My favorite vacations when I was growing up were our annual trips to Nantucket. While it’s an awesome island and I had a lot of fiends there, there was something else that made the vacations special. We rented a house. I know it doesn’t seem like a big deal, but it makes a vacation more relaxing. You may not have someone who makes your bed every morning, but there’s something really nice about having a place that feels like home while you’re on vacation. Back then we found our rental through an agent, but today it’s much easier to just go online and use a site like Tripping. They are a San Francisco, CA based company that has build “the world’s largest search engine for vacation and short-term rentals.” They tap into other sites’ inventories and let you compare properties easily.
Read the full article →
Tagged as:
analyst,
California,
data,
engineering,
Internships,
marketing,
sales,
software development,
travel,
unpaid,
web development
For a long time marketing has been about piggybacking on other people’s content. You buy ads in newspapers, during tv shows, and on billboards (I guess scenery next to the highway is content?). At some point marketers realized that they could become the content creators–that’s what soap operas were originally about. Today social media has forced nearly every brand into content creation. Doing it right on all of the important platforms is really hard. That’s why Chute, a San Francisco, CA based company, has developed a “visual content engine for brands” that makes “it easy to keep pace with your customers and create compelling, fresh content to engage with your fans, build awareness and, ultimately, increase conversion.”
Read the full article →
Tagged as:
advertising,
California,
customer service,
Internships,
marketing,
online marketing,
public relations,
social media,
software development,
unpaid,
web development
We all know that childhood is one of the most important periods in our lives. It sets the stage for what we’ll do and how we’ll do as we become adults, and it’s a time where it’s extremely important to make sure that the basics are accounted for. That’s why Cradles to Crayons exists. They’re a Brighton, MA based non-profit that is focused on “providing to children ages 0 to 12 some of the most important basics of life—free of charge.” For Cradles to Crayons, the focus is on hard goods–things like clothes, school supplies, and toys.
Read the full article →
Tagged as:
community development,
development,
distribution,
Internships,
Logistics,
Massachusetts,
non-profit,
outreach,
program development,
unpaid
Yesterday we took a look at an online marketing company. Today we’re going to do the same. While today’s company offers many of the same services, the difference is that they tend to work with larger, national clients. This may seem like a small distinction, but the level of competition can make it seem like a different business. WPromote is an El Segundo, CA based company that calls itself “the country’s leading Online Marketing firm, delivering incredible results for [its] Search Engine Optimization, PPC Management and Social Media clients.” That’s big talk, but they must be living up to it if companies like Toyota, Ford, TOMS, Tumi, and Southern New Hampshire University are hiring them to do their online marketing.
Read the full article →
Tagged as:
account management,
advertising,
California,
design,
e-mail,
graphic design,
Internships,
marketing,
online marketing,
sem,
seo,
social media,
software development,
unpaid,
web development
Events are inherently social. A lot of time who is going to be there matters more than what is going on. Yet all of our major social networks are about showing off what we’ve already done. If we’re going to broadcast our lives, it might make sense to let other people in on the fun. Fever is a New York, NY and Madrid, Spain based startup social network that is “changing the way people make plans.” Their idea is to take event discovery away from the calendar and make it all about the people.
Read the full article →
Tagged as:
analyst,
design,
events,
international,
Internships,
marketing,
New York,
online marketing,
photography,
sales,
sem,
seo,
social media,
social networking,
Spain,
unpaid
I often find that the best ad agencies have websites with very few words on them. Instead of telling you how great they are, they show you. That’s what they do for their clients, so they should be doing it for themselves as well. A perfect example is Innerspin. They’re a Los Angeles, CA based agency that “is focused on growing global brands through effective brand building and digital capabilities” (those are about half of the words on their site right there). Apparently they won Season 2 of The Pitch on AMC, so they must be pretty good.
Read the full article →
Tagged as:
account management,
administrative,
advertising,
California,
creative,
graphic design,
Internships,
software development,
unpaid,
web development
Fashion trends are fascinating. I generally dress the same way that my parents dressed me when I was four, but I understand the urge to get ahead of the latest styles. Some people just have a sense for fashion and can pull it off on their own, but most need help. That’s why the fashion media is so big. The Internet is only making fashion move faster, and that means that the media has to be faster too. StyleCaster Media Group is a New York, NY based company that aims “to bring style to the people, empowering millions of readers to discover and share their style through inspiring features, expert tips, and innovative resources.”
