When I Was an EESI Intern… | Article

In the summer of 2019, I had just graduated with a degree in psychology and a vague sense that I wanted to do something meaningful in the world. I was lucky enough to find a place where the rent was great and my new roommates were determined to get me addicted to board games. The issue was I was running out of savings. I needed to support myself financially and get experience in the nonprofit world, and it was looking like I would be able to get one but not the other.

There was another problem: persuading an organization to hire me. I had experience with autonomous vehicles research, writing a neuroscience meta-analysis, shoveling library books around, art club, and I had somehow snagged a minor in philosophy and law. It was difficult for people to look at my resume and see 'the angle' because I didn't have one. I didn't have experience crafted for one specific position and I was just starting to figure out what I wanted to do professionally. I was worried that would hold me back, and given the number of employers that ghosted me, it probably did. Part of what impresses me about EESI is that they were able to look at the bigger picture and value my experiences such as they were.

When I got the development internship with EESI, I was ecstatic for several reasons. The first was that it was paid. It meant I could afford to commute into D.C. and focus on learning as much as I could. Second, I could help with one of the biggest challenges of our time, right in the policy world, right at the moment needed. Third, even with my limited experience, I could help EESI fundraise.

Money is an uncomfortable word to say. We don't like talking about it, but it has a huge impact on our lives. Personally, money has always meant security to me. Having financial stability means you can focus on the bigger picture. You can do more if you aren't stressed about making ends meet. To help an organization doing incredible work be secure? That was amazing. It felt like I was exactly where I should be.

Not to be too sappy and overly emotional (but I'm a sappy and over-emotional person), I think everyone who gives to a cause they believe in, and certainly everyone who works in a nonprofit like EESI, cares. They are passionate and want the world to be a better place. I definitely gained concrete skills like working with a database, drafting proposals and reports, and understanding what funders might find appealing in EESI's work (plus more basic skills like how to hunt down a mailbox in a city)—but it also meant a lot to be around people like that. I got to see how every staff member helps the others out, regardless of their position. Since it was my first office experience, I learned a lot about how to communicate with my boss and prioritize the right things. I will always be grateful for how supportive they were of my more creative ideas, and also for their gentle reminders that I can't start a new project every two seconds.

After EESI, I did another development internship with the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, doing similar work but with a much larger organization. Now I work with Elevated Effect, a grant-writing consulting firm, as a project coordinator. I get to work with lots of different nonprofits, helping them track all of the work they do and getting them the support they deserve.

I am so unbelievably lucky that I was able to intern with EESI, and I absolutely believe my experience there helped me get other opportunities. Working there meant a lot to me personally, and I think the extent to which EESI supports its people (including interns) helps them achieve their mission in a very real way.

Author: Georgie Melrose

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