June 11, 2014, Charlottesville, VA – RKG, a digital marketing company based in Charlottesville, VA, welcomed its first formal intern class on Monday, June 9th. Given the success RKG has seen from employing interns in the past – many of whom are now full-time employees – the agency worked to expand and formalize the program. Designed to give college students firsthand knowledge of what it’s like to work in the digital marketing industry, participants of the program will also enjoy a broad range of experiences to introduce them to the culture of RKG.

Interns will have the opportunity to experience and give back to the Charlottesville community by participating in RKG “giving back” events, including a volunteer day with Habitat for Humanity on Friday, June 13th. Organized by RKG’s Giving Back Committee, which has partnered with Habitat for four years, interns will join other RKG employees to help build affordable housing in the Charlottesville community.

“Habitat is looking forward to hosting the newest class of RKG interns for this week’s annual RKG build,” says Garrett Trend, Volunteer Manager of Habitat for Humanity. “We work to create simple, decent, affordable housing in partnership with low-income families and volunteers throughout the community. We are so grateful for the support of local companies like RKG who place emphasis on giving back, and enable us to grow and advance our mission.”

(L to R: Shannon Thompson (PPC); Tara Sargent and Anna Butler (Marketing); Brandon Culp (PPC); Randall Galindo (Display); Collins MacDonald (PPC); Sarah Bieszczad (CSE); and Christopher Welsh (PPC). Not pictured: Andrew Green (PPC))

RKG’s Giving Back program donates over $17,000 each year to Charlottesville organizations, and allows RKG employees to volunteer with many organizations in addition to Habitat for Humanity, including Camp Holiday Trails, the ASPCA, and Big Brothers Big Sisters.

“The Giving Back committee helps our staff make meaningful contributions to the community,” says Melissa Rowland, RKG Giving Back Committee Lead Organizer. “RKG’s work culture encourages collaboration, camaraderie, and continuous learning. Our upcoming volunteer day with Habitat is a perfect opportunity to develop all three of those things while also improving the Charlottesville community.”

In addition to gaining hands on experience in the marketing industry, RKG interns look forward to living in Charlottesville and giving back to the community. PPC analyst intern Shannon Thompson shares: “I chose RKG for my summer internship because the program was designed to be hands on and challenging. I am excited for the broad range of activities that will come along with this experience, especially volunteering with Habitat for Humanity!”

RKG anticipates extending full-time offers to qualified and interested interns upon graduation. In preparation, each intern will go through the same comprehensive training as full-time hires, and will take part in an organized mentorship program – allowing them to build relationships with experienced analysts. In addition to getting direct experience in digital marketing and data analytics, each intern will become Google AdWords certified upon completion of the program, adding a great achievement to their resume.

Amber Hanson-Rumbaugh, Corporate Recruiter at RKG, carefully designed the program to provide a mutually beneficial experience for both the agency and its interns. “Designing this internship program was a lot of fun as I essentially packaged together all the best elements of working at RKG,” says Amber. “We have great training, wonderful people and awesome technology, but we also have a very dedicated core of individuals who give back to the Charlottesville community. Their enthusiasm for giving back is inspirational and it’s important that our summer interns experience this vital aspect of who we are. It’s been just three days into their internship and our interns are already excited, proving just how infectious giving back can be.”