Summer Research Associate Program is sponsored by Larned A. Waterman Iowa Nonprofit Resource Center, The University of Iowa. Provides students with opportunities to work on projects that further the mission of the center and advance the missions of Iowa's nonprofit organizations.

Summer Research Associate Program | The Larned A. Waterman Iowa Nonprofit Resource Center - The University of Iowa Summer Research Associate Program Since the summer of 2020, Summer Research Associates (SRAs) have joined the Larned A. Waterman Iowa Nonprofit Resource Center (LAWINRC) team to work on projects that help further the mission of the center as well as advance the missions of Iowa's nonprofit organizations.

Each summer, UI students have joined the LAWINRC for a 13-week period that extends from May through August. Under the guidance of the center’s director and associate director, they work with nonprofit executive directors, project managers, board members, government agency contacts, and other nonprofit allies.

Since it was founded in 2000, the LAWINRC has been dedicated to delivering high-quality and affordable services to a growing nonprofit sector in Iowa. Approximately 11 percent of the state’s workforce is employed by nonprofits. With this sector comprising a significant portion of Iowa’s economy, it is inevitable that nonprofit workers will reach out with questions and requests for guidance.

For FY23, the LAWINRC’s four-person staff logged a 79 percent increase in requests for help as compared with FY22. With this remarkable rise, the help of SRAs was. SRAs may do online research, contact government agencies for information, or interview clients to gather information relevant to their assigned projects.

They develop workshop and panel discussion materials. Iowa’s biggest conference for nonprofit organizations, The Iowa Nonprofit Summit, is typically held in October. As the LAWINRC is a planning partner, SRAs may help review session topics, speaker proposals, and workshop facilitators, and may also assist with marketing.

Projects are posted on a shared document. Each post includes a project number, project title, client name, client contact, purpose of the project, and status. Project next steps, due date(s), and additional notes from senior staff are added.

SRAs add their names to the projects that interest them most. More projects are added as they arise. Senior staff and SRAs meet weekly to review the project list.

By the end of the summer 2024 session, more than 60 projects had been completed. LAWINRC Director Paul Thelen says that the different kinds of projects make the SRA positions attractive. “The variety and complexity of experiences this program offers are what makes it unique.

One day, associates may be reviewing documents in the morning and helping deliver a workshop they helped prepare in the afternoon. The next day may consist of client meetings; conducting research on an issue or topic; analyzing federal, state, or local data we’ve requested; and much, much more.

Of course, another day might also consist of feeding giraffes, meeting a tortoise named Barnaby, attending Shakespeare in the park, or volunteering to clean up the yard of a nonprofit focused on serving vulnerable communities. ” Students have autonomy in tackling their projects, but the experience also elevates their teamwork and collaboration skills. LAWINRC Associate Director Dave Bright has observed those skills in action.

“It has been a real joy to see how the SRAs have formed project teams and worked together to accomplish the associated work. They took initiative from the outset and have consistently delivered excellent work. ” Students interested in the Summer Research Associate program should first check with the LAWINRC to find out if the program will be offered for the coming summer.

Contact us by calling 866-500-8980 (toll-free) or 319-335-9765 or by emailing law-nonprofit@uiowa. edu .