As the school year comes to a close, so does my internship with HCCA. When I first thought of non-profit conservation work, I thought of "fighting" on the front lines towards their causes and getting my hands dirty in the field. Although this is a big part of non-profit conservation work, one of the largest pieces that gets overlooked is the work done to plan events to get their work done or raise money and outreach and communicate to it's members or followers about these events and other causes. All of the emails, letters, volunteer coordination and event planning gets done in the background and really creates the structure for a non-profit's progress.
I learned a ton during this semester with HCCA that I can use--and have used already--both in school and with other non-profits or organizations that I do/will work with. I have gained experience with soliciting donations, event advertisements, promoting an organization to gain support verbally or monetarily, organized event structure/agenda, organize volunteers, write concise and interesting informational "blurbs" to teach members about important topics, keeps members engaged through emails, newsletters, letters, and cards, and begin to think about ways to connect HCCA with more students at Western.
Since joining HCCA as a member this past summer and now having worked for them for a semester, I have been able to see two sides of this conservation non-profit. This past summer I was able to volunteer with them and participate in cleanups, restoration work, and attend member events getting to follow along and hear about HCCA's work. Although this internship wasn't exactly what I was expecting when joining the HCCA team, it was really cool to be able to work on the other side of what I had experienced before and gain new skills that I will definitely utilize.
