Animal Charity Communications Internship in South Africa

Help a new charity on a mission to improve the lives of stray dogs and cats in Southern Africa

If you’d like to have a hugely varied internship, and if you’re passionate about animal welfare, this could be a great opportunity for you. We welcome you to apply for an internship with Street Tails Foundation, a new charity that is on a mission to improve the lives of stray dogs and cats that roam the streets in various Southern African countries. This is a new initiative in its startup phase, which will allow you to play an essential role in the development of its voice, fundraising focus, and overall strategy.

As an intern, your role will be shaped according to your individual skills and experience, but you’ll likely be involved in helping formulate a communications strategy, writing online content, managing various communications channels, doing fundraising research, and helping run fundraising campaigns. You’ll also have the opportunity to help design and implement various backend systems. Either way, you’ll be a large part of a new and exciting initiative.

If being part of a startup excites you, and you’re keen to have a hugely varied work experience in the nonprofit sector, we’d love to hear from you!

Learning Outcomes:

  • Practical work experience in communications and fundraising
  • A thorough understanding of strategy and development within a nonprofit organization
  • Experience working in a startup environment
  • An understanding of the nonprofit sector and its needs
  • International work experience (whether you’re working from home or traveling to Cape Town)

ORGANIZATION

You’ll join Street Tails Foundation, a brand new nonprofit organization on a mission to improve the lives of street dogs and cats in Southern Africa. Based in Cape Town, South Africa, Street Tails helps to fund animal welfare projects in South Africa, Zambia, and Mozambique.

There are hundreds of thousands of stray dogs and cats in Southern Africa; animals that face malnutrition, disease, and often abuse. As there’s lack of intervention, these populations grow exponentially, causing issues – such as the spreading of diseases – for human populations in the process.

Street Tails is dedicated to improving the lives of stray dogs and cats by funding mass neutering projects, increasing people’s understanding of animal welfare, and rescuing animals who need medical attention.

TASKS & REQUIREMENTS

As a communications intern with this animal charity, you’ll play a vital role in the early stages of this new nonprofit organization. Your role is flexible and can be tailored to your skills and interests.

What you’ll do
  • Helping develop communication strategies
  • Setting up and managing various communication platforms, including social media and newsletters
  • Writing blog content and assisting with website management
  • Researching the nature and extent of of the stray animal issue across different countries in Southern Africa
  • Doing fundraising research and helping develop a fundraising strategy
  • Writing grant applications and other funding proposals
  • Assisting with designing donor management systems
  • Helping run digital fundraising and email marketing campaigns
  • Assisting with developing and managing backend systems
Requirements
  • Strong English writing skills
  • Great communication skills and a passion for telling stories
  • An interest in working in a startup environment
  • A passion for animal welfare
  • A willingness to learn & a flexible attitude
  • Bring your own laptop

WHERE YOU’LL STAY

You’ll be staying at the Lenox, a comfortable guest house in the heart of Cape Town. Built in the old Cape Dutch style, the Lenox is characterful and spacious. It has a garden with a barbeque area, a large dining room, and several other communal spaces. Shared bedrooms take four to eight people, and there are plenty of single rooms available as well (at an extra fee). You’ll be walking distance from a wide range of shops, cafes and restaurants, and at a great spot for some of the touristy highlights Cape Town has to offer as well. (As well as for views of Table Mountain!)

DATES & RATES

Start and end dates for this internship are flexible and will be discussed during the application process. 

What you’ll pay (2023 rates)

2 MONTHS USD 1,814
3 MONTHS USD 2,382
4 MONTHS USD 2,949
5 MONTHS USD 3,517
6 MONTHS USD 4,084

Remote internship: USD 525

At Roots, we do everything we can to make your internship experience smooth and hassle-free. We offer an all-inclusive service, which means we will help you find the right internship (we believe we are great matchmakers!), help you with visa arrangements, book accommodation for you in Cape Town, give you all the pre-departure information you need before arriving, pick you up from the airport and check in with you while on your work placement to ensure you feel supported. Your exact fee depends on the duration of your stay, so if you tell us how long you would like to stay, we can give you an exact quote.
What you are paying for:
  • Transfer from Cape Town International airport to your accommodation and back on arrival and departure day
  • Accommodation based on a dorm room (4-8 pax). If you prefer a single room, please contact us for availability and prices
  • Two meals (breakfast and dinner) a day from Monday to Friday
  • Assistance with your visa arrangement & other preparations
  • On the ground support during your stay
  • Free WiFi
  • Assistance with finding the perfect work placement
  • Supervision during your internship
  • Check-in and feedback as well as a reference letter after your internship
  • Your own account on a career development platform that offers content and courses focused on exploring different career opportunities
  • Reference letter at the end of your internship
  • A discount on weekend activities, exclusive to Roots interns
Excludes:
  • Flights
  • Visa, medical and travel insurance costs for the duration of your placement – must include cover for repatriation
  • Lunch, drinks, snacks, and items of personal nature (f.e. curios, gifts, clothing)
  • Meals during the weekend
  • Transport to the office
  • Costs for additional excursions or activities
QUICK FACTS
Cape Town, South Africa OR Remote 
Animal welfare NGO
Communications, Writing, Fundraising,  Research
Min. 8 Weeks
From USD 1814 (in-person) / USD 525 (remote)
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING

A great introductory internship to gain knowledge in the non-profit sector and get a feel of working in a professional setting. Loved the organization I was working for and I felt like a huge part of the organization - was given a lot of responsibility with social media, and my supervisor was very open to feedback and new ideas! I worked remotely so a lot of the internship is what you put into it. It is also a great boost for your resume!

Christian, United States, Remote animal charity communications internship
READ MORE REVIEWSHow to Apply
INTERNSHIP HIGHLIGHTS
  • Gain experience in communications in a nonprofit context
  • Be part of the startup phase of a nonprofit organization, allowing you to play a vital role in the shaping of this new initiative
  • Get a thorough understanding of the nonprofit sector
  • Get experience in fundraising, on a number of different levels
  • Be part of the overall strategy and development of a charity
  • Enjoy hugely varied tasks, and plenty of responsibilities
  • Contribute to important animal welfare projects in Southern Africa
  • Enjoy the flexibility of working from home, coming to Cape Town, or doing a combination of both
2 MONTHS USD 1,814
3 MONTHS USD 2,382
4 MONTHS USD 2,949
Remote internship: USD 525

See Detailed Rates

HOW TO APPLY

If you’re ready to apply for this internship, here’s what to do:

APPLY

Fill in the application form (it will show in a new screen) which includes sharing your CV to us

SPEAK WITH AN ADVISOR

We’ll set up a call with you to go through your application.

INTERNSHIP MATCHING

If we feel it’s a good match, we’ll set up a call between you and the supervisor for this internship.

PAYMENT

If everyone’s happy, we’ll provisionally confirm your placement! We’ll then send you the invoice for the deposit, getting started with the booking process and all the info you need.

CONFIRMATION

Only once we receive payment of the deposit your placement will be confirmed.

NEED TO MAKE AN ENQUIRY FIRST?

Or if you’d just like to ask us some questions about this internship first, just fill in the contact form below. We’ll be happy to assist!

RELATED PROGRAMS

Boy behind computer

Open for applications

Technical Support Internship

  • Min. 12 weeks
  • Siem Reap, Cambodia
  • Curriculum and Program Development, Education Methodolog

Travel to Cambodia and help a social impact nonprofit to better utilize software and digital tools in their work.

Find out more