When I received the email from my holistic advisor addressed “Paid Summer Internship (+ housing) w/ Charlotte Nonprofit”, the first thought that came to mind was community service. It has always felt like working in a nonprofit had a sense of service, impact, and community to me, and while these adjectives can indeed describe nonprofits in a nutshell, I now understand that nonprofits aren’t just about feeding the poor or donating to charity; they’re all about filling the gaps.
My first week at a glance began with an opening orientation with our program leaders Hannah and Christina, where our group dove deeper into the elements of nonprofits and met our supervisors through informational panels about their specific nonprofits and experiences. While this week went by fast, it played a major role in my excitement for jumping into this new journey, and hearing about the impact of the nonprofits that we would soon find ourselves working in was a refreshing, encouraging, and promising experience.
During my time at WIF, I have learned so much incredible information about nonprofits, from operational methods to the importance of organizing storage (thanks Lauren, last year’s WIF intern and Fielding!) to the nitty gritty of why nonprofits exist. In the office, I mostly focused on content creation, and creating this content for WIF showed me how much WIF values storytelling, impact, and community building. From posts dedicated to their nonprofit partners to new member Mondays, and even my own blog post, I loved showing appreciation for the ladies who keep WIF running by honoring them. Additionally, I have enjoyed interacting with our nonprofit partners on and offline, by getting to know them at events and through social media. Both experiences have truly shown me how much feedback, and communication is for a community like the one WIF has created to flourish, bloom, and continue to spread its impact.
Thanks to Fielding and Patricia’s flexibility and encouragement, my time outside of WIF has also been remarkably positive and inspiring, creating an open and creative environment for me to absorb lots of knowledge from some of Charlotte’s greatest nonprofit leaders. From speaking with multiple Chief Executives, CEOs, founders, and co-founders, I’ve expanded my knowledge surrounding general nonprofit operations, the true passion behind running a nonprofit, diversity of nonprofits, and career options in the nonprofit world. In an interview with Aaron Randolph, co-founder of Carolina Youth Coalition, I was inspired by his story of passion for helping children become successful. In another conversation with Carolyn Allison, I gained much-needed career advice, and the encouragement to chase my own dreams, no matter how curvy the path. At Share Charlotte’s Share-A-Latte event, I spoke to many wonderful people, and felt so very welcomed to the nonprofit community, leading me to make many important connections to people who have been so kind to help me learn and grow during my internship. Last, but not least, Fielding and Patricia have also taught me an immense amount about the operational factors of nonprofit work, while also being great examples of leaders, and hardworking women in the nonprofit sector.
For my first internship at Davidson College, I am pleasantly surprised by the amount of connection, knowledge, and passion I have gained! Though my internship was an unexpected curve to my journey in my first year at Davidson, I am so grateful to have gotten to know all of those who have made it so special! I can’t wait to share my experience with Women’s Impact Fund with others and embark on more meaningful journeys like it in the rest of my years at Davidson!
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