Hello there, GDO! I’m Bernice Tay, your Vice President of Internal Operations. This summer I interned in Charlottesville, with United Way-Thomas Jefferson Area, a non-profit that serves low-income residents of the City of Charlottesville and Albemarle, Fluvanna, Greene, Nelson and Louisa Counties. It aims to promote school readiness, community health and economic self-sufficiency. During my time here I worked mostly on data analysis and management, but also had opportunities to learn about community engagement, grant writing and project management. As a Global Development Studies and Statistics double major, my summer internship was the perfect fit for me.
A key project I worked on this summer was analyzing survey data for United Way’s free tax preparation and prescription assistance programs. United Way-Thomas Jefferson Area takes the feedback of its beneficiaries very seriously in improving its programs. An issue that often arises in the development world is accountability, as the views of program recipients can sometimes be overshadowed by opinions of donors and staff members. Surveys can help counter this by allowing program recipients to evaluate the services they are receiving. The statistical side of me also enjoys crunching numbers and translating them into meaningful conclusions on how effective the programs were. I have been challenged by United Way’s impact - or outcome - based approach to evaluating both grant applications and its own programs. It is a testament to United Way’s self-critical lens, as well as the power and importance of information.
Throughout my internship I was also able to attend meetings with other agencies, where I found out about what they do and how the United Way is working with them. United Way embraces collaboration as a powerful way to meet the needs of the community. Rather than reinventing the wheel, another issue sometimes rampant among development agencies that do not always work or communicate with each other, United Way often redirects needs to other agencies that may already have existing programs in place. It has an Information and Referral Center that refers callers to services provided by other agencies, and it also linked up Walmart with the Salvation Army when the company wanted to organize a school supplies donation drive.
Fundamentally, the United Way is committed to community engagement. This often involves pairing up volunteers with projects that would best tap their interests and talents. Even as an intern, I was given a lot of say in what meetings I wanted to tag along on and which staff members I wanted to shadow. I even got to go on a local radio show one week to talk about my internship! United Way-Thomas Jefferson Area truly celebrates differences and collaboration, tapping into the various things people and agencies bring to the table to make the biggest impact.
I have walked away from this internship with a greater understanding of the needs of the Charlottesville community, as well as what local citizens and agencies are doing to address these – interning and working behind-the-scenes on a daily basis was really different from my previous volunteer experiences with other local agencies. Staying in Charlottesville for the summer was also a huge plus, as I got to experience all it had to offer during my favorite season of the year. For anyone looking to become more invested in Charlottesville, outside of what can sometimes be the U.Va. bubble, I highly recommend exploring an internship with an agency in town!
A key project I worked on this summer was analyzing survey data for United Way’s free tax preparation and prescription assistance programs. United Way-Thomas Jefferson Area takes the feedback of its beneficiaries very seriously in improving its programs. An issue that often arises in the development world is accountability, as the views of program recipients can sometimes be overshadowed by opinions of donors and staff members. Surveys can help counter this by allowing program recipients to evaluate the services they are receiving. The statistical side of me also enjoys crunching numbers and translating them into meaningful conclusions on how effective the programs were. I have been challenged by United Way’s impact - or outcome - based approach to evaluating both grant applications and its own programs. It is a testament to United Way’s self-critical lens, as well as the power and importance of information.
Throughout my internship I was also able to attend meetings with other agencies, where I found out about what they do and how the United Way is working with them. United Way embraces collaboration as a powerful way to meet the needs of the community. Rather than reinventing the wheel, another issue sometimes rampant among development agencies that do not always work or communicate with each other, United Way often redirects needs to other agencies that may already have existing programs in place. It has an Information and Referral Center that refers callers to services provided by other agencies, and it also linked up Walmart with the Salvation Army when the company wanted to organize a school supplies donation drive.
Fundamentally, the United Way is committed to community engagement. This often involves pairing up volunteers with projects that would best tap their interests and talents. Even as an intern, I was given a lot of say in what meetings I wanted to tag along on and which staff members I wanted to shadow. I even got to go on a local radio show one week to talk about my internship! United Way-Thomas Jefferson Area truly celebrates differences and collaboration, tapping into the various things people and agencies bring to the table to make the biggest impact.
I have walked away from this internship with a greater understanding of the needs of the Charlottesville community, as well as what local citizens and agencies are doing to address these – interning and working behind-the-scenes on a daily basis was really different from my previous volunteer experiences with other local agencies. Staying in Charlottesville for the summer was also a huge plus, as I got to experience all it had to offer during my favorite season of the year. For anyone looking to become more invested in Charlottesville, outside of what can sometimes be the U.Va. bubble, I highly recommend exploring an internship with an agency in town!