Read the full article →
Tagged as:
advertising,
analytics,
beauty,
blogging,
design,
editorial,
fashion,
fitness,
graphic design,
information technology,
Internships,
marketing,
New York,
online marketing,
social media,
software development,
style,
unpaid,
web development,
writing
Yesterday we looked at an L.A. based non-profit called The Music Center that is all about supporting the live performing arts. Today’s organization is also based in Los Angeles, CA, but their focus is on movies. The American Film Institute is a non-profit that calls itself “America’s promise to preserve the history of the motion picture, to honor the artists and their work and to educate the next generation of storytellers.” The organization was founded in 1967 with Trustees including Gregory Peck, Sidney Poitier, and Francis Ford Coppola, so there was nod bout that they could what they set out to do.
Read the full article →
Tagged as:
California,
development,
entertainment,
events,
film,
information technology,
Internships,
marketing,
movies,
non-profit,
operations,
program development,
unpaid,
video
When my wife gets sick, I swear that she takes her temperature every 15 minutes (she also considers 98.6 a fever because her temperature is normally lower than that). I don’t even bother taking my temperature unless I’m worried that I’m very sick. Thermometers can be important tools for tracking health, but most of us don’t use them to our full potential. Kinsa is a New York, NY based company that is changing the way that people take their temperatures and monitor their health. They’ve developed a smartphone compatible thermometer that combines with an app to provide a completely new type of health tracking technology solution.
Read the full article →
Tagged as:
community management,
health care,
Internships,
marketing,
medicine,
mobile,
New York,
online marketing,
operations,
quality assurance,
social media,
software development,
unpaid,
web development
I don’t listen to talk radio very often, but on long drives when I get bored of music, I switch over to the AM band. If it’s on, I’ll listen to Dave Ramsey. He’s “an American financial author, radio host, television personality, and motivational speaker” who is mainly focused on helping people get out of debt and stop paying the “stupid tax.” His company is called The Lampo Group (but they smartly use the DaveRamsey branding when it comes to posting jobs), and it’s based in Brentwood, TN. The Lampo Group’s mission is to provide “biblically based, common-sense education and empowerment that gives HOPE to everyone in every walk of life.”
Read the full article →
Tagged as:
coaching,
design,
education,
entrepreneurship,
events,
finance,
Internships,
personal finance,
photography,
publishing,
radio,
real estate,
software development,
Tennessee,
unpaid,
web development
When I was growing up, there were always rumors of a kidnapper driving around town in a van (the color of the van would change from time to time, but it was usually brown), my family would get mailing with pictures of missing kids on them, and milk cartons had pictures of missing kids as well. In my mind there was a kidnapping was an epidemic. Today the big fear seems to be online child predators. I’m not sure if much has really changed, but there will always be missing kids, and the best way to find them and get them back in a safe place will be to get the word out. That’s what the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children does. They’re an Alexandria, VA based non-profit that “opened in 1984 to serve as the nation’s clearinghouse on issues related to missing and sexually exploited children.” In fact, the organization is authorized by Congress to assist law enforcement in a variety of ways.
Read the full article →
Tagged as:
development,
events,
Internships,
non-profit,
outreach,
program development,
security,
unpaid,
Virginia
I always get confused by the terms modern and contemporary. To me they sound like they should mean the same thing, but they don’t–at least when you’re talking about art. Modern means that it was “produced during the period extending roughly from the 1860s to the 1970s,” while contemporary means it was produced very recently. MOCA is the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, and they are the only museum in L.A. that is entirely dedicated to contemporary art. Their definition includes works that date back to 1940, so I guess some of their contemporary art may also be modern art–though I definitely could be wrong about that.
Read the full article →
Tagged as:
arts,
California,
development,
Internships,
marketing,
member services,
museum,
non-profit,
online marketing,
public relations,
social media,
unpaid
One of the core functions of nearly every government is to provide a justice system. While one would think that justice and fairness go hand in hand, that often doesn’t seem to be the case. Our country may be way ahead of lots of other countries when it comes to fairness, but what we really need is “a society with safe, equitable and healthy communities, just and effective solutions to social problems, and alternatives to incarceration that promote positive life outcomes.” That’s what the Justice Policy Institute is seeking. They are a Washington, DC based non-profit that aims “to reduce the use of incarceration and the justice system and promote policies that improve the well-being of all people and communities.”
