Internship Experience at NYPFWC Benefit Fund by Krista Reynolds

Where?
New York Police & Fire Widows' and Children's Benefit Fund

How?
One long college night, I was having (another) crisis about what I wanted to do with my life. I decided I wanted to do something philanthropic so I could feel like I was giving back to the community. My roommate told me about New York Police & Fire because her father was on the Board. I talked with her father a bit about the organization and decided it sounded like a good fit. I applied and went through two interviews before finding out I got the position.

What did I do?
I never realized just how much work managing a nonprofit is until I saw it with my own eyes. Details/ and/or tasks that would normally be overlooked or handed off to someone else were completed by the office staff, and keeping inventory in check was more important than I would have ever imagined. Because all of these details needed to be monitored, my tasks varied from day to day. When I first arrived, my first two days were spent counting inventory from the last fundraising event they had. Monotonous- yes, but it was just something that had to be done. For the remaining majority of my summer with NYPFWC Benefit Fund, I solicited donations for our Annual Game & Family Day at Citi Field where the families of fallen first responders can enjoy watching the Mets play, eating delicious food, and taking part in a raffle (with the donations we received). To do so I emailed and called local business owners which helped me enhance my communication skills. I also had to work with Microsoft Word and Excel to keep track of donations and future contacts that may come in handy. The office staff were not only extremely friendly, but were always open to hearing the interns' ideas. All of the donations solicited were left up to the interns to choose, so it was fun thinking of what prizes the families would get the most out of. One of my favorite memories was receiving a bike as a donation and getting to see the little girl who won it on the day of the game. The Game & Family Day was memorable because I got to work alongside my four fellow interns who have all grown to be close friends of mine, and I was able to see just how much our families (beneficiaries) appreciated what we were doing for them.

Conclusion
All in all I had a wonderful time with NYPFWC Benefit Fund. I loved the people, and more importantly their cause. I recommend this internship for anyone interested in working for a nonprofit or managing their own, or simply interested in business operations. If you don't think this internship would be for you but you agree it's for a great cause, they are always looking for volunteers at their events. More information can be found on www.answerthecall.org.