Borgen Project

Political Affairs Intern

August - October 2020 • Seattle, WA

What I liked

Virtual, remote work was very flexible as to when I was working.

What I wish was different

I wish the managers would give a little more structure and feedback.

Advice

Be proactive and self-identify goals and tasks to complete.

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Political Affairs Intern

May - July 2020 • Pittsburgh, PA

What I liked

I really liked the experience it provided me. Lobbying and fundraising and raising public awareness are all critical components on American politics and I am thrilled I got that experience now! I also learned about a lot of different topics (mainly global poverty) that I didn't know about before.

What I wish was different

I wish COVID hadn't been a thing so I could have actually done more and done things in person. I also think it would be better to do during the school year because some of the assignments would have been much easier that way.

Advice

Have fun and be creative!

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Political Affairs Intern

July - September 2020 • Washington, DC

What I liked

- Being able to meet congressional offices with fellow Borgen members and having meaningful conversations

What I wish was different

- Better communication and interactions with the rest of the team

Advice

- Don't be afraid to ask questions and don't be afraid to get yourself out there

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Human Resources Intern

June - September 2020 • Seattle, WA

What I liked

I liked th freedom and creativity I had to start campaigns in order to raise awareness for impoverished nations around the world and to get others informed about the issues these countries are facing.

What I wish was different

I wish that the company had more one on one experience with me as most of the work I did was on my own.

Advice

to make sure to meet all your deadlines on time and to understand that you are doing a great job by helping those without a voice

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Writer Intern

June - October 2020 • Seattle, WA

What I liked

The mission of the Borgen Project is to educate and advocate for the world's poor, which is something that I deeply care about. I loved the opportunity to write about issues happening around the world.

What I wish was different

The internship is entirely remote, so in that regards, it can feel a lot one sided. If you enjoy working on your own, then this would be great for you. But if you are like me and love working with a team, it can feel very isolated indeed.

Advice

Organize your time well and be ready to fundraise and spread the word about The Borgen Project.

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Writer Intern

June - August 2020 • Philadelphia, PA

What I liked

Duties and schedules were laid out very clearly, gained a lot of political and writing experience, managers were very helpful and communicative.

What I wish was different

The adjustment period in the first few weeks was very intense and went a little too fast.

Advice

Branch out! I didn't think I would get it but apply anyways and get good work experience.

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Political Affairs

September 2020 • Santa Clarita, CA

What I liked

Work on own pace, learned plenty about government, opportunity to network A LOT with other interns on a national scale.

What I wish was different

Less stress on fundraising $500.

Advice

Though you may work at your own pace, I found success in starting way ahead in weekly tasks. This internship values hardworking self-starters.

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Political Affairs Intern

July - September 2020 • Seattle, WA

What I liked

Making my own hours Networking opportunities experience

What I wish was different

more management more realistic goals for day to day tasks

Advice

start fundraising immediately

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Human Resources Intern

May - July 2020 • Blackwood, NJ

What I liked

It was virtual.

What I wish was different

I feel like I didn’t learn that much. They used us more for fundraising.

Advice

I would go for any internship opportunity when you are a freshman to help you get a better internship.

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Political Affairs Intern

July - September 2020 • Seekonk, MA

What I liked

I truly feel like I was making a difference every week. I was able to meet with actual congress leaders in my state. It was manageable and I could do as much as I wanted every week and tailor the internship to my interests. I was also able to meet other college students from many disciplines who were passionate about making the world a better place like me.

What I wish was different

I wish I had started earlier in the year because it made my year feels purposeful in many ways by being a voice for the world's less fortunate.

Advice

I would start on the tasks early in the week because you never know how long something is going to take and only pick bills you are passionate about.

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Journalist

November 2019 - February 2020 • New York City, NY

What I liked

Enjoyed the communication with management, ability to work remotely with team members across different timezones and complete fulfilling work based on informative articles, fundraising and community mobilizing.

What I wish was different

It would have been helpful to have additional fundraising resources for intern success as well as the ability to connect with fellow interns in local area to form work connections remotely or in person.

Advice

My experience with The Borgen Project was extremely satisfying. If you are looking to make an impact in the work that you complete this is an organization to join and feel good about. On a weekly basis interns mobilize their network and community to get politically active to increase the likelihood of getting poverty reduction bills passed in Congress. While also completing informative articles that shine light on the good being done to reduce poverty worldwide. This is an important topic that must be considered as further solutions to poverty greatly impact other areas such as health, security, etc. You will be a part of this solution oriented approach by joining this impactful organization.

