RELIGION AND NONPROFIT
LEADERSHIP INTERNSHIPS
The University of Tennessee’s Department of Religious Studies has a new major concentration and minor in Religion and Nonprofit Leadership.
Majors in this new concentration are required to complete one 3-credit, semester-long internship with a 501(c)3 organization. The nonprofit organization can have a religious affiliation, but does not have to be religiously affiliated. Similarly, some of our students are religious, and some are not; all of our students are committed to making the world a better place. In short:
- organizations can be affiliated with any religion or no religion
- interns can belong to any religion or no religion
Religion and Nonprofit Leadership students have:
- an understanding of how religion plays a role in nonprofit organizations
- historical and practical understanding of the nonprofit sector
- leadership skills tailored to the nonprofit sector
- cross-cultural knowledge and sensitivity
- broad-based religious literacy
- a grasp of how religion relates to culture, politics, economics, and law
- excellent written and oral communication skills
- a strong desire to make a difference in their communities
“Almost all of the world’s great faith traditions have encouraged their adherents to care for the less fortunate. For many people, service to humankind through nonprofit organizations is an obvious and natural expression of their faith commitments.”
– Jerry Askew, President of Alliance for Better Nonprofits