https://www.fun4thedisabled.com/

Strategy for Access NFP

Intern

May 2020 • Hyde Park, IL

What I liked

There is quite a bit of creative freedom and the employer is very accommodating to individual team-members' interests and strengths in selecting assignments. She is flexible and understanding, and it is never difficult to make sure your voice is heard-- she follows up with even mumbled griefs. Deadlines are always reasonable with the amount of time projects require. She is never short of new ideas for projects which can be very exciting.

What I wish was different

Many projects are often working simultaneously so it can be difficult to keep track of them, and at times to keep up.

Advice

The team is small so your voice has a large impact! This can be stressful since your best work is required, but it's exciting to be helping with such impactful work!
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Communications Intern

May 2020 • Chicago, IL

What I liked

I loved working for Strategy for Access, because it allowed me to improve on and learn about a wide variety of skills that I would would not have learned other places. Everything from grant writing to social media to Google advertising and beyond. The environment was supportive and collaborative, and these are things I am very grateful for.

What I wish was different

Advice

Advocate for yourself and your needs, because they will more than likely be met if you express them.
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Communications Intern

May - June 2020 • Chicago, IL

What I liked

The employer took the time to learn about interns' interests and assign tasks accordingly, in addition to inviting creative input from interns during team meetings. Confusion among interns about group assignments did lead to more of these team meetings, which I found more helpful than one-on-one sessions.

What I wish was different

Miscommunication and a lack of structure were defining features of my experience. Assignments were often unclear, prior decisions were easily reversed, and although interns would ask questions to help clarify an assignment, crucial details often slipped through the cracks. For group projects, different information would get passed along to different interns, which added to the confusion. On multiple occasions, we would find ourselves blindsided by deadlines we didn't know about or tasks that weren't mentioned at the outset of a project. The workload itself was far from demanding, but I often found myself spending more time worrying about whether I was meeting my employer's expectations than actually completing my tasks. It felt like there was simply no way of telling if I had completely missed the mark until I had submitted a draft and then received the specific instructions I needed the first time around. I would like to chalk these negatives up to the chaotic landscape of the 2020 pandemic, but I can't say that with certainty. I appreciated the desire to give us creative freedom and flexibility with deadlines, but I really wish I had been given a clearer picture of my basic responsibilities and what was expected of me.

Advice

Working at a nonprofit organization is often hectic. This was my third undergraduate internship experience overall, and my second internship working at a small nonprofit. A small level of miscommunication is to be expected at any job; however, I feel that it is the employer's responsibility, not the intern's, to communicate long-term goals and expectations for a project. For shorter assignments, make sure you receive specific numbers in your instructions (e.g. word count, number of research articles, etc), and follow up with those numbers if you receive contradictory information. Know that there is a difference between constructive feedback that helps you improve the quality of your work and feedback that is just a change in project guidelines.
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