Community-Based Internship: Mount Zion Black Cultural Center Digital Technology Advisor/Designer

Description of Organization: The Mission of the Mount Zion Black Cultural Center is to: Provide a vibrant multi-use community center, which is the hub of Black American history, education, programming, and services, for people in the Ohio River Valley and beyond. At present, we are launching the historical restoration of the heritage location of Mount Zion Baptist Church at 32 W. Carpenter which once served as the key gathering place for the Black community of Athens. This restored building, funded by a $7M grant from the State of Ohio, will open in late 2026 as The Mount Zion Black Cultural Center and serve as a beacon for celebrating Black culture. Additionally, it will house a comprehensive digital repository dedicated to preserving and sharing the stories of Black Americans in Southeast Ohio and beyond.

In addition, the Mount Zion Black Cultural Center leads and delivers a range of events and programs aimed at building community engagement with the local Athens community and region, including Berry Week, Juneteenth, and a celebration of Black Veterans as well as currently producing Black Wall Street Athens, a series of 3 video documentaries that tells the story of architectural and historical erasure in this Appalachian Ohio River Valley town. Fundraising is also critical activity through such programs as Quarters to Freedom: Routes of the Underground Railroad and a soon-to-launch Capital Campaign.

Position Title: Digital Technology Advisor/Designer

Name and Title of Supervisor: Ann Kovalchick, Treasurer

Position Summary: In collaboration with the Treasurer, Secretary, and VISTA volunteer, the Digital Technology Advisor/Designer Intern will:

• level up MZBCC use of digital technologies for organization business
• Train and support all MZBCC board members on how to use digital tools for board business and create documentation as needed to ensure volunteer transitions are efficiently enabled.
• Lead in defining standards for managing digital tools and feature sets.

List of Duties and Responsibilities:

·       Review and improve MZBCC’s G-suite environment to insure it is structured and maintained to reflect current needs for file and email management.

·       Develop a handbook for use in managing and maintaining MZBCC’s productivity and communication tool set.

·       Review and maintain MZBBC’s office technology devices to ensure they work in a stable manner and meet current best practices for effective computing, e.g. that applications are up to date, properly licensed, and that user accounts are current and administered in a sustainable manner.

·       Provide training and support to Board members to enable MZBCC to effectively make use of digital tools for conducting board business.

Desired experience, qualifications, and skills:

·       Knowledge of online communication and productivity tools (Gmail, Microsoft, Apple, ZOOM too).

·       Ability to warmly explain cold technology concepts.

·       Strong problem-solving skills.

·       Excellent communication skills.

Opportunities for Professional Development or other benefits:

·       Opportunity to build a portfolio of digital design and support use cases.

·       Opportunity to design an organizational approach to information architecture for non-profits.

·       Opportunity to write and publish an article on how to design and support digital technology for non-profits.

Anticipated Impacts and Outcomes:  With this assistance, board members of the Mount Zion Black Cultural Center will gain the ability to efficiently and effectively use digital tools for its business and operations. This can reduce manual effort, allowing for more mission-focused work to leverage their volunteer time. It will also contribute to securing confidential information and enabling technology hygiene through standardization. As well, it will enhance our ability to onboard and transition volunteers and to manage our business responsibilities in an accurate and modern manner. As a result, MZBCC will gain critical support toward furthering its goal to scale its impact as a regional education resource recognizing the historic significance of Black Americans in Appalachia.