Case study from the Riipen Level UP remote internship program
CCC Foundation (CCCF) is a non-profit organization that enhances the programs and corps members of the California Conservation Corps (CCC) through philanthropy.
Through the Level UP remote internship program, the executive director of CCCF, Adam Somers, partnered with Dana Morvan to build a new website for CCCF.
A marketing student at the University of Windsor, Dana redesigned and updated CCCF’s website.
Having already struck out on her own at university by starting a web development company to help struggling brick-and-mortar companies during the pandemic, Dana impressed Adam with her portfolio, intelligence, and ambitious attitude.
“In the case of Dana, she did have the stuff, she had it, and the portfolio was the critical item. She had clients already paying her for this work, and the websites were good,” Adam shared.
Dana adapted quickly to her role at CCCF, along with another Level UP student who focused on CCCF’s social media profiles, the two worked in sync to improve the foundation’s web and social presence.
“So there was a lot of increased traffic and conversion through the website and social media. We worked together where I would build the website, and she would fix up the SEO. We would use certain keywords so that people around the area knew who they (CCCF) were, and we just saw the numbers going up consistently,” Dana shared.
Dana’s contributions even impressed the board of the CCCF.
“As an executive director of a non-profit, a part of your business is your relationship with your board. You have to demonstrate your command of the organization and where it is going. It’s very pleasant to go to a board meeting and put the website updates on the agenda and have people get excited by it,” Adam noted.
Dana’s experience with CCCF also went beyond web development. Adam wanted to help Dana and her Level UP colleagues grow.
“We started talking more about what my aspirations and passions were. I was open to learning new roles, so Adam took me under his wing and showed me different pathways in the company I could take,” Dana said.
That approach paid off for Adam and CCCF. Adam trained Dana and her cohort to add new skills to their resumés like grant writing, program management, and client communication.
“I just kept expanding their zone, individually and as a cohort. And they worked out perfectly. It was a match made in heaven,” Adam shared.
Dana and her Level UP colleague positively impacted Adam’s organization.
“I needed the help and I didn't at that time have the funding that would have provided that help. So, for me, that was a really good application of resources that moved everything forward, and then we got more money,” Adam shared.
After the Level UP project ended, Dana and her colleague remained working for Adam. Dana enjoyed her time and connection with CCCF so much she didn’t want to leave. So, Adam worked out an hourly rate for her as a contractor.
“They would be employees at this moment, but there is a difficulty with work permits and everything. They're, for the moment, independent contractors. But if there weren't barriers, they would be employees because they're great.”
Adam became a believer in the Level UP program because of this experience.
“I don't know what more you could ask for the program. I mean, it delivered the goods and beyond.”
Thank you to Dana Morvan for sharing her experience on Riipen. To learn more about how you can get started with the Level UP remote internship program as a student or employer, visit the website here. Stay updated with the latest in higher education, experiential learning, and the future of work, and subscribe to our bi-weekly newsletter, The Riipen Report.
Riipen Level UP program is funded by the Government of Canada's Innovative Work-Integrated Learning (I-WIL) Initiatives program. The opinions and interpretations in this publication are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the Government of Canada.
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