Coordinator Manual

As an important partner with SCA, you are critical to the success of our conservation-in-action mission. We are grateful that you've chosen to work with SCA and will do everything we can to support you and your intern. This manual offers advice and information which will help you make selections, understand communication between you, SCA and selected interns, and generally promote a successful internship. Whether you are new to SCA and supervising an intern for the first time, or you've been with us for years, we encourage you to familiarize yourself with all forms, schedules and policies. Please refer to this information before and after your intern arrives. As always, we are here to help you with any issues or concerns that may arise while you supervise the intern.

We encourage you to read these pages carefully. It includes almost all of the information you’ll need in order to:

• Successfully supervise your intern(s)
• Deal with questions of travel, subsistence allowance, insurance and logistics
• Get support from SCA staff when necessary

• Report to SCA anything affecting the health and well-being of your intern(s)

WORKER’S COMPENSATION

As in the past, your agreement document with SCA will describe responsibility for Worker’s Compensation coverage and liability.  Historically, SCA has absorbed the cost of this coverage.  However, since the host organization makes on-site decisions about how to minimize risk, determines the conditions under which interns perform their service, and provides training and supervision, we believe it is most sensible for the host organization to offer Worker’s Compensation coverage to interns.  Doing so will improve the overall experience for the intern as well as provide maximum protection for all parties.          

We recognize that the requirement of federal and state Worker’s Compensation coverage imposes a financial burden; if your organization is unable to provide this coverage, please let us know so that we can work together to create a solution.

If you have any questions or concerns please contact Marsha Towns , National Director for Conservation Internships, or Rita Corliss , Assistant Director for Conservation Internships.

COMMUTING ALLOWANCE

Under your cooperative agreement, provision of housing for the intern is the responsibility of the hosting partner.  If you find it necessary to house the intern at a distance greater than 10 miles from the work site, and the intern is required to drive their own vehicle to work, the intern must be provided a commuter mileage allowance of .19 per mile.  This expense will be reflected in your invoice.

CHANGES TO AN INTERN’S DATES OF SERVICE

If your intern leaves early for any reason, or has his or her internship extended, or if you change the dates of the internship, please let us know immediately.  It’s important for us to have this information as soon as possible so that we can adjust the intern’s subsistence allowance and paperwork, and so that your site will be charged fairly for the intern’s work.

Please accept warm regards from everyone in SCA’s Conservation Intern Department. We’re here to answer questions and to help you in any way we can.

INTERN UNIFORM PACKAGE

Based on feedback from partners and members, SCA is now offering a wider variety of uniform items to its Conservation Interns.  These items include:

• 2 cotton polo shirts (tan)
• 2 long-sleeve t-shirt (tan)
• 1 short-sleeve t-shirt (tan)
• 1 baseball cap (tan)
• 1 SCA shirt patch
• 1 nametag
• 1 messenger bag
• service learning journal
• 1 water bottle

The uniform package will be mailed to your intern at the service site, 1 - 2 weeks before the start of their internship. Please alert your mailroom to expect this mailing from SCA.

The uniform charge will be reflected as a $75 line item on your invoice. This package replaces the $75 uniform grant previously offered to interns for uniform expenses. Please advise your intern of any other necessary clothing or gear.

(Coordinator Evaluation Example)