Interning at Women for Women International
Over the past semester I had the opportunity to work on the Events and Fundraising team as an intern for Women for Women International (WfWI). Women for Women International, a DC-based non-profit that works to help women in countries that have been affected by war and conflict. Women for Women has helped more than 462,000 marginalized women across 8 countries and has helped to rehabilitate and assist the women to be economically independent which leads the reduction of poverty and empowerment of women. The purpose of the events and fundraising team is to plan and execute various events throughout the year in order to raise money for the programs that WfWI provides to the women they serve.
I spent the semester researching, planning, preparing, and executing various fundraising events. One of these events was held for International Women’s Day at the National Museum of Women in the Arts. We had various women speak about their experiences with WfWI and about the programs and change that our organization offers to women in need. I worked to greet and register our guests throughout the event.
This past week, I traveled to New York City with WfWI to work our annual luncheon event at a venue on 583 Park Avenue. The event consisted of a presentation from Pulitzer Prize winning photo journalist Lynsey Addario who spoke about being a woman in the field of photojournalism and how her gender has given her the opportunity to enter women-only spaces and take inspirational photos. Later, Lester Holt from NBC Nightly News moderated a panel with Addario and the CEO of WfWI, Laurie Adams. Before the event, I helped with the night-before pre-event planning. Then, the day of, I worked the registration table, greeted guests and helped set up and break down the event. I also had the ability to watch some of the segments and talk to the guests at the event.
My biggest take-away from my internship is my new interest in non-profits. The values and goals of non-profits are more in line with my personal values than for-profit companies which made the work I was doing more meaningful to me. WfWI had a supportive and enriching environment as the focus of the company is not on the success of the company but rather the success of the employees and the people we serve. This kind of environment is one that I can see myself working in throughout my career.
The skills and experience that I have gained from WfWI have been invaluable to my career path as an event management major. I now feel confident that I would be able to take on a more rigorous internship in the event management field and now have insights from the industry to connect to my studies at GW. The Humphries Award has enhanced my experience at my internship and has allowed me to focus more on my internship and less of my finances. Through this process I have made meaningful relationships, had the ability to explore a field that I am interested in and confidence that a career in non-profits and event management is for me.