Read the full article →
Tagged as:
communications,
Internships,
research,
unpaid
Becoming a new parent is hard no matter what your situation (at least that’s what I hear), but it’s typically much harder for someone living in poverty. While finances are a big part of it, there are all kinds of factors that make having a new baby especially daunting for low-income parents. Room to Grow is a New York, NY based non-profit that aims “to enrich the lives of babies born into poverty throughout their critical first three years of development.” They start their work before the baby is born and continue through the first three years with the hope that a solid foundation will prevent the child from facing many of the challenges that typically affect a kid growing up in poverty.
Read the full article →
Tagged as:
administrative,
communications,
development,
education,
Internships,
inventory control,
New York,
non-profit,
program development,
unpaid
Every employer wants to get the most out of its people. Obviously their work product is the number one priority, but there are other objectives that a company might want to accomplish through their employees. I’m talking about things like zero waste initiatives, health and fitness goals, or retirement saving. Reaching goals usually requires behavior modification, and that’s a really hard thing to do (especially when it’s not tied to your compensation or reviews). WeSpire is a Boston, MA based company that provides “technology-based engagement programs to inspire employees for measurable impact.” It’s all about positive behavior change.
Read the full article →
Tagged as:
human resources,
Internships,
Massachusetts,
psychology,
software development,
unpaid,
user experience,
web development
When I think of a non-profit radio station, I immediately think of NPR, which is mostly talk with the occasional classical music. I know some people love it, but I usually can’t listen for more than about 15 minutes. My radio station preferences are for generic pop music or sports talk radio. I know it’s pretty lame, but that’s what keeps me entertained for parts of a long drive. Unfortunately, today most radio stations across the country are owned by the same big companies, so they tend to sound the same. KEXP is a Seattle, WA based non-profit radio station “where the music matters.” The goal is to enrich “people’s lives by championing music and discovery,” which is a far cry from what most radio stations are about today.
Read the full article →
Tagged as:
arts,
development,
information technology,
Internships,
music,
non-profit,
radio,
unpaid,
Washington
I’m sure some of you are dying for a puppy update. Garçon is now 11 months old and is doing great. Here’s a picture of him with his littermate Henri. Anyway, Amy and I are ridiculously attached to the little guy, and want to do everything to ensure he’s safe, but he’s still a hunting dog. He’s going to run around off leash in the woods and occasionally get himself into somewhat dangerous situations. That’s why one of my first big purchases for the dog was a GPS enabled tracking and training collar from Garmin. It’s expensive hardware, but cheap marital insurance. It’s not a product for most consumers, but there is a similar solution from a company named Snaptracs. They are based in San Diego, CA, and they’re behind the Tagg Pet Tracker. It’s a system that “allows you to track your pet’s location and activity from your computer or mobile device.”
Read the full article →
Tagged as:
animals,
California,
Internships,
marketing,
unpaid
I live to be outdoors. For me it’s mostly about fishing, but I enjoy hunting, hiking, kayaking, and pretty much anything else that gets me out in the wilderness. The tough thing is that I like to get away from civilization, but civilization is constantly encroaching on the wilderness. We need to find a balance, and that means getting more people involved in outdoor activities so that they’ll stand up to protect what needs to be protected. It’s better to share our special places with other enthusiasts then have them get turned into strip malls. The best way to get more people involved is to start them young, and that’s what Bay Area Wilderness Training is all about. They’re an Oakland, CA based non-profit that was “founded with the idea that California’s bountiful wilderness areas are a vast – yet untapped – resource for local youth-serving organizations.”
Read the full article →
Tagged as:
accounting,
California,
development,
education,
environmental,
Internships,
Logistics,
marketing,
non-profit,
outdoors,
outreach,
sports,
training,
unpaid
Gardening is a lot like life. If you work hard, do things right, and get a little lucky, you’ll be handsomely rewarded. That’s why tending to a garden is great for kids. Not only do they learn about the rewards of hard work, but they also get to watch something as it grows from a pile of dirt into something beautiful or delicious. City Blossoms is a Washington, DC based non-profit that is “dedicated to kid-driven, community engaging, creative green spaces.” While they are cultivators of youth; youth are their main cultivators.
