Nonprofit Operations Intern (Volunteer)

Nonprofit Operations Intern (Volunteer, Part-Time, Partially Remote)

Southeast Affordable Housing Administration, Inc. (SAHA)

About SAHA

Southeast Affordable Housing Administration, Inc. (SAHA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that works with multifamily property owners across North and South Carolina to keep rental housing affordable. Through a statutory property tax abatement program, owners commit to keeping units available to income-qualified residents, and SAHA handles the legal structure, filings, and ongoing compliance that the program requires.

Over the past six years, SAHA has helped preserve more than 20,000 affordable units in 55 counties across the Carolinas. SAHA also supports resident services at partner properties, connecting residents with economic mobility resources and community support.

SAHA is a small team of program administrators and operations professionals, governed by an independent volunteer board of directors.

Our Mission

Preserving affordable housing across the Carolinas, and the economics that sustain it.

Our Values

• Community first. Our work is measured by the number of families who can afford to stay in their homes.
• Integrity. We hold ourselves to high legal and ethical standards, and every exemption we hold must withstand review.
• Stewardship. We manage the program, our partners’ trust, and our own resources carefully and responsibly.
• Expertise. We do technical work, and we do it in-house and do it well.
• Collaboration. We work closely with property owners, county officials, residents, and each other.

The Internship

This is a semester-long volunteer internship for a college student interested in nonprofit management, affordable housing, public policy, real estate, or law. You will work directly with SAHA’s Executive Director and see how a small nonprofit operates, including governance, regulatory compliance, program administration, and day-to-day operations.

The internship is designed as a learning experience. You will have a standing weekly meeting with your supervisor to review your work, discuss what you are learning, and set goals for the following week. You will receive regular feedback throughout the semester and a written reference at the end of the term on request.

What You Will Learn

• How affordable housing property tax exemption and abatement programs work in North and South Carolina, and why they matter for housing affordability
• How a nonprofit is governed, including the role of the board, board meetings and resolutions, officer roles, and corporate recordkeeping
• How a nonprofit stays compliant, including filing deadlines, annual certifications, and document retention across many related property entities
• How a small largely remote organization manages its operations, communications, and shared files
• Professional skills that apply to any career, including written communication, organization, attention to detail, and handling confidential information

What You Will Do

You will apply what you learn by supporting the team on projects such as:

• Organizing shared files in Google Drive and building document indexes so records are easy to find
• Helping maintain trackers for deadlines, filings, and recurring tasks
• Preparing meeting agendas and taking notes
• Gathering and organizing program documents from partner properties
• Conducting basic research on affordable housing topics and summarizing what you find
• Cleaning up and updating spreadsheets
• Supporting updates to SAHA’s website and Insights blog

Qualifications

• Current undergraduate student (any major; business, public policy, real estate, or pre-law a plus)
• Interest in affordable housing, nonprofits, or public service
• Organized and detail-oriented
• Clear written communication
• Comfortable with Google Workspace (Docs, Sheets, Drive) or able to learn quickly
• Able to work independently and remotely, and to meet agreed deadlines
• Able to handle confidential information with discretion

Details

• Status: Unpaid volunteer internship. This is not an employment position and does not include an offer or promise of employment.
• Stipend: A nominal stipend of $500 for the semester
• Time commitment: Up to 12 hours per week, on a flexible schedule
• Supervision: Standing weekly meeting with the Executive Director
• Term: Spring 2027 semester (~January 11, 2027 to ~May 7, 2027)
• Location: Partially Remote; some in-person training and meetings