To deliver real-world experience and encourage job readiness in their students, some tribal colleges and universities (TCUs) are looking off campus. Their strategy is this: create collaborative internship programs with nearby non-profit organizations that will help students respond to regional economic needs and give them valuable hands-on experience they can use anywhere. While the idea of intern partnerships is not new, meaningful best practices are consistently being refined. Specifically, TCUs that partner with non-Native organizations may benefit from advance planning and careful, consistent communication. In 2014, the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) partnered with Youth Media Project, an organization that offers college students professional development opportunities in digital storytelling and media production. This article shares some of what was learned after the first semester of joint programming between IAIA and Youth Media Project. The hope is that these lessons may help others who are planning their own internship collaboration. The author advises TCUs considering internship partnerships with nonprofits to connect with other TCUs and non-profits that are already successfully engaged in an ongoing internship collaboration. Reaching out to these institutions and organizations for advice can improve the design and implementation of the internship process. The more that is known about best practices, the easier it may be to avoid mistakes.