Read the full article →
Tagged as:
community development,
education,
gardening,
green,
Internships,
non-profit,
organic,
program development,
unpaid,
Washington DC
I kind of think of Easter as a spring version of Thanksgiving. Though one holiday is religious and the other isn’t, they both have similar themes and, in my family at least, similar celebrations. Thanksgiving is about celebrating the season past, while Easter is about being hopeful for the coming season. Both have significant agricultural undertones, and that’s why I think we should take a look at Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture today. They are a Pocantico Hills, NY based non-profit that is not only hopeful for the coming growing season but also for the future of agriculture. That’s why they “are working to improve the way America eats and farms.”
Read the full article →
Tagged as:
agriculture,
education,
food,
gardening,
holiday,
Internships,
marketing,
New York,
non-profit,
organic,
program development,
retail,
sustainability,
unpaid
It still amazes me how much old media drives new media. If you’re already famous, you can almost instantly carry that fame over to social media. A show like Shark Tank can drive millions of dollars in online sales. And the right tv mention can crash a website. What I think is cool is that we’re starting to see the reverse happen. People who are famous on Youtube, Twitter, or Instagram are carrying that fame over to more traditional channels. In short, it’s all coming together, and marketers need to be ready for it. Fullscreen is a Los Angeles, CA based agency that is aiming to build “the first media company for the connected generation—together, right at the intersection of tech and entertainment.”
Read the full article →
Tagged as:
business development,
community management,
design,
entertainment,
graphic design,
human resources,
information technology,
interactive media,
international,
Internships,
licensing,
marketing,
media,
New York,
online marketing,
operations,
public relations,
social media,
unpaid
About this time last year, Amy and I were visiting my parents for Easter. Our wedding was a couple months away and preparations were going very smoothly. And then Amy had her one and only “bridezilla” moment. She realized that she was totally in love with a dress that she had once seen in a picture online, and had to find it. Without being able to look at any pictures because I wanted it to be a surprise, I helped her track down the exact dress at a store only 45 minutes from my parents house. She tried it on, loved it, and bought it. The only issue was that she had already spent a bunch on another dress. What do you do with a never worn, beautiful wedding dress? You put it on Tradesy. They’re a Santa Monica, CA based company that can help you “turn your closet into cash.” It’s a marketplace for new and gently used fashion.
Read the full article →
Tagged as:
California,
customer service,
design,
e-commerce,
fashion,
Internships,
marketing,
merchandising,
mobile,
operations,
social media,
software development,
style,
unpaid,
user experience,
web development
A while back when I was in Costa Rica on a fishing trip, my Dad and I took part of a day to check out the rainforest. Honestly, it was pretty disappointing. I thought it would be something really worth seeing, but it was just dark gray skies with low-hanging clouds and dull green vegetation everywhere. I didn’t even see any wildlife. While rainforest may not live up to the marketing hype in terms of visual experience (I swear every picture associated with rainforests includes bright colors), they’re still hugely important ecosystems. That’s why Rainforest Trust was “established in 1988 to save rainforests and other threatened tropical habitats that are critical for preventing imminent species extinction.” They’re a Warrenton, VA based non-profit that works “to purchase and protect threatened tropical forests.” It’s hard to think of a better way to save something than to buy it outright.
Read the full article →
Tagged as:
conservation,
environmental,
interactive media,
Internships,
non-profit,
unpaid,
Virginia,
web development
I am anything but a film buff. I typically watch the same bad movies over and over again while I’m doing something else. It takes a lot for me to sit down and watch something with 100% focus. That means that I don’t pay much attention to the Sundance Film Festival, but I’ve heard of it and know it’s a big deal. The organization behind the festival is Sundance Institue. They’re a Park City, UT based (with offices in LA and NYC) non-profit “dedicated to the discovery and development of independent artists and audiences in film and theatre.” The Institute was founded by Robert Redford in 1981 and since then has “provided a space for independent artists to explore their stories free from commercial and political pressures.”
