REDF Farber Fellowship (summer internship)

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REDF | Accelerating the Social Enterprise Movement

REDF invests in businesses that reveal and reinforce the talent of people breaking through barriers to employment, called employment social enterprises. These mission-driven, revenue-generating businesses help people striving to overcome employment barriers get jobs, keep jobs, and build a better life. Since 1997, REDF has invested in 302 social enterprises in 41 states and DC, who have collectively employed over 133,500 individuals and generated over $2.5 billion in earned revenue. Together with our social enterprise partners, we are working to build a better, more inclusive society where all people have the jobs and support they need to get ahead—and the pride, purpose, and path to self-sufficiency they deserve.

The Farber Program

The Farber Summer Fellowship is a consulting-like engagement that gives you the opportunity to have a lasting impact on a social enterprise in REDF’s Portfolio. REDF offers MBA students the chance to:

• Spend 10 weeks learning what it truly takes to successfully run an employment social enterprise
• Gain insight into the role of an intermediary and learn from REDF’s 20+ years of experience in venture philanthropy
• Tap your experience, knowledge, and perspective to deliver results and insight to a social enterprise
• Work in tandem with senior social enterprise leaders and receive coaching and guidance throughout the summer from REDF’s Portfolio team
• Be a part of a collaborative cohort of dedicated MBA students from business schools across the country

Strategic Projects

Farber Summer Fellows work on mission critical projects for the social enterprise they are assigned to. Some recent examples:

• Assessing market size and potential of a new business line and developing market entry strategy
• Creating a marketing and sales strategy for an existing enterprise
• Analyzing enterprise profitability drivers and making operational recommendations
• Creating an integrated dashboard to report financial and operational metrics across platforms
• Creating an operations plan for a new enterprise/business unit
• Developing content and tools for REDFWorkshop.org, our practitioner platform

To learn more about past Farber projects and to learn about the cohort experience, check out our Alumni Blogs: https://redf.org/news/?visc-qf-posts_tax_filter_category=farber-fellows

Cohort Experience

As a Farber Summer Fellow, you’ll be part of a cohort of 12+ incredible MBA students from across the country. Over the summer, you’ll take part in training sessions led by REDF staff. Summer Fellows will learn about key social impact concepts including: double bottom line accounting, assessing and implementing effective employee support strategies, and the evolution of venture philanthropy. You’ll also have the opportunity to get to know our Board members and social enterprise leaders and meet other Farber alumni to learn about their career paths.

Our Alumni

REDF has placed over 200 Farbers in social enterprises since 1997. When they graduate, many of our alumni return to or enter the private sector, working in a wide variety of industries including consulting, finance, or technology. Others stay in the social sector working in philanthropy, impact investing, or social enterprises. Regardless of their next step, our alums cite their experience with REDF and our partners as a transformative professional and personal experience.

To see a full directory of our Farber Alumni, see our Farber alumni page at: https://redf.org/farber-fellowship/alumni/

Desired Qualifications

We are looking for candidates who demonstrate a commitment to applying their business acumen to the work that REDF does. More specifically:

• Current MBA candidate or other relevant graduate degree program candidate (e.g., MPP, MPA, MSW)
• Passion for REDF’s mission
• Ability to own their summer project and drive towards a usable deliverable that will benefit their social enterprise beyond the fellowship
• Experience in management consulting, small business management, social enterprise and/or non-profit management or similar work experience
• Exceptional project management skills and ability to create concrete, useful, end products in a limited timeframe
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and organizational skills
• Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills
• Sense of humor and humility
• Excited to be part of this summer’s Farber cohort and the Farber Alumni Network
• Enjoy working autonomously while being part of a team, exchanging ideas and insights
• Priority given to students returning to school in Fall 2025

Logistics & Details

• Application will be open starting Wednesday, December 11th through Friday, January 17th
• Summer Fellows will have the option to work onsite at their placement ESE, work remotely, or work out of the REDF offices in San Francisco or Los Angeles.
• The internship is 10 weeks and the salary is $14,000 for the summer.
• REDF is a 501c3 organization and students might be eligible for a supplemental grant from their school’s internship fund
• Two rounds of interviews will be held starting late January into March
• Offers will be made late February into March on a rolling basis
• International students who have CPT/OPT or similar work visas are welcome to apply
• For more information and to read the Farber Program FAQs please visit our website at:
• https://redf.org/farber-fellowship/how-to-apply/
• Still have questions? Contact us at: farber@redf.org

https://www.idealist.org/en/nonprofit-internship/68698de752954f7fa2c0f322ef3d1588-redf-farber-fellowship-summer-internship-redf-san-francisco?utm_source=symplicity&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=listings-api