Elizabeth Adams ’12
My Experience
My project was to build a financial model that would help project the financial status of the Foundation and allow them to test different operating scenarios. The foundation was at a critical juncture in its young existence, as it decided between continuing with an aggressive expansion or to prioritize key programs and optimize its operations on those key programs. This project was critical for this young organization to have the opportunity to think strategically about their operations. I suspect this is not unique to the foundation, but the organization was at a point where they had been working extremely hard at execution and hadn’t had the time or resources to do a financial and strategic overview. I was happy to be able to provide a tool which helped the founders take an opportunity to think about their organization beyond the day to day.
Without my MBA curriculum I never would have been able to complete this project. The ability to make financial projections was a skill I did not have prior to my time at Columbia. Beyond modeling, I found that other aspects of my curriculum complimented my ability to perform duties well in this position. Having learnt about the operations of select non-profits and businesses allowed me to contribute to conversations with the founders and provide an outside perspective to their organization. While I consider my knowledge of operations in nonprofit organizations fairly limited, I believe the course I took in High Performing nonprofits gave me the knowledge base necessary for understanding the situation of this foundation and the ability to offer some worthwhile suggestions.
My internship was a virtual internship, which presented certain logistical challenges. Thankfully I had participated in one of the foundation’s trips earlier in the year which gave me a personal connection to their mission and a strong commitment to helping the organization succeed. Without the personal connection to the organization it would have been difficult to complete this internship as working remotely can be isolating. If there are future fellows who would be interested in working with Peaks, I would recommend participating in a trip or finding a way to work on site with the founders.
I gained an even deeper respect for those that dedicate their time and careers to running nonprofit organizations. The stakeholder complications, along with the passion one must have to work for a nonprofit cause, create an environment of high responsibility and commitment. This experience also motivated me to eventually work within a nonprofit or potentially start an organization. I think the passion that those who work for organizations like this bring to their office everyday is inspiring and how I would hope to feel about the work I am doing. There are also unique challenges in the nonprofit world that you will not find in the corporate sector and those challenges can expand your knowledge and skillset.
Feel free to describe your goals, what you have learned throughout your experience, etc.
I found this experience to be very rewarding and it is something I would have done without the foundations support. Being able to speak with, and in some cases advise a, founder through a difficult strategic transition was an incredible opportunity. However, having the support of the foundation solidified for me that this was an opportunity I should take. I will continue to support the foundation as an alumna of CBS and I hope that other fellows find the experience to be equally rewarding.
