INTERNSHIP

Surfing With Smiles | Summer 2026 | Paid Part-Time Internship | ASAP through mid/late August 2026 | Remote + In-Person Events in Hampton, NH

Surfing With Smiles is looking for a reliable, organized, and creative Communications & Social Media Intern to help bring our summer events to life online and support the families, surfers, volunteers, and community members who make them possible.

Surfing With Smiles is a nonprofit program that gives individuals with intellectual, physical, sensory, and mental disabilities the opportunity to learn to surf for free. Each summer, our 3 events bring together surfers, families, volunteers, photographers, local partners, and the surf community for a night of good energy and smiles. 

This role is a great fit for a college student, recent graduate, or emerging communications professional who is interested in social media, nonprofit work, event communications, adaptive sports, special education, surf culture, or community storytelling.

Role Overview

The Communications & Social Media Intern will help manage Surfing With Smiles’ Instagram and Facebook pages, support communications, organize photo and video assets after each event, and collaborate directly with co-founders Taylor & Lindsey on different projects and event-day management. 

You should be comfortable capturing casual phone content during events for Stories and social media videos, however, most photography will come from volunteer photographers. A big part of this role will be helping organize photographer-provided images, select strong content, draft captions, and share event recaps in a thoughtful and timely way.

Most work can be done remotely, but the intern must be available in person for all three Surfing With Smiles events in Hampton, New Hampshire:

• Thursday, June 25, 2026
• Thursday, July 16, 2026
• Thursday, August 13, 2026

Events take place from 5:00–7:00 PM at The Wall near 12th Street in Hampton, NH, and we’ll need someone who can help us from 3:30–7:30 PM these three days. 

Responsibilities

Social Media & Content Support

• Help manage content for Surfing With Smiles’ Instagram and Facebook accounts.
• Draft captions, posts, Stories, and event recaps.
• Help create a simple content calendar leading up to each event.
• Share event reminders, volunteer highlights, sponsor/partner recognition, surfer/family moments, thank-you posts, and post-event recaps.
• Capture casual phone content during events for Instagram Stories, Facebook updates, and behind-the-scenes moments.
• Use photos and videos from volunteer photographers to create content.
• Help identify which photos and moments should be shared on social media.
• Track basic post performance, such as engagement, reach, and what types of content performed best.
• Optional: help explore whether TikTok would be a good fit for Surfing With Smiles.

Photo & Digital Asset Organization

• Collect and organize photos from volunteer photographers after each event.
• Upload and sort photo/video assets in Google Drive and keep folders organized by event date and content type.
• Send photo links and updates to participating families after each event.

Event-Day Support

• Attend all three Surfing With Smiles summer events in Hampton, NH.
• Help with event-day social media updates and be a part of the Surfing with Smiles leadership team. 
• Support check-in, family questions, wayfinding, and other event needs as they come up.
• Stay in close communication with co-founders Taylor and Lindsey
• Help capture the feeling of the event while being respectful of surfers, families, volunteers, and event flow.

Family & Volunteer Communications

• Help monitor and respond to basic email questions from surfers, families, and volunteers, with guidance from Taylor and Lindsey. 
• Assist with event reminders, photo-sharing emails, and common questions.
• Help draft clear, warm, and timely communications.
• Flag any sensitive or complex questions before responding.

Ideal Candidate

We’re looking for someone who is:

• Reliable, responsive, and highly organized.
• Comfortable using Instagram and Facebook.
• A strong writer with a warm, clear communication style.
• Able to work independently and follow through with autonomy. 
• Comfortable communicating with families, volunteers, and community members.
• Excited about Surfing With Smiles’ mission and helping individuals with disabilities experience the ocean and surf community.
• Comfortable working in Google Drive and organizing photos, folders, and digital files.
• Local to or able to travel to Hampton, NH for all three summer events.
• Photography experience is a plus, but not required. 

The most important skills are reliability, communication, organization, good judgment, and comfort with social media.

Bonus points for experience or interest in:

• Social media management or content creation.
• Canva, Instagram Reels, Facebook posts, Stories, or basic video editing.
• Nonprofit communications.
• Surfing, beach culture, or ocean-related programs.
• Special education, adaptive sports, disability advocacy, or youth programs.
• Event support or volunteer coordination.

Requirements

• Must be available in person for all three event dates: June 25, July 16, and August 13, 2026.
• Must be able to work independently and communicate consistently.
• Must have access to a smartphone and be comfortable capturing basic event content.
• Must be comfortable using Instagram and Facebook.
• Must be comfortable using Google Drive.
• Must be dependable, mature, and comfortable interacting with families, volunteers, and event participants.

Time Commitment

This is a part-time summer internship with flexible remote hours outside of event days. This will start ASAP through mid- to late-August. 

Estimated time commitment:

• 4–6 hours per week remotely with additional hours during event weeks! 
• There may be opportunities for more hours depending on interest, availability, and projects. 
• In-person attendance required at all three events, including time before and after each event

Compensation

This is a paid internship. Compensation will be discussed based on experience and expected weekly hours.

How to Apply

Please send a short email to surfingwithsmiles@gmail.com introducing yourself and sharing why you’re interested in supporting Surfing With Smiles.

Please include:

• Your name and contact information
• Resume including any relevant experience with social media, communications, events, nonprofits, photography, video, surfing, special education, adaptive sports, or working with families
• Any examples of social media posts, videos, school projects, photography, writing, or other creative work you’ve helped with, if available
• Confirmation that you are available for all three event dates: June 25, July 16, and August 13

No formal nonprofit experience is required. We’re looking for someone who is dependable, kind, organized, creative, and excited to help tell the Surfing With Smiles story.

We’re excited to meet you!