[natdempk]

This sounds like a good thing to do. Many non-profits just want simpler projects like a website redesign done by someone capable, so those projects might be perfect for a developer and an intern to get done fairly quickly, while still being a learning experience for the intern. One group I know that does this is HandsOn Tech Boston. [1] They match volunteers with non-profits to do projects similar to what I described below. Another key component of what they do is technical training for non-profits. They teach fairly simple things like how to use the Wordpress Admin tool well that seem trivial to HN, but are extremely valuable to the non-profits as it means they can maintain their own website. The people there are very friendly, and would probably be up to chat about how to run a successful program.

I'm not totally sure what the demand is for writing other custom software for non-profits, but I'm sure there are plenty of groups who need stuff beyond websites. It would be great if some of the stuff as a result of this project ended up as open source. It would allow other people to continue building it, and would also give the interns experience with version control, and something an employer can look at in depth.

[1] http://www.handsontechboston.org/