Merton is working to pioneer the active management of large philanthropic capital. As a start Merton is launching two philanthropy funds, one to develop a water philanthropy fund to renovate deteriorating US water infrastructure, and another to create additional affordable housing available to vulnerable populations. I worked on developing a strategic marketing plan for these two funds to reach out to the wealthiest donors and potential donors in the world and to communicate to them that they can outsource their large philanthropy gifting to MCP.

As part of the strategic marketing plan presentation, first, I did primary research about the two industries — water and housing — to complement the research by the other interns. Then, I identified the challenges and weakness within the current US water industry, which could be addressed with philanthropy. As a result, I identified actionable projects, in collaboration with the private equity partner, these projects could be the first investments for the water philanthropy fund. I then analyzed the capital structure and investment to quantify the impact and assess the capital requirements. In addition, I worked on identifying the top 100 philanthropists with the most affinity to large-scale solutions.

I used many of the skills relevant to an MBA, as it included sales channel development and analysis, financial scenarios, and developing impact models for prospects. It also included developing sophisticated fundraising decks in complex and innovative situations. The role also included outreach and follow-up to set up meetings with top philanthropists and advisors.

There are three areas where I believe I leveraged concepts and learnings from my MBA:
- Analyzing potential investment projects, structuring deals and analyzing investment returns for the private investor.
- Developing marketing materials and outreach strategy. I developed different channels for outreach and for each we tailored content for the audience.
- Presenting and communicating with executives. In some instances, I used some of the techniques we learned from the class on managerial negotiation. Since we were trying to offer a service to clients, it became more of a negotiate on the term we were considering what impact they were trying to achieve.

There were several challenges/experiences that I learned from:
- Working in a field outside my comfort zone: I worked mostly before business school with management consulting projects in finance/technology. I never fully understand the third sector and how philanthropy works in the United States. I had to read over the weekends and after work hours about the industry and watch videos to prepare for meetings.
- Meeting with senior executives: Even though in my previous experience I had the chance to meet with executives, it was mostly part of large meetings and different setups. With this internship, it was all in Zoom and sometimes one-on-one, which put a lot of pressure on me, especially in a new field.
- Understanding the work style of my manager and the coordination between the other interns: Especially, with the remote work, it was hard to connect with my manager at the beginning and understand his expectations.

I was interested in this internship opportunity because I wanted to learn more about investing and how it could be used to augment philanthropy’s impact. I learned more about the whole value chain within philanthropy, starting with the sources and donors, to the beneficiaries. I learned about the advisory companies in the field, the kind of work they did, and their business models. I also connected with people from across the board, whom I might need for a professional collaboration.

After the internship, I started thinking about the possibility of working in the nonprofit sector but in way like how Merton works. Bridging the private sector with the nonprofit sector, so that the impact is magnified, and the financial rewards are higher that traditional nonprofits. I plan to work in the private equity industry after this internship, focusing on impact investing in the water industry, which marries my experience with Merton working on the water fund. I plan to closely monitor the philanthropy sector to stay up to date and on the lookout for such opportunities where I could use my private equity/impact investing to do greater good.