Borgen Project

Political Affairs Intern

November 2020 • Rockland, MA

What I liked

The opportunities to write congress and advocate for the worlds poor.

What I wish was different

I wish the internship was longer and more interactive.

Advice

Be prepared to handwrite letters to congress, lobby and jump out of your comfort zone to grow.

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Nonprofit Leadership Intern

January - March 2021 • Boise, ID

What I liked

This internship provided a great insight into the workings of nonprofit leadership. I got to develop skills in fundraising, networking, and management. Every intern with TBP gets the opportunity to meet with their Congressional leaders, and the managers were very reachable and always open to questions and feedback. The time required for this internship is very manageable because you get to choose your schedule (since it is a remote position).

What I wish was different

I wish we were given a larger window for the fundraising opportunity. I feel that I could've raised a lot more with a few more weeks.

Advice

Don't be afraid of the fundraising! The $500 requirement may sound daunting, but they provide every intern with great materials on fundraising, and reaching the $500 goal is much easier than it sounds. When fundraising, reach out to every person you can think of- you may be surprised who donates and/or how much!

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Political Affairs

April - June 2020 • Tallahassee, FL

What I liked

Clear Communication Helpful Staff Enhanced writing, fundraising and mobilization skills Gave me political affairs experience through contact w/ local members of congress

What I wish was different

Perhaps a Stipend of Some Sort

Advice

Definitely stay on task w/ your microsoft doc. it is very hard when you get behind.

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Political Affairs Intern

June - August 2020 • Greer, SC

What I liked

I loved setting my own schedule and getting to work directly with the offices of my Congressional representatives! I gained experience in researching legislation, conducting lobbying meetings, fundraising, and community outreach. This is a great internship for those interested not only in politics but in making the world a better place!

What I wish was different

Balancing the weekly task list could be challenging at times and scheduling Congressional meetings was difficult, but it gives you an insight into how the field works! Also, getting others to get involved in contacting their representatives can be tough, but it pays off!

Advice

Don't let the fundraising portion of the internship intimidate you! I found that people are willing to donate and learn about these issues if you remain persistent. There are tons of creative ways to fundraise!

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Writer Intern

November 2020 - February 2021 • Seattle, WA

What I liked

I liked how the team at The Borgen Project pushed us to exceed our own expectations of ourselves, and challenged us to come up with unique story ideas that were newsworthy and interesting. I also liked reaching how this opportunity helped people become familiar with reaching out to their congressional representatives.

What I wish was different

Because I had this internship during the pandemic, the fundraising part of the internship was a bit of a challenge. It was difficult to come up with creative ways to fundraise when no one wanted to go to personal events, so most of my donations came from reaching out to extended friends/family. If I could wish for anything to be different, I wish I had a more interactive fundraising experience.

Advice

Start working ahead of schedule. The more you plan stories ahead of time and start working on projects early, the easier time you'll have creating content you're proud of. It gives you more room to breathe and you have more time to reach out to your managers if you have questions.

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Political Affairs Ambassador

October - December 2020 • Rapid City, SD

What I liked

I liked the fact that I made my own schedule and could alter it around my job and school schedules. I also liked that I was given many opportunities to network within my community and to develop skills such as communication, advocacy, and fundraising.

What I wish was different

I wish I would have started my internship earlier so I could have experienced the full 12 weeks. Instead, I had to cut it short to end in time for the Fall semester end date.

Advice

Do not be afraid to put yourself out there and ask questions. You can only grow and develop if you make the effort to do so. Working hard is crucial but asking for help or advice is the only way to get better.

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Writing Intern

May - July 2020 • Nashville, TN

What I liked

I loved the SEO and fundraising training. It was very helpful for the role and for jobs I've worked at since then. I appreciate that they showed us how to effectively contact Congress.

What I wish was different

A bit more feedback on the articles

Advice

It is certainly worth it if you want to learn about global poverty and make a difference!

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Political Affairs Intern

August - October 2020 • Charlottesville, VA

What I liked

I appreciated the flexible schedule (my internship was remote), the variety of assignments, and the prompt feedback I received from my managers. It was also exciting to meet with Congressional offices and see legislation I supported pass after the internship concluded!

What I wish was different

I wish there was more internal communication, especially between interns. I attended a virtual meeting with a Senator's office and only then learned that multiple Borgen Project advocates were present.

Advice

Be prepared to try new things: between fundraising, meetings with Congressional offices, and mobilization campaigns, a lot of assignments will require you to step outside your comfort zone. Doing so enthusiastically will improve your satisfaction and the quality of your work.

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Political Affairs Intern

September - November 2020 • Waltham, MA

What I liked

The ability to be trusted to handle my work individually but was updated about my efforts weekly.

What I wish was different

More interactive elements it the team as a whole.

Advice

Make sure you look at the weekly things you need to do that week on Sunday night or Monday morning as some take much more time than others and will take the full week. This helps you from getting over taken by school or and internship work.

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Content Writer

August - October 2020 • Seattle, WA

What I liked

Being a content writer for The Borgen Project was a wonderful experience. They have high expectations that are all clearly communicated at the beginning of the internship. There are weekly deadlines that can be challenging if you do not plan accordingly. I had to write 1 article a week between 500 and 900 words. I also had to mobilize others to reach out to our representatives to show our support for world hunger, poverty, and education initiatives. Additionally, I set aside about 2 hours a week to focus on my fundraising goals. I stepped outside of my comfort zone and learned how to be a more professional communicator, researcher, and writer. My first article was a mess, I knew it, but I did not know how to fix it. They gave me a lot of helpful feedback, and by my third article, I felt more confident in my writing skills.

