NGO-CSR Internship Guidelines

Academic Year: 2013-14 (Internal Circulation only)

ITM Business School

11/D14, Fourth Main Road, SIPCOT IT Park, Rajiv Gandhi Salai (OMR), Pudhupakkam Post, Chennai 603103

INTRODUCTION ITM has a high interest in ensuring that quality internships are available for students. ITM provides an Internship Toolkit to help NGOs and students develop an internship framework outlining key responsibilities and learning outcomes. ITM Centre for Social Initiatives orchestrates the interface with NGOs and provides a platform to the students to create meaningful internship experiences. While internship content, duration, and other factors may vary, it benefits the students and also serves as a good investment of time and resources for the NGO. Internships also help ensure that professional management practices are passed on to future leaders. PURPOSE OF INTERNSHIPS An internship that integrates the student as an operating member of a management staff is a critical component of the management education of ITM. The NGO internship provides students with a work experience to give them a realistic exposure to an organizational / bureaucratic environment. This experience should enhance the student's awareness of the internal dynamics of an organization and the values and attitudes of employees toward both their clientele and their administrative superiors. The internship should give students the opportunity to be aware of their obligations as professionals and to be of immense help to the community. The internship is one of the indispensable opportunities that present students with a canvass to apply and test the skills and attitudes developed and discussed in their academic program. For NGO Guides Although the intern should handle real work assignments, it should be remembered by all supervisory personnel, both on the job and academic that the major reason for the internship is to provide a holistic learning experience. The internship should be carefully integrated into the student's overall academic program. The internship experience is, first and foremost, an educational experience. Both the faculty internship coordinator and the internship supervisor in the NGO must function as educators in their dealings with the intern. In particular, supervisors should be conscious of their educator role and should assume responsibility for mentoring the intern (i.e., application of

theoretical knowledge from the classroom to real world situations, demonstration of how knowledge affects problem-solving, interpersonal interactions, communications, and task achievement). DURATION AND TIMING ITM NGO Internship duration has been fixed as two days per week viz., Thursday and Friday. During these two days Interns are expected to work full time with the organization and adhere to the official stated norms for working. Internship is set to commence from 18th October 2012 (Thursday) and shall last upto 21st December 2012 (Friday), giving students an opportunity to plan their work weekly and associate for a longer duration with the organization and the cause. PLACEMENT One of the most important components of internships is the nature of the assignment given to the student. The primary responsibility for evaluating the adequacy of the placement of the intern should rest with the academic coordinator, in conjunction with the NGO supervisor. When a student is placed, there should be a formal understanding among the NGO supervisor, the academic coordinator, and the student, including a clear understanding of the obligations and responsibilities of all parties. While not necessary, we recommend that a brief, formal agreement be developed that outlines the responsibilities of the academic unit, the NGO supervisor, and the student. Intern assignments should involve diverse responsibilities. Management interns should be exposed to a broad range of management problems; given diverse work assignments; expected to perform daily management tasks as well as long-term research and report preparation; required to interact with other professionals inside and outside the organization; given exposure to meetings and processes; and provided opportunities for interaction in professional association activities. Intern assignments should also allow for the use of a variety of communication skills: written memos and reports as well as oral presentations to groups of various size and composition.

SUPERVISION Both the NGO supervisor and the academic coordinator should supervise the intern. The NGO should designate an intern supervisor. There should be as much contact with the student as necessary by both the intern supervisor and the academic internship coordinator. Interns should not be left on their own. The supervisor should spell out work assignments for the intern and should follow up to see that these assignments are completed satisfactorily. When in doubt, the supervisor should feel free to discuss assignments with the academic coordinator. The supervisor should be regarded as a partner in the learning experience of the student. Before and during an internship assignment, where practicable, there should be a series of sessions attended by the student, the academic coordinator, and the NGO representative (in most cases this should be the intern supervisor) to discuss their mutual expectations of the internship program. To facilitate the same, students are expected to prepare weekly reports which ought to be signed by both supervisors. COMPENSATION ITM discourages any payment being made to students working as volunteers. However during the course of internship, some travel reimbursements could be considered. EVALUATION Evaluation should be a continuous, on-going aspect of the internship program. The evaluation should include statements on each student from the intern supervisor, preferably during as well as at the conclusion of the internship. The evaluation process is important feedback not only to the intern, but also to the jurisdiction sponsoring the internship and to the academic coordinator to ensure that the internship is meeting the expectations of all concerned. Intern supervisors should use the performance evaluation form as developed by the ITM NGO internship coordinator (enclosed as annexure). Student interns are also given the copy of the

evaluation that is sent to the academic coordinator. Occasionally, the academic coordinator will provide the intern supervisor with a specific evaluation form that can be used instead of or in addition to the form used for other employees. Both the academic supervisors (Faculty guide) as well as the NGO supervisor have 10 marks each. The remaining 30 marks are given by the neutral panel of experts hailing from development sector. IMPORTANT DATES
1. Submission of Joining Reports: 5th October 2013 to NGO Internship Coordinator & Faculty

supervisor 2. Submission of Draft Report to Faculty Guide: 12th October 2013 3. Submission of Final Report to Faculty Guide (Hard Copy): 26th October 2013 4. Submission of Final Report to Academic Assistant (Soft copy PDF): 26th October 2013 5. Submission of Confidential Report from NGO to NGO Internship October 2013
6. Evaluation by Panel: 29th, 30th & 931st October 2013

