Wildlife Marketing Internship

This Wildlife Marketing Internship at a Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Center in South Africa is perfect for university students or recent graduates in marketing, social media, event planning, digital marketing, public relations, communications, digital media, or fundraising who are passionate about wildlife conservation. If you’re eager to craft compelling stories, engage communities, and promote conservation efforts through digital and traditional marketing platforms and fundraising events, this internship provides a unique opportunity to develop your skills while making a real impact on the ongoing care of rescued wildlife.

Internship description

As a participant on the Wildlife Marketing Internship, you will immerse yourself in the nonprofit sector by supporting campaigns that drive the wildlife centre’s mission. From planning social media content strategies and analytics to creating compelling content and fundraising events, you will work on projects designed to educate the public and generate support the work undertaken by the centre. Harriot, the coordinator (unless she is on leave), is your single point of contact during your stay and will ensure a seamless experience regarding your accommodation and food

Your mentor is Donor Project Manager, Sophie, a professional with a master’s degree in strategic management and over 8 years of expertise in marketing and customer strategy. You will gain insights into running successful campaigns and fundraising events in a nonprofit setting while balancing donor engagement and conservation goals.

Interns will actively contribute to ongoing marketing and fundraising efforts and your responsibilities will depend on your academic focus and interests, as well as the centre’s annual fundraising calendar and main event.

Your Willdife Marketing Internship activities may include:

• Assisting with ongoing campaigns to promote the centre’s membership program
• Writing and creating content for print media and websites,
• Capture and edit videos and photos of wildlife rescues, releases, and other key moments in the centre’s work. Your role will be vital in showcasing the centre’s impact, connecting with supporters, and inspiring donations and engagement through powerful visual storytelling.
• Managing content libraries, including photos and videos of wildlife in rehabilitation and care.
• Supporting annual existing fundraising events like the annual fun run/walk.
• Develop detailed marketing projects with the aim of awareness and fundraising initiatives.  
• Play a key role in supporting the centre’s social media strategy and content creation efforts. This includes helping to plan, design, and execute engaging social media campaigns across platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and others. You’ll work on creating visually appealing and impactful content, including photos, videos, graphics, and written posts, to effectively communicate the centre’s mission, projects, and success stories.
• Collaborating with the Donor Project Manager and other team members to align social media activities with ongoing fundraising campaigns and events.

You will attend training sessions on the centre’s marketing strategy, social media management, and brand storytelling. You may also participate in wildlife rescues or spend a day in the clinic to better understand the stories you are sharing.

You will receive structured feedback and evaluations tailored to meet academic requirements and help you grow professionally. By the end of your time on the internship, you will leave with practical marketing & fundraising experience in conservation, academic credit, and the knowledge that your work directly contributed to protecting South Africa’s wildlife.

We host a maximum of two interns at a time for this internship ensuring personalized mentorship and project involvement.

The Wildlife Marketing Internship description given, is of a typical day (EXAMPLE), but as with working with wildlife and different fundraisers taking place throughout the year, this can change. Please be aware it is 5 days on and 2 days off so no swt days and your days might rotate. You may be asked to be on duty on the weekend. 

07h00: Report for duty

07h00 to 09h30: ·Goal setting with the Marketing and Fundraising team. Capture photos and videos of wildlife during morning rounds or during wildlife rescues and releases with clinic

09h30 to 10h00: Tea break

10h00 to 12h00: Research and develop ideas for digital content. Editing videos and photos for our social media channels

12h00 to 13h00: Lunch break

13h00 to 15h00: Time allocated to work on your personalized project

15h00 to 17h00: Relax, read a book or catch a quick power nap

17h00 onwards: Time to prepare dinner and catch up on how your day was with the other volunteers and interns. If you are on rescue duty, it is until 20:00

Accommodation

Your accommodation on the Wildlife Marketing Internship is a fully furnished onsite house that accommodates up to 10 volunteers and interns sharing at a time. There are three bedrooms and two bathrooms and living areas with an outside patio, fire pit and a braai (South African BBQ). The house is on the grounds of the centre with other staff also living in separate accommodation right next door to the house.

