How The Shift Mob Started
In the summer of 2009, iStrategyLabs, an experiential marketing firm out of Dupont Circle, recruited their first interns ever (Perri, Ali, and Jeremy) to come up with a project that had an online and offline element to it. There were endless resources at our fingertips, and we wanted to put those to use while helping out local organizations and people. We proposed several ideas, but weren’t convinced of any single project until we created the The Shift Mob. Recognizing the size of the intern force, recent graduates, and generally talented people combined with the volatile economy, we decided to come up with a campaign that would target those with extra time and organizations with an overload of projects.
The Shift Mob recruits only the most creative of projects that non-profits or locals companies need done, but are currently facing budget constraints and fewer employees. To make sure each shift uses Shifters’ talents for more than filing papers and fetching coffee, we screen each posted project. We designed ShiftMob to be all about cataloguing all the great opportunities out their for those who have the skill set to take advantage of them. Both the needs of Shifters who want experience, and the companies looking for extra hands are met We didn’t want ShiftMob.org to be place to search for seasonal internships, but rather a place for people like us who want to work for a short period (one, two, or three days) to make contacts and gain experience to find those opportunities. Rather than internships that last months and months and tend to become repetitive, these shorter shifts are meant to be fun, creative, and mutually beneficial.
We spent hours and hours refining the process of applying for, winning, and completing a shift. Whether we were working out kinks on the website, writing blogs, researching potential organizations, and creating content, The Shift Mob consumed much of our time and focus. Now we have provided for other talented and dedicated people a site delivering the kind of work we always wanted to do. So get out there and join the The Shift Mob!
