What Did I Do In My Internship?

I have spent a little over 120 hours working with Habitat for Humanity. As a young Marketing Intern, it was my job to bring fresh and new ideas to the organization. I came up with different ideas for our website layout, our social media platforms as well as how to get more people interested in volunteering with us, as we need as many volunteers as we could get. I used Habitat for Humanity's social media platforms, like Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, etc. to make posts that educate their followers about the importance of affordable housing and to gain the interest of future volunteers. Making these educational posts also gave me the opportunity to learn more about affordable housing, how it affects a community, how it affects family health, etc. I also helped the organization plan a fundraising event. The event was called Tees for Keys, Tees for Keys was a golf outing event. To help plan I filled many applications for donation requests to different companies requesting auction item donations. Along with making social media posts and planning events, I also went on construction sites where Habitat for Humanity was building new homes. 

Top Three Lessons I Have Learned

The top three lessons that I have learned in my internship were the importance of teamwork and communication, as well as the importance of technology in marketing. When it comes to teamwork at Habitat for Humanity Waukesha County, we often divide our tasks up evenly. When planning our Tees for Keys event,  I worked on applying for auction item donations and creating social media posts, my supervisor Kelly planned swag bags, invited media, sponsors, etc. Renee, our volunteer coordinator, worked on bringing in volunteers for the event. Thanks to our teamwork and planning, our event wen't smoothly! The second lesson that I learned was the importance of communication. During my internship, I was working on a variety projects and responsibilities by myself. I found it important to communicate my progress with my internship supervisor and reach out for help when necessary. The last lesson I learned was the importance of technology in marketing. Our world is changing and evolving every day and technology is a big part of that change. When it comes to marketing it is important to make sure you are marketing the best way you can to your audience. Nowadays social media is very popular. Though Habitat for Humanity's audience is mainly adults looking for homes, we wanted to expand our audience to the younger generations like Millennials and Gen Z to recruit volunteers and get support. In order to reach the younger generations, we knew social media platforms like Instagram and Twitter will help us reach them. Many experiences that I had during my internship are really beneficial to my future, especially since I want to go into a career in marketing. 

Top Three Most Beneficial Experiences 

Three experiences that were the most beneficial were applying for donations, managing social media posts, and attending team meetings. Applying for donations for a fundraiser is a big part of marketing for a nonprofit. When doing career exploration in marketing I have mainly seen what it looks like to do marketing for retail/profit brands and companies. Learning what it looks like to market for a nonprofit, I am able to broaden my marketing experience. Managing and making social media posts was a very beneficial experience for me. As I said before I want to go into a career in marketing. The ability to use social media and digital marketing are imperative skills for the success of a career in marketing. My third most beneficial experience in my internship for my future was attending team meetings. In every job, it is very common for your team to have meetings to share announcements and discuss important developments. In these team meetings, I was given the opportunity to talk and share the work that I have been working on with the rest of the group. This increased my confidence in talking to groups in a professional manner.