MEET AMANDA HOUDESCHELL
Major: Nonprofit Administration & Philosophy
Anticipated Graduation: May 2020
Amanda is working remotely as the Fund Development Intern at the Girl Scouts of North East Ohio during the fall semester. Here’s what she has to say about her experience:
What's one thing you learned about the Girl Scouts that you didn't know prior to your internship?
I was completely unfamiliar with year-end annual appeals, but during my internship I got to write the first draft of GSNEO's appeal by researching their old appeals and looking at the appeals of other organizations.
What was your favorite project? Why?
I enjoyed helping with submitting grants because they trusted me to submit them myself – which I was not expecting! Of course, someone looked them over before submitting, but this gave me a feeling of autonomy and responsibility that I wouldn't have necessarily expected in an internship position. I also appreciate gaining any experience with grants because I know this is a valuable skill to have.
What skills did you learn, sharpen, or improve?
I didn't have any experience with donor databases until this internship, but now I can add DonorPerfect to my skillset if I apply for any fundraising positions in the future. I also had never worked with SharePoint before, so now I will be prepared to use it if any of my future positions require experience with the software.
How did you bridge your coursework with your internship?
When I was asked to help get the ball rolling on a new first-time donor welcome packet, I was already somewhat familiar with how to communicate with donors based on taking the fundraising course with Professor Bowen. I also was prepared to help with grant writing because of the proposal writing class with Professor Bowen.
What advice do you have for current interns or students who are searching for an internship?
If you're able to get volunteer experience in the field you want to go into, I think this helps immensely in landing an internship. I had a lot of experience volunteering with animal rights nonprofits and I think this helped my resume stand out.
What are your career aspirations?
I will attend law school next fall in the hopes of becoming an animal lawyer.