Mitzvah Circle

Public Policy Intern

May - August 2021 • Norristown, PA

What I liked

Mission driven organization. Great real life learning opportunity to do policy research, funding/grant research, interact with local government officials and more!

What I wish was different

Advice

Fully embrace the organization and its mission and staff. Such a great environment! Be open to all learning experiences.

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Nonprofit Administrative Intern

August 2019 • Harleysville, PA

What I liked

I liked that I was given multiple jobs throughout the day. I was also given the opportunity the expand my leadership skills by leading groups of volunteers in packing each day. The work environment is friendly and supportive.

What I wish was different

Advice

Learn the ins and outs of Mitzvah and share them with the volunteers. The volunteers will be more likely to come back and volunteer if they know more about the organization because they are invested.

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Social Work Intern

June - August 2019 • Harleysville, PA

What I liked

The community and environment at Mitzvah Circle Foundation. Not only my peer interns, but my social work supervisor and the other employees all really cared for us. We get real opportunities to grow and learn new skills but they made sure we were prepared to do things. Example, before talking to someone on the phone to do a critical needs update they made sure you were comfortable with sales force and filling out any of the forms. Also, if you are not doing the internship for credit, the hours are very flexible and the supervisor is very willing to work with you.

What I wish was different

We had phone issues while I was there. It was not exactly mitzvah's fault, but we had eight social work interns sharing four phones for a significant chunk of my time there. This resulted in social work interns sometimes helping out in back, doing things that general, every day volunteers would do.

Advice

Come prepared to learn new things and do things you already know. The first couple of week(s) you may find yourself just doing things that volunteers would do. This is for a reason, it's so you understand the resources Mitzvah can really provide. Also, they love gaining feed back and ideas about their process for how they function. But, do not give them advice during the first couple of weeks. I gave a couple suggestions early on that were shot down, I later realized that they really did have a reason for doing them that way (and it made sense).

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Social Work Intern

May - August 2018 • Harleysville, PA

What I liked

Interning at Mitzvah Circle Foundation allowed me to develop essential skills to serve individuals and families in need of life’s basic necessities, such as period supplies, diapers, and clothing, without involving bureaucracy or instilling borders. Prior to my internship, I was unaware babies living in low-income households have their diaper changed as little as once a day and young girls and women constantly are absent from work or school because they do not have access to period supplies. Mitzvah Circle Foundation abridges the gap between need and access by supplying families with a personalized box full of clothing, school supplies, self-care items, diapers, period supplies, and more. Because of Mitzvah Circle Foundation, I am now aware of the different ways I, as well as others, can be someone's lifeline.

What I wish was different

The only criticism I can fathom giving to Mitzvah Circle Foundation was their hours. The organization comprises solely of interns and volunteers, while members of the small office administration are paid through grants. Because of this, the hours are limited to the mornings to early afternoons of weekdays. Nevertheless, working hours are flexible and can be easily accommodated.

Advice

Mitzvah Circle Foundation will equip you with the skills necessary to serve individuals and families experiencing crisis and tragedy. Prior to my internship, I was uninformed about government assistance programs. At Mitzvah Circle Foundation, however, I was able to learn about the different types of government assistance programs through first-hand experience by speaking to individuals and families receiving these types of services.

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Non Profit Administrative Intern

June - August 2018 • Harleysville, PA

What I liked

The staff at Mitzvah Circle Foundation are amazing. I learned with intimate detail the ins and outs of how a nonprofit organization functions. I was able to assist in the logistical planning and organizing of many programs in the nonprofit and was given fair autonomy as an unpaid intern.

What I wish was different

I don't believe this is something that could have been changed, but it was difficult going to a job where I was not compensated for my work. However, understanding the budgeting of the nonprofit quelled some of that desire. Our founder and executive director began the foundation over 15 years ago, and only two years ago began taking a salary.

Advice

Sometimes, people are more important than the scale. Mitzvah Circle was a fairly small operation in terms of staff, and served many people, but was fairly location restricted. Even so, the people I met during this program have become some of my good friends, and by the end of the summer, it was difficult to leave. Additionally, many workers in the nonprofit sector are older and retired, and thus have had a life of career experience and knowledge to impart to inexperienced workers. It was very insightful to speak to these workers on how they ended up where they are now. We had staff members who worked in many different areas: from programming to campaigning for Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election.

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