I really enjoyed learning more about the legislation process. I also had the opportunity to meet with Senators and other Congressional leaders. The networking and professional experience were very valuable.
What I wish was different
I wish I had an on-site manager. The entire internship was remote. However, I did have the opportunity to video call my manager when needed.
Advice
I would advice planning out your weeks in advance. They will give you a week by week task list at the beginning of your internship. Read over all 12 weeks so you can properly manage your time.
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Nonprofit Leadership Intern
July - September 2023 • Seattle, WA
What I liked
If you are looking for internship experience with flexible schedule and want to gain relevant work experience in nonprofit and political science, I would recommend you to apply for internships at The Borgen Project. I could learn a lot about global poverty and foreign aid, and the team and my manager were so supportive all the time.
What I wish was different
Advice
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Political Affairs Intern
February - July 2023 • Cupertino, CA
What I liked
I liked seeing how much of an impact I made!
What I wish was different
I wish that there was a little more flexibility and being able to choose what I wanted to do.
Advice
You definitely get out what you put in!
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Writer Intern
May - July 2022 • Washington, DC
What I liked
Articles get pulbished
What I wish was different
No fundraising please
Advice
Write as many as you can
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Fundraising Leadership Intern
June - October 2022 • Arcata, CA
What I liked
I learned so much about the politics of the country I live in and I made a community of friends from all over the world.
What I wish was different
I would have loved to have continued my role within the Borgen Project further.
Advice
For anyone that is thinking about an internship I advise really understanding how to organize your time so that you can both enjoy your internship and have it be as enriching as possible!
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Writing intern
May - July 2020 • Seattle, WA
What I liked
The writing internship gave me great experience writing informational articles, fundraising, and becoming more aware of global issues.
What I wish was different
Since this was a remote position, I wish there had been more of a community element.
Advice
This is a great opportunity to get real-world writing experience and start building a portfolio! But be aware that fundraising is a big part of the (unpaid) internship.
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HR Internship
June - September 2022 • Bemidji, MN
What I liked
Great remote internship opportunity! Clear expectations, communication, and a good opportunity to get experience.
What I wish was different
I wish there had been more one-on-one meetings through a platform like Zoom.
Advice
Take care of work early in the week!
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Writing intern
August 2022 • Myrtle Point, OR
What I liked
How they preached about ending global poverty while exploiting unpaid interns.
What I wish was different
SIMPLY PUT, TERRIBLE
Every position is unpaid and we need to raise $500. If you cannot raise $500, your internship would be marked as "incomplete" regardless of how many articles you've written for them. All they care about is that $500 they can get from you. There are tons of negative reviews online about the project and most of them are real. Aside from fundraising, you need to harass your friends/family repeatedly through sending them fundraising letters and asking them to email Congresspersons for you.
I've learned nothing about writing during the internship, but I have become more adept at begging my friends.
Advice
DON'T COME HERE just don't.
I find this article from a former intern very true - https://www.debt.com/news/borgen-project-internship-lesson/
I recommend anything considering an internship here to read this article first.
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Public Policy Intern
June - August 2022 • Provo, UT
What I liked
I liked the ability that I had to reach out to my legislators and advocate for impactful policies
What I wish was different
I wish that we hadn’t been required to raise $500 for the cause
Advice
This was a good experience overall and is good if you really want to get into public policy
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HR Intern
December 2021 - April 2022 • Tacoma, WA
What I liked
I liked that my position was remote in that it allowed for me to approach my work with a flexible schedule. I also very much appreciated my manager's patience, support, and active communication with me throughout my time at The Borgen Project. It made me feel like every contribution I made helped the cause no matter how small.
What I wish was different
Fundraising was a challenge as my school's campus was closed due to COVID-19. Had things been normal, I like to think that I would have achieved better results due to being able to interact with my classmates and instructors. As a result, my influence was rather limited which made the task more difficult than the rest.
Advice
Plan your time wisely. Some weekly tasks can be time consuming so in order to achieve good results without getting overwhelmed, set a consistent daily schedule that divides the task into smaller parts and stick to it.
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Nonprofit Leadership Intern
May - July 2021 • State College, PA
What I liked
Very flexible and mission driven organization. The organization does well in providing you the tools and resources to successfully advocate for ending global poverty.
What I wish was different
I wish there were more opportunities to connect with other interns, although Slack is useful as well.