Coordinator:

31st

Both supervisors' and interns' statements should include evaluations of the program's effectiveness. This should aid the academic coordinator in determining which stakeholder has provided (or not provided) desirable supervision and learning experiences. KEY PRINCIPLES Effective internship programs benefit both the student and the community. NGO Internships are an excellent opportunity to make use of very talented people and to assess them as possible full-time employees. They are also an opportunity for managers to demonstrate to interns the potential of career in the respective organizations. Practical Experience: Interns serve in an entry-level professional capacity and are responsible for completing a mix of key projects and assignments related to issues as taken by the organization. They observe and participate in the decision and policy-making process, learn the fundamentals of the budget cycle, and recommend changes to existing policies and procedures based on thorough research analyses. Interns benefit from the same performance evaluation system as permanent

employees and receive constructive feedback on their work. Mentoring Process: Informal mentoring takes place during and beyond the intern program year with the Budget and Research Director, the NGO Manager and other management and supervisory staff. Interns are encouraged to arrange informational sessions with department staff and other relevant staff to obtain first-hand knowledge of specific operations. Networking Opportunities: Interns are expected to be fully integrated into the network of NGO professionals through participation in various professional association activities. These activities occur on a local and regional basis and provide interns with extensive exposure to a variety of key issues impacting other jurisdictions. Proformas: We propose three proformas to be filled to ensure fair and proper evaluation of students on a continuous basis. The academic guide and the NGO supervisor shall fill proformas which are based on similar evaluation parameters. Going forward this year, the students who work in groups are expected to complete an unbiased peer review feedback so that each group members contribution to the entrusted activities is closely evaluated and appreciated based on their ability to handle personal work and group dynamics. Those students who are assigned NGOs separately are required to submit only two proformas sheets. Finally, there is a separate proforma of evaluation that would be required on the final day of NGO presentations which is to be filled by NGO evaluation panel members. GRIEVANCE REDRESSAL Grievance redressal is important in order to promote and maintain a conducive and unprejudiced educational environment. It is a measure to develop a responsive and accountable attitude in the Institute to ensure that, there is no laxity in terms of fair-deal with the students. The Director heads the forum, with Dean Academics, NGO-CSR Internship Coordinator and Faculty guides as members. This forum essentially involves step-by-step measures as per the responsibility drawn for specific reporting authority.

For students 1st Step: Inform NGO Guide & Faculty guide (1 Week) 2nd Step: Inform NGO-CSR Internship Coordinator (1 Week) 3rd Step: Inform Dean Academics (1.5 Week) 4th Step: Inform Director (2 Weeks) For NGOs 1st Step: Inform Faculty guide (1 Week) 2nd Step: Inform NGO CSR Internship Coordinator (1 Week) 3rd Step: Inform Director (2 Weeks GRADING The students will be graded based on their performance for 50 marks (1/2 Credit). The total marks shall eventually become part of the overall CGPA score. In the following situations the students will be given F grade in their NGO/CSR project. a) If the project is not done. b) If the project is done without the guidance of the faculty guide. c) If the project is not submitted before the stipulated last date. d) If the confidential report of NGO/CSR Guide is not received. e) If the joining report does not reach the faculty guide by the specified date. f) If the student does not maintain 100% attendance for the duration of the project. If the student receives F grade, the internship shall be repeated as per the guidelines and for 30 days in the month of December 2013.

ANNEXURE 1

REPORT PREPARATION GUIDELINES

PGDM (Batch 2012-14) Title

Name & Roll No.: Faculty Guide:

LOGO and Name of NGO on the Left Hand Side

Guidelines to prepare the Report 1. How should the report layout look like?
It has been long and widely accepted by the academic community, regardless of the field of interest that reports (of which a project report is an example) benefit from a uniform layout, for many reasons. The most important of these are: clarity, conciseness, logic, comparability, and ease of publishing. Roughly, the layout should look as follows: Table 1: Report Layout Sl. No. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Section Title Page Summary Abbreviations Table of Content, List of Tables and Figures Introduction Background/ history of NGO , Vision & mission statement Aim/objectives Activities undertaken by the NGO Student Project Activities Description of the project theme & area (location, if any) Project Objectives Major activities 6. Outputs/ Outcomes/ Results recommendations If a research / survey work was part of the internship then it must clearly state Research methodology Data analysis (presented through graphs and charts) Findings 7. 8. 9. Font Size The entire text should have 1.15-line spacing in Times New Roman nr 12, and contain between 20 -30 pages (excluding annexes). Boxes, Tables and Figures Conclusion Overall Conclusions and Recommendations to the NGO Learnings Accumulated References 1 to 3 1 1 5 to 9 No. of Pages 1 1 1 1 2 to 3

