Donate to our Harvard Club of NJ Internship Program!
Through your generous donations, we provide paid internships to NJ Harvard undergrads who spend their winter break working at a local non-profit.
The HCNJ Winternship program is funded solely by member donations.
We greatly appreciate donations of any size, all of which are tax deductible. Check the bottom of your confirmation email for a receipt of your donation that can be used for tax deduction purposes.
Donations $250 and above are automatically acknowledged with a thank you note sent to the donor. All other donations will be followed up with a thank you note at the request of the donor (email us at HarvardClubNJ@gmail.com) !
Each year, we sponsor Winter-break internships for Harvard undergrads from New Jersey.
The HCNJ pays selected interns to work at local NJ non-profits during the 3 week J-term period, at no cost to the non-profit organization.
This popular program's success depends on the generosity of HCNJ members like you!
Please read testimonials from our January 2026 interns below (condensed for length; all words are the interns’ own):
Hannah - Arthritis Foundation
“I want to emphasize how genuinely lovely and supportive the team was to work with. I worked on extracting data to create a comprehensive list of physicians affiliated with the organization. My goal was to compile several thousand entries of doctors located where the NJ chapter most frequently hosts events. This task presented a significant challenge because the website is designed to display only five doctors at a time, requiring users to repeatedly click ‘load more.' To address this, I wrote an algorithm to automate the process and systematically mine the website. After collecting the data, I spent considerable time refining the list by removing duplicate entries. Through frequent discussions with the Arthritis Foundation team, I learned what formatting and organization would be most useful for their needs. The final product was an easy-to-navigate list, organized by county and divided into three separate sheets: rheumatologists, orthopedic surgeons, and other providers. This experience was deeply enriching. I especially enjoyed applying my computer science skills not only to extract large-scale data, but also to thoughtfully present it in a way that directly met the team’s needs.”
Giancarla – ReadWorks
“I had a wonderful time working with Sarah and supporting the fundraising team through donor prospect research. I researched organizations that were a strong fit for ReadWorks’ mission, targeting designated priority regions across the country. I found exceptional value in the mentorship-based structure of the role, where I regularly reported back and stayed in close communication with Sarah regarding next steps. At the same time, the open-ended nature of the work granted me a lot of independence. I also helped draft written content used for grassroots fundraising efforts, with a focus on engaging recurring donors. This included brainstorming small holiday-themed gift ideas and designs, as well as short appeals that emphasized how smaller, recurring individual contributions can collectively make a large impact. Overall, this experience helped strengthen my research and communication skills while, most importantly, giving me hands-on exposure into the behind-the-scenes work that allows a nonprofit to operate and grow. I’m grateful for the opportunity to have met and spoken with other members of the organization and to have been able to seek advice as someone early in their career.”
Yasmim - Preschool Advantage
“Colleen and Nancy [have] thoughtfully guided me in strengthening my résumé by encouraging me to take on new and enriching responsibilities, particularly in designing and analyzing the organization’s digital platforms. During my internship, I created an interactive map of Preschool Advantage’s partner schools to make it easier for parents to identify potential placements for their children. The map highlights the two counties the organization serves, includes direct links to Google Maps so families can calculate distance from their home or workplace, and provides key information for each school. In addition, I produced an advertising video to be used as a paid promotion on Facebook and Instagram, informing families that applications are open and reassuring them that they are welcome to apply regardless of immigration status. I also had the opportunity to participate in board meetings, where I was invited to pitch my own ideas directly to committee members. This experience has been incredibly valuable, and I am grateful for the opportunity to contribute meaningfully to Preschool Advantage’s mission.”
Marri - CARE Center of NJ (CCNJ)
“Over the course of this internship with the CCNJ, I focused on identifying and assessing strategic partners for the Oasis Program. Drawing on my lived experience growing up in Passaic (one of NJ’s top food desert communities), I researched and organized profiles of nonprofits across North Jersey, Central Jersey, the Jersey Shore, and South Jersey. This work helped strengthen CCNJ’s partner pipeline by highlighting which organizations can best support Oasis through produce donations, funding opportunities, advocacy, or distribution-site collaboration. This also offered more insight into non-profit outreach and partnership, which is very helpful since I plan to work in the non-profit sphere in the future. I was able to use my connection to local non-profit City Green to introduce CCNJ’s Oasis project and they are set to meet and discuss a possible partnership, one which I am very excited about. With Bunmi’s amazing guidance, I learned how to think more strategically about partnerships—not just identifying organizations doing good work, but evaluating how their strengths can fill specific needs in the communities CCNJ prioritizes most. I appreciate this wonderful opportunity to serve my community, without having to worry about working a second job.”