Internship Description
Cecilia Chu, ‘19CSSW, interned with Pathways to Leadership (P2L) which works to pave a bold path to bright futures by working with school systems to develop programs and provide mental health services to meet the intellectual, behavioral and socioemotional needs of each and every marginalized youth served. Cecilia worked with Stephanie Stolzenbach, the Director of Clinical Services at P2L to create a development plan and run fundraising events in preparation for a larger scale annual event. Cecilia was a part of the strategic planning process for the organization and her development projects created a framework for P2L’s development and partnerships team.
I worked on a few projects this summer, many of which have been needed for years but because grant writing and direct services usually take priority and immense amounts of time, P2L wasn’t able to address internal needs. I ran a small fundraising event in June and we raised over $3000 for school supplies for our underserved kids that receive mental health services during the academic year. The event had great energy and vibes that carried into longer term relationships with corporate partners. I then worked to create a new website and jumpstart social media platforms, while creating branding guidelines and a strategic marketing plan for fundraising. I worked with the Director of Clinical Services to take a look at program evaluations and improvements in impact measurement and organizational standard operating procedures.
I am studying Social Enterprise Administration at Columbia’s School of Social Work and every day at P2L I was applying in real time how to run a nonprofit organization from strategic planning to budgeting, project management and industry politics. Social skills and storytelling skillsets are vital to development and fundraising – skillets I spent this summer honing.
As often with nonprofits, I faced challenges in funding, resources and adequate support and buy in from staff because there was so much to be done for such a small team of 10. Systems are oftentimes outdated and funders, forever skeptical about the work. Change is difficult and shifting strategy to account for an era of a new workforce and subsequently, donors, has been slow moving and challenging, but necessary experience.
My takeaways from this experience is that I am highly, highly interested in business strategy for nonprofits and helping the executive team make informed decisions using qualitative and quantitative data. When organizations can work within structure and with systems that can support and increase efficiency, the counselors on the ground can focus on helping kids, and the whole world benefits from the social impact. I’ve learned that I excel best in environments where I am problem solving and am given the space to be innovative and to connect with people by building bridges. I am exactly where I’m supposed to be.