Insert then caption choose box, chart, equation, figure, and table or make another heading of your own. The numbering of the box/table/chart/figure etc., will automatically appear. Annexes The annexes should be included at the end of the report. This will copy of the blank questionnaire; List of contacts other than those used in consumer research, any other secondary reports

2. How to title the reports?

Titles could emerge from the Objectives of the activities undertaken, Any previous study done in the area/ theme Major focus of work

3. Guidelines to prepare the Executive Summary

An executive summary is a condensed version of a longer piece of writing that highlights the major points covered; it concisely describes the content and scope of the writing, and reviews the writings contents in abbreviated form. It is a long abstract that contains an overall resume of the report. The reader should be able to pick up from the summary what the project entailed, how it was undertaken and an indication of what was found out. Also remember that it is prepared for the benefit of senior executives who do not have time to read the entire report

What should a summary contain? Introduction to the topic of the research (problem statement) Main objective(s) of the research Presentation of the methodology used Presentation of the main finding(s) Presentation of the main conclusion(s) and or recommendation(s)

How long should a summary be? Length of the summary: Maximum 700 words

4. Presentation of data
The date can be presented in any of the following forms: Tabular: Ensure that there is a table number, title for the table, units for the columns and rows, reference if taken from secondary source. Charts: You can use pie chart and histograms. Give appropriate units. The bar charts can be given in different forms like horizontal, vertical, mixed and others Graphs: Give correct units to the X & Y axis Pictograph: These are typically used for population studies and show a caricature of persons per family and so on Cartogram: These are used on the backdrop of the map of the country showing plant locations, warehouses, distributors, sales in different territories and others

5. Presenting Results and Discussion

Present your results in a logical sequence, highlighting what is important and how the data you obtained have been analyzed to provide the results you discuss. You should discuss what you infer from the data. You need to adopt a critical approach. Make sure that all diagrams, graphs etc. are properly labeled and have a caption.

6. Writing the Conclusion

You should include a concise version of your discussion, highlighting what you found out, what problems you had, and what might be done in the future to remedy them. You should also indicate how the investigation could usefully be continued and how the organization could carry forward the initiatives taken up by you

7. References / Bibliography
There is a difference between these two terms. When you give a specific quote and the page number/s from a source, it is called a 'reference'. When you give only the source in a particular format, it is called 'bibliography'. Bibliography Books Y.K. Alagh: Regional Aspects of Indian Industrialization, University of Bombay, 1977. Articles Chakrabarty S. On the Question of Home Market and Prospects of Indian Growth, EPW, Spl. No Aug. 1972 Reference Anshuman, V Ravi and S. Chandrashekar (2003), Benchmarking IIM Bangalore PGP Course curriculum to Global Standards, working paper: IIM Bangalore, December pp

This will include all secondary sources which you may have used during the study May include textbooks, newspapers or magazines, reports and data obtained from government publications, web sites and any others. It is imperative that you acknowledge all sources of secondary information The references have to be given in a particular format. The textbooks should be given as shown - Name of the author, name of the book, edition, name of publisher and the specific page, which you have referred. Newspaper and magazines should give the date and page number Websites should be listed accordingly

There is a general tendency of the students to indulge in 'piracy'. Avoid it. You can fool yourself and your institute by copying a report but you will never learn the research methodology and also may face problem in viva voce. Do a sincere job and you will feel immense satisfaction. A summer project is your first professional work. It will underscore your creativity. Appendix This will include the following: Copy of the blank questionnaire List of contacts other than those used in consumer research Any other secondary reports

Annexure 2 Confidential Report Format

Institute for Technology and Management Confidential Report (Individual) NGO/CSR Internship - 2012-13
Parameters
Poor 1 1. Overall Organization of the Project Report Adherence to Reporting Norms prescribed Relevance to the NGO / Company Behaviour in the NGO / Company Willingness to Learn Etiquettes Punctuality Attitude Soft Skills Demonstrated Communication Team Work Overall Grading Average 2

Ratings
Good 3 Very Good 4 Excellent 5

2.

3.

4.

Please mention any other feedback/remarks that you would like to make: ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Name of the Student: Roll No. /Batch: Name of the NGO/CSR: Name of the NGO/CSR Guide:
Signature of NGO/CSR Guide with seal and date* (In Case of Courier) In case of e-mail, it has to be sent from e-mail ID of NGO/CSR Kindly mail this to Susil.kumar@itm.edu OR courier this report to Prof. V.K. Susil Kumar, Institute for Technology and Management, 11/14 D, SIPCOT IT Park, Siruseri, Pudhupakkam Post, OMR, Chennai - 603103 by 15th October 2012

Annexure 3 Joining Report Format Institute for Technology & Management Joining Report** (hard copy only) NGO/CSR Project: 2012-13
Name of the Student Batch Contact No. Date of Joining Name of the NGO Contact Person / NGO / CSR Guide Email Postal Address Objective of the Project

Roll No. Email-ID Designation Phone No.

Major Tasks Assigned

Signature of NGO contact Person (with Organization Seal)

Signature of Student