Where possible, couples, friends or family who would like to stay together in the house are given their own room, but this is obviously dependant on how many volunteers there are in the house at the time.

The house is cleaned once a week by a staff member, but volunteers and interns are responsible for keeping the house clean and tidy on a daily basis and a roster is in place for things like cooking duties and washing dishes. A washing machine is available in the house too so volunteers and interns can do their own laundry. Bedding is provided.

A safe is available in the house with 10 individual safes should you wish to lock away your passport, money or any valuables. Mobile phones do operate with full reception on-site and there is WiFi

Food

Food is provided on the Wildlife Marketing Internship. Volunteers and interns cook and eat their meals together in the house as this is a great way to get to know your fellow participants and learn a little about their nationalities and cultures. A weekly grocery shop to provide volunteers and interns with 3 meals per day is done by staff and volunteers. Any special dietary requirements e.g. vegetarians, vegans are met within reason, however luxury food items are at your own expense.

There is a small shopping centre with a grocery store, shops, a post office and fast-food outlets located within walking distance of the project

Location

Durban is the main city of the province of KwaZulu-Natal and the wildlife centre is on its outskirts in a more natural environment.The province of KwaZulu Natal (KZN) is renowned for its wildlife and traditional Zulu culture. The attractions range from vibrant cities to the gorgeous Land of a Thousand Hills, from long stretches of beaches to outstanding Wildlife Parks and Nature Reserves.

The climate in Durban, the main city in KZN, is very subtropical and has on average 320 sunny days a year. Some months like February are particularly humid and winters are mild and sunny. It is a diverse melting pot of European, Indian, and traditional indigenous Zulu culture with golden stretches of beaches with the warm Indian ocean, tropical vegetation and delicious food which can be on the spicy side due to the Indian culture- one of the largest populations of Indians outside of Indian in fact.

There are lots of shopping malls in the area and getting around for sightseeing is easy with numerous tour operators, taxis, Uber and Bolt. It is a very popular tourist destination not only for its beaches but also for the cultures and wildlife found in the urban areas and outskirts of the city in numerous small nature reserves.

These are just some of the experiences in Durban and surrounds, you shouldn’t miss:

• uShaka Marine World is definitely one of the star attractions if in Durban where you can snorkel lagoons, feed fish and rays, cage dive with sharks and “walk the ocean” or just catch the penguin or seal feeding times
• Take a boat tour with the KwaZulu-Natal ~Sharks Board travelling through the harbour and watch staff servicing the shark nets
• Visit PheZulu Safari Park for a reptile tour or a safari game drive
• Hike one of the numerous smaller nature reserves
• Beaches…beaches and more beaches…great for swimming, sunbathing, snorkelling and scuba diving with a fantastic warm current thanks to the Indian ocean
• Try your hand at a surfing lesson…hang 10! Durban is quite famous for its surfing beacges
• Hluhluwe Imfolozi Big 5 Safari Tour- this is a full day trip to one of South Africa’s best wildlife reserves famous for lions, elephants, rhinos and giraffes. It starts very early and can take up to 12 hours but so worth it!
• Beautiful St Lucia with its hippos and crocodiles…take a boat trip to view them even closer
• Take part in a Zulu cultural tour and learn about Nqombothi (traditional Zulu beer) brewing, spear making, beading, weaving, pottery and also traditional dancing and singing. Not to be missed. This can be incorporated too with a wildlife viewing afternoon
• Visit the Anglo-Zulu war battlefields on tour
• Do a ½ day Durban city tour visiting landmarks, buildings, the botanical gardens and the Indian Market for famous Durban curry spices and souvenirs
• Do a ½ day Durban wildlife tour of Natal Sharks Board and Umgeni Bird park
• Incredible food with a spicy flavour influenced by the large population of South Africans with Indian ancestry….try a traditional “bunny chow” – no it is not made with bunnies

For more information or to book this Wildlife Marketing Internship in South Africa, please use the contact form or email us at info@volunteerinternationaladventures.com