What I wish was different

Obviously, I did not enjoy all of the tasks assigned but I understand and respect how they help The Borgen Project. As an intern I agreed to help the organization, therefore I did what was asked. This helped me come out of my shell so it was a win win.

Advice

I would recommend this opportunity to anyone wanting real-world experience, and to build your resume and network. Understand that it will not be easy and make time to do your job well.

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Journalist Intern

September - December 2020 • Tacoma, WA

What I liked

The Borgen Project was a great internship experience that always kept me preoccupied with new tasks that taught me a variety of different lessons over the course of my 12 week internship. Every week, there was plenty of new tasks and an article to complete based on an idea that I proposed to management throughout my time at The Borgen Project. On top of giving me opportunities to write about poverty alleviation around the world, The Borgen Proect gave me plenty of experience of fundraising for a cause that I am truly passionate about. The internship was always very understanding and the deadline based narrative of the internship gave me experience with working on a news story deadline. I would recommend others to take the opportunity with working with The Borgen Project if given the opportunity.

What I wish was different

The only thing that I wished would have been different within the internship is collaboration between fellow interns, so that the interns would have more experience about working with Journalists for their future careers. Besides this, The Borgen Project has been able to accomplish the goal of giving great communication between its interns, managers and supervisors.

Advice

One piece of advice I would share about my internship experience is that people should plan their articles a week in advance in order to find proper sources and schedule interview with professionals related to the story or organization you are writing a story about. Emailing professionals from organizations can be daunting at first and they become easier to send after a while because the internship supervisors consistently approve topics once they are proposed by the intern. The entire internship staff is very helpful and I would recommend future interns to ask any questions to the supervisors and managers as soon as possible because there is no such thing as a bad question.

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Writing intern

July - October 2020 • Seattle, WA

What I liked

I liked getting to do my research and writing on my own schedule.

What I wish was different

I wish I had been able to start earlier so it didn’t overlap with school.

Advice

Stay on top of things and don’t get behind.

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Political Affairs Intern

June - August 2019 • Seattle, WA

What I liked

I learned a lot from this position and got a lot of experience in the political realm with lobbying.

What I wish was different

I wish that this internship was in person rather than remote.

Advice

Because this internship is remote and pretty independent, what you get out of it is what you put into it.

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Public Relations/ Marketing intern

August - November 2020 • Seattle, WA

What I liked

I like that I was able to use what I learned in class and apply it to the internship. I also learned more about pitches to media and overall advocacy and fundraising

What I wish was different

Advice

starting your fundraising campaign and create your outreach materials earlier and not wait for last minute will help you be successful

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Nonprofit Leadership Intern

August - October 2020 • Seattle, WA

What I liked

As a nonprofit leadership intern, I gained a plethora of skills that will continue to help me in the future as I step foot into the professional world after college. It was an extremely organized program with lots of team leaders who were there to help along the way. I was truly amazed by the great impact one nonprofit can make in the world!

What I wish was different

Advice

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Brand Ambassador

May - August 2020 • Youngstown, OH

What I liked

Making own hours connecting with representatives easily completed with other activities

What I wish was different

Advice

You get out of it what you put into it. Be creative and active.

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Human resource intern

July - August 2020 • Davie, FL

What I liked

I loved getting the chance to work for a non- profit that was really trying to help give a voice to the voiceless.

What I wish was different

I wish I would have been able to get a bit more experience regarding the field I was interested in.

Advice

I think that if you get the chance to work for the Borgen Project, you should take it.

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Administrative and Operations Intern

June - August 2020 • Seattle, WA

What I liked

I liked that there were ample opportunities to build up skills for my resume.

What I wish was different

At times, I felt that the structured nature of the internship limited my capacity for creativity and real opportunities for growth (beyond some practical resume-building activities).

Advice

All internships are what you make of it. Try to operate within the structure of this internship in a way that allows you to achieve what YOU wish to get out of it.

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Human Resources Intern

July - September 2020 • Washington, DC

What I liked

In my Human Resources internship position over the summer I got to learn a lot about The Borgen Project. My position was diverse and had activism and fundraising aspects as well. For activism, I Learned how to mobilize my friends and family to effectively lobby congress. I acquired the language skills to speak about difficult issues across parties and explain to people why global poverty should be at the forefront of congress' agenda. Prior to this internship I did not realize exactly how important reaching out to your representatives is; for me this changed when I started to get responses from my representatives to talk about specific bills and issues. To help the organization reach its annual fundraising goals, I created a personal goal of $500 for my 12 week summer term. Because everything this summer was virtual, I had to come up with new and innovative ways to fundraise. I really enjoyed my Internship experience this summer and wold recommend The Borgen Project to other students because they provide a diverse learning experience.

What I wish was different

Advice

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Writing Intern

July - September 2020 • Lexington, MA

What I liked

One of my favorite parts of interning for The Borgen Project was the ability to learn about new and diverse information that I feel is important not only in a social awareness sense, but also with current events. I felt that the work I was doing was not only educating myself, but also spreading awareness to others.

What I wish was different

The experience could have been a bit more personalized for me as I was mostly just left to my own affairs.

Advice

One piece of advice I would share about this and other remote work experiences would be to make sure that you are staying on top of and even ahead of your workload. It is really easy to fall behind when all your assignments are remote so it is important to set a schedule for yourself and commit to it.

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