digital newsletters, community announcements, promotional campaigns, social media, and other public-facing communications.
Portfolio Development
Develop professional portfolio pieces demonstrating skills in public relations, digital content creation, video production, design, and communications strategy.
Training:
Initial Onboarding & Training
During the first month of the internship, the intern will complete provided onboarding materials introducing St. Philip the Apostle Church and Friends in Faith, parish communications practices, brand standards, communications workflows, relevant policies, workplace expectations, and communications approval processes.
Staff Mentor Rotations
During the initial onboarding period, the intern will rotate among experienced staff mentors with backgrounds in communications, public relations, audiovisual production, and digital strategy. Through job shadowing, observation, guided projects, and direct instruction, the intern will be introduced to different areas of professional communications practice and learn how those functions work together within the organization.
Hands-On Skills Training
Throughout the semester, staff mentors will provide project-based instruction and guided practice in areas including communications strategy, PR writing, graphic design, video production, social media planning, analytics, branding, bilingual communications, and relevant communications tools.
Ongoing Project Feedback
The staff mentor overseeing each project will provide regular feedback, creative direction, and opportunities for revision so that the intern can apply professional standards and improve her work throughout the semester.
Supervisor Check-Ins & Progress Reviews
Following the initial mentor-rotation period, the primary internship supervisor will conduct regular check-ins beginning in October to review the intern's overall progress, connect her project experiences to the stated learning outcomes, clarify expectations, discuss challenges and successes, and identify areas for continued professional development.
Portfolio Development Milestones
Throughout the semester, the intern and staff mentors will identify strong projects for portfolio development. Mentors will provide feedback and opportunities for revision to help the intern develop professional-quality work demonstrating multiple communications competencies.
Final Evaluation & Portfolio Review
At the conclusion of the internship, the primary supervisor and intern will review progress toward the stated learning outcomes, evaluate completed projects and portfolio pieces, discuss professional strengths and opportunities for continued development, and reflect on the internship experience.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of the internship, the student will be able to:
Plan, write, and execute a multi-channel communications and public relations strategy designed to reach diverse community audiences while maintaining consistent organizational messaging and brand identity.
Develop culturally responsive and bilingual communications strategies designed to strengthen engagement with Spanish-speaking and multicultural audiences.
Produce, edit, and finalize a professional video communications project suitable for inclusion in a professional portfolio.
Analyze social media and digital engagement metrics and use those findings to develop a data-informed assessment of audience engagement and communications effectiveness.
Create and present at least three professional portfolio pieces demonstrating competencies in areas such as public relations writing, video production, graphic design, digital communications, or social media strategy.