We were thrilled to have two great summer interns from Duke University’s DukeEngage program: Olivia Ess and Sophia Zheng. They’ve completed their work with us and are preparing for their next year of school, but they generously took some time to tell us about their experiences.

Olivia

Prior to working with Raising a Reader- MA, I had never worked in a professional office setting. Approaching the scaling building of windows, on my first day, I was both excited and intimidated. I chose to work with RAR-MA because I wanted to understand the behind the scenes work of what it takes to successfully operate a non-profit. As an English and Public Policy Major at Duke on the pre-law track, I have always been drawn to work involving literacy and educational equity. This summer, however, I wanted to focus my attention to understanding how such missions are sustained through means of fundraising, partnerships, and long-term planning. Throughout my summer in Boston, I was able to contribute to sponsorship kits for some of RAR-MA’s largest donors, assist with grant applications, participate in fiscal year planning, support fundraising and phone banking efforts, and help plan social media content. With such a diverse set of tasks each week, I was able to understand so many different perspectives of what it takes to maintain a nonprofit’s success, and I am incredibly grateful to continue contributing to this work beyond my summer in Boston through an extension of my internship.

In my time with RAR-MA, I have learned that a nonprofits public-facing mission is made possible through the countless hours of quiet work that most people never see. Every grant proposal, donor phone call, planning meeting, spreadsheet, and sponsorship packet serves as another step toward making literacy programs possible for the families of Massachusetts. Furthermore, working across different environments taught me to be flexible and adaptable while collaborating with people across the organization. Above all, my time working at RAR-MA taught me to appreciate the invisible work that connects an organization’s mission to its impact. Every successful nonprofit is built upon thousands of small actions that, while often unnoticed, collectively make meaningful service possible.

My summer with RAR-MA this summer has fundamentally altered the way I think about nonprofit work. Before this summer, I primarily viewed advocacy through the lens of the families being served. At Raising a Reader MA, I have come to understand the equally important technical side of that work: setting fundraising goals, preparing grant proposals, cultivating donor relationships, planning for future fiscal years, and recognizing that every program ultimately depends on sustainable funding. It was a perspective I had never fully considered, and one that has broadened my understanding of how meaningful change is created. I am leaving Boston with not only a deep appreciation for the extraordinary team at RAR-MA, but also a greater understanding that behind every story of impact is an enormous amount of thoughtful planning, collaboration, and generosity. I am incredibly thankful to have learned from people who demonstrated that changing lives begins long before a child ever opens a book.

Sophia

This summer I had the opportunity to intern with the Marketing and Development Team at Raising a Reader MA. As someone who is interested in education equity, I’m grateful for the impact RAR-MA had left on me, and I hope my work continues to benefit the children and families around Boston.

Through interning at RAR-MA, I learned a lot more about the behind the scenes of operating a nonprofit. From my supervisors, I directly saw the immense amount of effort and dedication they poured into meeting RAR-MA’s funding goals. As an intern, I worked on sponsorship kits, reached out to donors over the phone, and assisted with social media strategies. I’m glad that I was able to help the team complete tasks wherever they needed help. My experience at RAR-MA has taught me that changes doesn’t happen overnight. It’s about consistency and never failing to show up even when things get difficult.

I truly appreciate RAR-MA’s mission to expand literacy opportunities for underserved communities, and I’m grateful to be a part of the team this summer!