The 'prestigious' internship listing I chased turned out to be a cash grab

I spent 2 months polishing my resume for a big-name nonprofit's summer program, only to realize at the interview that it's basically a $900 donation for a group project. The postings for junior roles at that place look totally different now, and I can't unsee it. Anyone else walked into one of these and peaced out mid-zoom?

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lilycraig26d ago

That $900 figure reminds me of how these programs usually pop up on LinkedIn right after career fairs, and the real kicker is they rarely show up on the nonprofit's actual annual report. I’d bet their 990 tax form lists “program fees” as a huge chunk of revenue, which means they’re basically a fundraising operation wearing an internship costume. The trick nobody mentions is to check if the “internship” has a listed supervisor with a real job title, not just a “program coordinator” who also sells merch. If the interview is mostly about your payment plan, you’re not the applicant, you’re the donor. Good on you for spotting it before you paid, though. That’s a lesson most people learn after the fact.