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Political Affairs Intern

July - September 2019 • Washington, DC

What I liked

The Versatility of the position

What I wish was different

An actual office I could work at it would be easier to meet the other interns

Advice

Meeting new people is not scary and that its a good way to come out of your comfort zone

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NonProfit Leadership Intern

November 2019 - February 2020 • Pullman, WA

What I liked

I absolutely loved working with the team at The Borgen Project. They were so helpful and motivating and truly helped me achieve the goals that I had set at the beginning of the internship.

What I wish was different

Advice

Definitely worth a look if you are looking for a great team, flexible working hours, and an amazing opportunity to understand the inner workings of a nonprofit organization.

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Political Affairs Intern

June - August 2018 • Denver, CO

What I liked

I learned more about the political process than I could've in a classroom. I learned the importance of political advocacy from everyday citizens and the impact a collective group can have on policy.

What I wish was different

Congresspeople tend to be very busy, therefore, securing face to face meetings with them was extremely difficult.

Advice

Not a huge commitment. Do it if you strongly believe in their mission and are not afraid to support it publicly.

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Political Affairs Intern

July - September 2019 • Newark, DE

What I liked

It was a laid back position that allowed me to create my own schedule. I was even able to work from home a lot of the time. I gained quite a bit of experiencing with lobbying and fundraising for a nonprofit organization, which relates directly with the career I wish to pursue.

What I wish was different

At times, I wish I could have worked with a team of advocates in person. I think that doing so could have allowed me to hone my skills and learn at a quicker pace.

Advice

When working on your own try to create a schedule at the start of each week, with space in between your hours for breaks. With this scheduling create a set of goals for each week and log your hours as you work. Aim to reach out to others in the same program in order to share ideas. Use their experiences to shape your own understanding of what it takes to create change, and provide them with your own experiences. Even if the job is independent, help from others makes all the difference in your success.

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Writer

May - July 2019 • Seattle, WA

What I liked

I liked that I was able to write about global injustice and poverty to bring awareness to the world's issues.

What I wish was different

I wish I would have gotten paid some compensation for my work.

Advice

Take your time with your tasks so that you are able to prove yourself and your employer, company, etc., that you are worthy of the skills and job you hold.

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Editorial Intern

June - August 2019 • Seattle, WA

What I liked

It was all telecommute, so I could work independently from home. I'd check in with my manager every so often over web call, but otherwise I worked by myself, which I preferred. It was only 12 hours a week, so not super time-intensive. That was nice, since it was an unpaid internship.

What I wish was different

Sometimes it was hard to get ahold of my manager if I had questions, and I'm sure that was influenced by how I never commuted to a physical work location and saw my manager face-to-face. They also place a huge emphasis on fundraising, so be prepared to spend more time on fundraising some weeks than you do on actual editing.

Advice

Recognize that for the most part, you're on your own. Don't be afraid to make mistakes: your managers will correct you if need be. Just be open to feedback and pay attention to Borgen's guidelines.

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Marketing and PR Intern

June - August 2019 • Virginia Beach, VA

What I liked

I enjoyed being able to work remotely and also have time to have a full-time job. I also liked getting to advocate for the world’s poor and do important work.

What I wish was different

I wish it had been paid.

Advice

If you are able to work independently and stick to a schedule, I highly recommend this internship.

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Intern, Content Writer

June - August 2019 • Baton Rouge, LA

What I liked

I liked that my internship was online and had a flexible schedule. All articles and tracker information was due by Friday nights, so I had the entire week to plan my schedule out on my own time. I also appreciated the real-life critiques to my work, as I became a better writer throughout the course of my internship.

What I wish was different

Advice

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Writing Intern

May - July 2019 • Seattle, WA

What I liked

I enjoyed the experience I gained from being able to write articles and go through the experience of the pitching, research and editing processes. It gave me new insight into what being a writer for a company is actually like.

What I wish was different

I wish the core focus of the internship had been more centered on writing articles for the organization rather than advocating and spending so much time on fundraising.

Advice

Adding the extra requirements expected from interns would work better if the internship program was longer. This is something I mentioned to them that they took into consideration during my feedback which is something most organizations do not. I highly recommend this internship because they are a wonderful organization and I support their cause still. Just be prepared going into it that the fundraising portion is more work than the actual writing.

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