So I'm already finishing up my third week at Miracle. It has been unbelievable and I love it! Miracle is conveniently located on 6th street, as it's close to home and one of my favorite spots in Austin at the intersection of 6th and Lamar (Whole Foods, Waterloo Records, Book People…what else could I ever want!). Everything in the little cute house where Miracle has their office coordinates with the bright yellow and orange color scheme, creating a fun and cheery atmosphere. Faces of the hundreds of kids and volunteers in the Miracle Foundation's family are posted all over the walls, as a constant reminder of their mission to "empower orphans to meet their potential, one child at a time".
The United Nations ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1989 to establish an international standard of children’s rights, including the rights to clean water, health care, nutrition, education, a stable loving environment and conditions of freedom and dignity. Inspired by this UN Convention, The Miracle Foundation created The Miracle Foundation Rights of the Child that goes beyond ensuring fundamental human rights by implementing a model of family-style living that offers a depth of care unprecedented in most orphanages. I think this is one of the most unique and defining aspects of TMF, as they truly work to meet these standards of living in the communities they touch. Human rights should be universal, I believe, and so I love that TMF recognizes this and is actively trying to ensure these rights for children in India. This model is one that I would like to follow in any social justice work I do in the future; the ways in which TMF operates set important frameworks of operation that I will continue to note as I go forward in my internship.
So what do I actually do everyday, huh? Well, I’ll give you the rundown of the life of an intern at TMF, according to my experience so far…
While adjusting into my position as an intern at TMF, I have been starting off by learning to complete basic tasks with Jim. He has been an incredible mentor so far and has helped me get integrated into the Miracle workplace. He has led me step-by-step in learning to use their printers, locate supplies, understand the organization system, and send different kinds of correspondence with donors and such. To do these tasks, I am learning to use a program called Convio. This is an exciting opportunity because this is the standard computer program for NGOs that stores information about different contacts and financial information and can compile reports, among other possibilities that I haven’t learned about yet! I have been entering all kinds of data into Convio and am getting pretty proficient I think, but new things come up everyday that I have to adjust to, which keeps it interesting. One of the most useful things I have learned to do is create templates on Word for letters and other kinds of correspondence and then complete a mail merge with data from Convio that efficiently generates numerous personalized copies of the letters. I can then generate other things such as labels or reports with the same data, without having to do repetitive busy work. Convio is really a phenomenal tool for NGOs, as it saves so much valuable time and effort and helps with crucial tasks. For example, at first it didn’t seem all that important to send thank-you letters or updates to donors or people on the mailing lists, but it soon hit me just how fundamental this simple form of communication is to a NGO. Without the contributions of their supporters, even small ones, they wouldn’t be able to operate and affect as much change as they do currently. TMF really emphasizes a personal relationship with everyone involved in their ‘family’, as they commonly refer to it, and I really think that is an exemplary way to run a sustainable and effective organization.
For future reference for interns and volunteers, I am sometimes assigned to write procedures for various standard processes such as printing, entering specific data and creating mother's and father's day cards. As I learn how to do different tasks, I have found it super helpful to refer to other such procedures that have already been written so hopefully mine will be helpful for future interns and volunteers. Generally I have basic data input or organization responsibilities everyday when there are not more pressing assignments I need to complete, and it’s during these jobs that I feel like such a typical intern. I had a vague idea of what it’s really like to be an intern, and it has changed everyday that I have been at Miracle. Thankfully I’m not the coffee-fetching-copy-making intern and I have real projects and assignments, but when I’m doing repetitive tasks I sometimes feel like the intern ‘stereotype’. But then I step back and realize my internship is so engaging and fascinating and it’s truly like no other. The atmosphere and spirit, the dedication and passion, and the people are remarkable and every task is actually special to me, as cliché as that sounds. I really feel like I’m making a contribution and that the work I’m doing is meaningful.
In addition to the aforementioned tasks, I am also given some other projects to complete that require more of my writing skills. Right now they’re pretty small, but somewhat significant to me because it’s an awesome feeling to take something on that will actually have an impact on the organization. An ongoing project I’ve been working on is finalizing the sponsorship packets that are sent to individuals who ‘sponsor’ one of the children in the orphanage in India. TMF facilitates communication between the child and their sponsor, and I’ve been crosschecking information to make sure the packets being sent to the right sponsors and have certain items such as drawings, photographs, and/or letters from their kid. This is another way TMF gets their supporters involved through a tangible and dynamic form of communication. Other projects I have are generally writing short blurbs for things such as e-news or writing the verbiage for the Father’s Day card that gets sent out to father’s when someone makes a gift on their behalf. (As a side note, I think that’s a pretty creative means to get donations. I purchased books and a backpack for a child on behalf of my mom and then made her a card for her birthday from the template I had created…that was a fun way to see some of the progress I’m making…)
My favorite part by far at this point was getting to take part in the marketing meeting on my first day. This is exactly the sort of thing I was excited about for my internship--being able to experience first hand the everyday operations of a non-profit organization, especially in the marketing department. It was a little overwhelming being thrown in there after only an hour of being an intern, but I felt pretty comfortable after awhile and actually pretty confident in understanding what they were discussing, even on my first day. The meeting was conducted in an organized and business-like manner, but was still pretty laid-back and somewhat informal. It was so awesome to see how all four of the women participating fed off each other's ideas and brainstormed to develop new programs and strategies. Growing up hearing about my mom’s work in marketing and completing an independent mentorship in non-profit marketing at SicolaMartin during my senior year of high-school, I have a pretty solid understanding of the role of the marketing department in a business. Even so, I realized I had so much to learn about marketing strategies in an NGO, as they differ a bit from a for-profit business. The goal is still basically to create a sale, but instead of selling a product or service, they’re basically trying to convince an audience to financially support their specific mission. Figuring out how to write the marketing pitch that is a good balance of both mushy-gushy and straightforward is pretty difficult! I’ve been trying to figure out how to do this while writing about a new orphanage program TMF is developing. More info on this to come…
