Week 5 was filled with many different tasks. As usual I updated the social media sites,worked on the newsletter, and edited the annual report. In addition, this week I was allowed to assist with two different fundraising events. Before starting this internship, I would have never imagined how much work is put into hosting fundraisers. In high school and college I have participated in different service projects. However, nothing that I have partipated in compares to the events that are being planned at Big Brothers Big Sisters. On Saturday the event Battle of the Badges was hosted by the Escambia County Sherriff's office for Big Brothers Big Sisters. Thankfully, the Sherriff's office did most of the organizing, but I still made signs for the event and showed up in support at the softball field to watch the games.
The other event that I contributed to this week is an event in November called Kabuki. The event will take place at a Japanese Steakhouse in Fort Walton Beach and raise money by tips and a silent auction. My task on Wednesday was to call 29 different business and ask for silent auction donations. My typical dialogue would be, "Hi my name is Kaylea Todd, and I am working with the nonprofit organization Big Brothers Big Sisters. We are having an upcoming fundraising, and I was wondering if you would like to partner with us."
After the initial dialogue, I faced many different conversations.Some bussinesses responded positively and told me they would partner with us. Other business wanted more information via email. However, most said they would call back or just declined the offer because of financial reasons. At first I was very uncomfortable asking for donations, but this process became easier as I called more businesses. This assignment allowed me to learn how to tactfully ask for donations. Overall it was a positive learning experience with many benefits. One of the benefits occurred this morning when I recieved an email from Embassy Suites in Destin stating that their donation is in the mail. This email resulted in a feeling of accomplishment by knowing that I helped make that donation happen.
Monday, September 30, 2013
Monday, September 23, 2013
Week 4
I am thankful for the self-taught opportunities that Big Brothers Big Sisters allows me to experience. Week four of my internship was filled with these types of opportunities.Through these opportunities, I learned patience and persistence while working with programs that I have never used before. These opportunities allowed me time to critically think instead of being told what to do step by step. In addition, it helped me feel a sense of independence as I learned how to accomplish tasks with very little guidance. My major accomplishments for this week was creating a marketing powerpoint, editing the monthly newsletter, and designing the 2012-2013 annual report.
The first project that I was in charge of for this week was creating a powerpoint to be presented to Pensacola's local TV station, Wear-TV 3. The purpose of the powerpoint was to create an outline of a potential video that Big Brothers Big Sisters hopes to get donated by the TV station. While creating this powerpoint, I had to purposely include a varitety of ethnicities and ages. I learned that it is important in marketing to make sure everyone feels included when reaching out to the general public. In addition, it was important to ensure that the powerpoint had a nice layout that appealed to the corporate setting.
Editing the monthly newsletter was another task that I accomplished this week. I used an editing program called Constant Contact to complete this assignment. I have never used this program or edited a newsletter before this week. The experience made me see how newsletters add a personal touch for the marketing department. When people who help support the company receive a newsletter, they are reminded of the positive moments that occur through Big Brothers Big Sisters. The newsletters remind supporters of the reasons why they decided to volunteer for the organization.
I received my long term project for the semester this week. This project is designing the 2012-2013 annual report. I am using Microsoft Publisher to complete this task. This program is also very new to me and is not the easiest program to navigate. Thankfully, there were some helpful YouTube tutorials to get me started! However, I am excited about the opportunity to learn a new program that will be beneficial in my career journey. Creating the annual report provides me with the responsibility of learning how to design a eight page booklet with appealing layouts obtaining information and photos about the company.
The first project that I was in charge of for this week was creating a powerpoint to be presented to Pensacola's local TV station, Wear-TV 3. The purpose of the powerpoint was to create an outline of a potential video that Big Brothers Big Sisters hopes to get donated by the TV station. While creating this powerpoint, I had to purposely include a varitety of ethnicities and ages. I learned that it is important in marketing to make sure everyone feels included when reaching out to the general public. In addition, it was important to ensure that the powerpoint had a nice layout that appealed to the corporate setting.
Editing the monthly newsletter was another task that I accomplished this week. I used an editing program called Constant Contact to complete this assignment. I have never used this program or edited a newsletter before this week. The experience made me see how newsletters add a personal touch for the marketing department. When people who help support the company receive a newsletter, they are reminded of the positive moments that occur through Big Brothers Big Sisters. The newsletters remind supporters of the reasons why they decided to volunteer for the organization.
I received my long term project for the semester this week. This project is designing the 2012-2013 annual report. I am using Microsoft Publisher to complete this task. This program is also very new to me and is not the easiest program to navigate. Thankfully, there were some helpful YouTube tutorials to get me started! However, I am excited about the opportunity to learn a new program that will be beneficial in my career journey. Creating the annual report provides me with the responsibility of learning how to design a eight page booklet with appealing layouts obtaining information and photos about the company.
Monday, September 16, 2013
Weeks 1-3
My internship at Big Brothers Big Sisters has been a wonderful learning experience. I have never worked in an office environment before, so it has been enlightening to say the least. The first week at the office I learned about Big Brothers Big Sisters and the history of the organization. I organized the marketing cabinet and familiarized myself with the marketing materials that have been put in place. In addition, I explored the computer I will be using for the rest of the semester and the previous files that are on it.
The second week I created a "twitter calendar." This included a list of posts that I will put on twitter every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday until my internship ends. I also updated the Big Brothers Big Sisters account on Pintrest and saved marketing videos on Youtube.At the end of the week, I helped fundraise for Big Brothers by setting up a booth outside a restaurant to sell tickets for Pensacola's Beer Festival.
The third week my supervisor had to stay home with her sick daughter one of the days I worked. Instead of sitting idle, I helped in the social work department at Big Brothers Big Sisters. This task involved filing, closing out matches, putting data into their corporate website, and emailing volunteers. The rest of the week I worked on marketing materials for the Corks and Canvases event in January. I created an excel work sheet for sponsor amenities, word document for a guest form, word document for sponsor information, and designed a gift certificate. In addition, I was allowed to sit in a marketing conference call between the different branches of Big Brothers Big Sisters.
The first few weeks of my internship has been a humbling experience as I open myself up to new experiences.For example, before this internship I have never used Microsoft Excel before. However, I have taught myself to use it and utilize it almost on a daily basis. In addition, it has opened my eyes to see the challenges that non-profit organizations face. It is encouraging to know that I am investing my time into such a wonderful organization that does so much for others.
The second week I created a "twitter calendar." This included a list of posts that I will put on twitter every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday until my internship ends. I also updated the Big Brothers Big Sisters account on Pintrest and saved marketing videos on Youtube.At the end of the week, I helped fundraise for Big Brothers by setting up a booth outside a restaurant to sell tickets for Pensacola's Beer Festival.
The third week my supervisor had to stay home with her sick daughter one of the days I worked. Instead of sitting idle, I helped in the social work department at Big Brothers Big Sisters. This task involved filing, closing out matches, putting data into their corporate website, and emailing volunteers. The rest of the week I worked on marketing materials for the Corks and Canvases event in January. I created an excel work sheet for sponsor amenities, word document for a guest form, word document for sponsor information, and designed a gift certificate. In addition, I was allowed to sit in a marketing conference call between the different branches of Big Brothers Big Sisters.
The first few weeks of my internship has been a humbling experience as I open myself up to new experiences.For example, before this internship I have never used Microsoft Excel before. However, I have taught myself to use it and utilize it almost on a daily basis. In addition, it has opened my eyes to see the challenges that non-profit organizations face. It is encouraging to know that I am investing my time into such a wonderful organization that does so much for others.
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