My Experience
City Health Works! is a start-up, so there were many different things that Manmeet Kaur, the Executive Director, said I could work on. To make things more manageable and efficient, we decided that I would begin working on refining our communication materials to support the fundraising efforts and create a website.
I began reviewing the current communication materials to help Manmeet make them easier for those unfamiliar with the healthcare industry to understand. This worked out well because I was able to look at the model from a different perspective and identify concepts that could be simplified for the larger audience. Over the summer, we revised these materials several times and continue to make changes as the business evolved and as we learned more. In addition to refining the communication materials, I helped with the development of the website and other marketing initiatives like setting up a Twitter account, Facebook page, etc.
Additionally, during the summer we tried to recruit a Director of Operations. Given my human capital consulting background, I was able to help Manmeet create the job description, advise her on the compensation structure and ways to develop the talent at City Health Works!
For me, some of the most important skills that I was able to apply during my summer internship with City Health Works! were those that I learned in my management, strategy and leadership classes. As a start-up non-profit, a lot of thought goes into overall business development, recruiting your team of advisors and staff, and networking with potential partners (donors, schools, hospitals, communities, etc.).
The City Health Works! team is comprised of an amazing group of individuals with all different backgrounds – from physicians to those with very limited experience in the healthcare industry – so you can imagine at this early stage it is very easy to go in many different directions. I was probably the one with the least amount of healthcare experience on the team, but I truly believe that the management and leadership skills I developed while in business school helped me contribute by adding some structure as we developed our strategy and setting milestones. As a result we were able to prioritize our tasks, coordinate with each other and work cohesively as a team.
Working at a start-up can be challenging because things move and change so fast. Most of the team worked remotely, so sometimes up-to-date communication in terms of where our organization stood at the moment was delayed. However, once I actually met the team face to face, it became a lot easier to communicate with one another remotely.
Another challenge that I faced was that this was my first true nonprofit experience. The entire fundraising process was completely foreign to me, as well as understanding who the key stakeholders were and what they valued. However, as the summer progressed and as I began to meet more people and attend fundraising and partnership development meetings, I had a much better idea of the larger picture. Not only did I have a much better understanding of the business itself, but it was also interesting to learn how generous donors can be when they believe in the cause.
This was an amazing experience not only because I was given the opportunity to learn how a non-profit organization operates, but it also proved to me that it is possible to apply a business model to a nonprofit. In fact, I strongly believe that because we had four team members with MBAs, we were able to work more efficiently as a team and not lose sight of our overall mission and vision.
Another key takeaway from this experience is that “you never know until you ask.” To be quite honest, the term “fundraising” used to always frighten me. I hated asking people for anything, much less money! However, it was so interesting and refreshing to see how generous people are with their wealth, time, experience, and networks.
Finally, this experience made me realize that at some point in my career, I would love to be involved in the nonprofit sector.