Read the full article →
Tagged as:
analyst,
arts,
California,
entertainment,
film,
information technology,
Internships,
paid,
theater,
unpaid,
Utah
I love shows like The Wire, Breaking Bad, and The Sopranos. One common theme in all of those shows is money laundering. When you earn a lot of money illegally, you have to find a way to make it “clean.” While pop culture has made me well aware that money laundering happens on a large scale domestically, I had no idea how big the problem is for developing countries. Not only do these nations have to deal with the initial problem of criminal activity, but they also have to deal with the fact that these activities are sucking money out of their economies. Global Financial Integrity is a non-profit organization that is working to stop this. They are based in Washington, DC, and they promote “national and multilateral policies, safeguards, and agreements aimed at curtailing the cross-border flow of illegal money.”
Read the full article →
Tagged as:
communications,
finance,
international affairs,
Internships,
media,
non-profit,
policy,
unpaid,
Washington DC
A few days ago we looked at a company called Groundspeak that uses GPS data to “to make everyone an explorer and to put an adventure in every location.” There are lots of other ways to use location data, and an obvious one is advertising. It used to be that you knew an ad would target a specific locale because it was on a billboard or a local radio station. Today it’s possible to advertise to people all over the planet with a few mouse clicks, but what if you want use where they are to your advantage? xAd is a New York, NY based company that allows advertisers to pinpoint “target audiences at pivotal moments during the consumer’s decision-making journey.” It’s a kind of targeting that seems to get far less attention than it should.
Read the full article →
Tagged as:
account management,
advertising,
business development,
Illinois,
Internships,
journalism,
marketing,
media planner,
Michigan,
New York,
online marketing,
software development,
unpaid,
Washington DC,
web development
Back to the Future Part II was on this morning. It’s hard to believe that we’re only a year away from that “future.” The future never looks like what we expect it to, but that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t try shaping it. Institute for the Future is a Palo Alto, CA based “independent, non-profit research organization with a 45-year track record of helping all kinds of organizations make the futures they want.” Their focus is on foresight, but it’s not as much about predicting the future as affecting it.
Read the full article →
Tagged as:
California,
development,
Internships,
non-profit,
research,
software development,
unpaid,
web development
I swear that every kid who grows up in Connecticut goes on a field trip to Old Sturbridge Village at some point. For me it wasn’t until 10th grade (and we were on our way back from a longer trip to Boston and Plimoth Plantation), but I think most kids go earlier in their lives. If you weren’t lucky enough to grow up within a couple hour bus ride of Old Sturbridge Village (which is based in Sturbridge, MA), you should know that it’s the “largest outdoor history museum in the Northeast” and it “depicts a rural New England town of the 1830s.” It’s the perfect place for immature children to try to get the staff to fall out of character.
Read the full article →
Tagged as:
agriculture,
botany,
costumes,
curation,
education,
events,
gardening,
history,
horticulture,
Internships,
library,
living history,
marketing,
Massachusetts,
member services,
museum,
non-profit,
organic,
paid,
research,
sustainability,
unpaid
I’ve always been an animal lover, but it’s turned up a few notches since Garçon came into my life. It’s amazing how much happiness a pet can bring to people, and it’s amazing what a good home can do for a pet. Unfortunately, 3-4 million animals are euthanized every year in the U.S. Found Animals is a Los Angeles, CA based nonprofit that is dedicated to changing this. The organization’s goal is to “find the big ideas that advance the safety of animals in our homes, our shelters, and everywhere in between.”
Read the full article →
Tagged as:
animals,
business development,
California,
e-commerce,
Internships,
legal,
non-profit,
retail,
unpaid
We can all agree… that we can all agree on some things sometimes–even when it comes to politics. I tend to like when the disagreement between the two parties locks things up because it means that the government won’t be able to break anything else; however, I understand that occasionally we need our government to actually accomplish something. The Bipartisan Policy Center is a Washington, DC based non-profit that encourages the two parties to work together on important issues where ideological differences can be worked through. The organization was “founded in 2007 by former Senate Majority Leaders Howard Baker, Tom Daschle, Bob Dole and George Mitchell,” so it truly is a bipartisan effort.
Read the full article →
Tagged as:
communications,
development,
economics,
energy,
foreign relations,
health care,
international affairs,
Internships,
non-profit,
nutrition,
paid,
policy,
public policy,
security,
transportation,
unpaid,
Washington DC