Advice
Be able to work independently as this is a remote organization.
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Content Team Intern
August - November 2021 • Ruston, LA
What I liked
I loved being critqued as a writer like never before. As a writer with no previous published work, The Borgen Project helped me gain the skills I needed to have confidence in turning in articles. They were there whenever I needed help or had any questions.
What I wish was different
Honestly, the entire internship was an amazing experience that I'll never forget. It's all up to you to make the most out of it.
Advice
One piece of advise I would share would have is prepare to be challenged but challenged in the way that improves your skills.
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HR Management Intern
September 2021 • Myrtle Point, OR
What I liked
I loved being able to have free range of what hours I work and what days.
What I wish was different
I wish there was an aspect the better allowed interns to collaborate together.
Advice
The internship definitely requires an individual good with time management and self motivation.
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Journalism Intern
June - September 2021 • Philadelphia, PA
What I liked
I loved being able to talk on topics that matter to me. The ability to also see the product of my hard work on their website is also a point of pride.
What I wish was different
I wish I had been able to do more for those in need in raising funds.
Advice
One piece of advice I'd offer for potential interns is this: Be ready to go out there and try to raise funds. Meaning, be prepared to get creative in the ways in which you will go about raising money.
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Political Affairs Intern
June - August 2021 • Wichita, KS
What I liked
I enjoyed connecting with constituents and communicating with my Congressional leaders.
What I wish was different
I would have liked more opportunities to meet with Congressional offices.
Advice
You will get out what you put in. I experienced a remarkable personal transformation over the course of the summer because I put a lot of time and energy into the internship.
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Writing/Journalism Intern
June - September 2021 • Tacoma, WA
What I liked
Being able to do individual research and greatly improve my writing skills. Pitch original ideas for approval and get publications on The Borgen Magazine and Blog that I can use for future employment opportunities.
What I wish was different
It was a remote internship so probably being in person. It was also unpaid, however, the skills and experience I gained were immense.
Advice
Don’t get discouraged if your pitch ideas get shot down or someone already wrote about a topic your interested in. You will find something meaningful eventually.
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PR/Marketing Intern
May - August 2021 • Seattle, WA
What I liked
I liked that I was able to obtain fundraising experience.
What I wish was different
I wish it was not remote because I would have gotten more out of it.
Advice
Be prepared to only work by yourself with little to no interaction with anyone else.
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Writer Intern
January - March 2021 • Seattle, WA
What I liked
The managers were especially great in regards to communication and flexibility. They were incredibly resourceful and were always willing to assist with any questions I brought up throughout my internship. I can tell that every person involved with The Borgen Project is genuinely passionate about the organization's efforts, and it was inspiring to see how a relatively small organization can make such a significant impact on the world. As for the writing portion of the position, it was incredibly motivating to know my pieces would be published and read. In addition, the experience has demonstrably strengthened my writing abilities in channeling my voice of advocacy.
What I wish was different
Advice
What you get out of this internship will be determined by what you put into it. It's a short internship, so make the most of it!
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Political Affairs Intern
March - May 2020 • Denver, CO
What I liked
I liked that I received all of my weekly tasks ahead of time, I liked that there were training meetings, I liked that I had the opportunity to learn about poverty-reducing legislation and that I was able to do the work on my own schedule.
What I wish was different
I wish I had more collaborative opportunities to work with other people like interns or regional directors.
Advice
I would suggest being creative with fundraising efforts, be organized, and manage time effectively to make sure you meet weekly tasks and don't be afraid to reach out for help if you need assistance or need more time to complete tasks.
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HR Intern
September - November 2020 • Tacoma, WA
What I liked
Remote, clear schedule, check box format, check ins with your supervisors
What I wish was different
I wish this internship was more HR focused. Instead of 80% HR work and 20% advocacy as advertised, it felt like 50/50. I wish I had more HR-specific skills to put in my resume besides RecruiterBox, which I've noticed isn't very popular with other employers. We didn't even get to do real interviews; we just listened to recorded ones.
Advice
I would recommend doing the Nonprofit Leadership or Political internships, as I think you'd be doing more relevant work in those positions. Be prepared to raise money without getting much in return (the recommendation they'll give you is p much it) and to be required to post all about The Borgen Project on your Twitter and Instagram (it's required).
