Goodwill Internship Program 2022
January 28, 2022When I started…
Before the internship started, I researched Goodwill to help me understand how the organization works. I researched their mission to learn how they help people. I also wanted to make sure I understood more about marketing because that is the focus of my internship.
I have had two jobs before my internship for Goodwill. My first internship was at “The Doorways” in Richmond, VA. I did this my senior year of high school and I liked it because I loved working and helping people. My second job was at Sevier County Bank in Sevierville, TN. I liked it because I loved working with people and computers. I am enjoying this current internship!
Before my first day of internship with the team, I was so excited and a little nervous at the same time because I have never worked a job on a virtual platform. But after the first day, they made me feel welcome, and were so nice to me!! I also introduced myself, and shared that I am very good with numbers, organizing for deadlines and prioritizing tasks. I was excited to help wherever they needed my support.
“Because I have worked so hard to be in the hearing world, I understand how difficult it is when you are not like those around you. Helping other groups and supporting the community sounds wonderful to me.” – Max Presley
My Team…
My teams are Marketing and Communications, and Development. We meet weekly and I am working on specific projects with Anna Raby, Manager of Marketing and Communications, and Eileen Bunn, Mission Advancement Manager. They are great people who are nice and love their work at Goodwill. They helped me understand how to work on projects for my internship. I felt that we made a great team, even though we are virtual. I was happy that I didn’t work alone.
The Mission…
During my internship I have learned about Goodwill’s mission – using the power of work and sustainable employment to help people live independently and support their families. This means a lot to me because I am deaf, and I am so glad to get to be a part of this mission even if just for a month! Helping people is important to me. Because I have worked so hard to be in the hearing world, I understand how difficult it is when you are not like those around you. Helping other groups and supporting the community sounds wonderful to me.
Over the last few weeks, I have working with the Marketing and Communications, and Development teams. I have used my phone message with my colleagues, and also used Microsoft Teams, which has live closed-captions to make communication easier. These tools have been very helpful to me.
Marketing is the action or business of promoting and selling products or services, including market research and advertising. We are helping with the promotion and communication of Goodwill’s mission and operations.
Development (or fundraising as it may also be called) is important to build relationships with donors who share a passion for the mission of Goodwill and generate funds to support the organization both today and for tomorrow.
What I’ve been doing…
Projects I have worked on include Giving Trends for 2020 and SEO analysis, to understand its importance in website traffic and business performance. I also analyzed store sales, pageviews and advertising efforts in 2021.
These projects were great because they helped me learn how to do in-depth research for future jobs.
The four weeks I spent with Goodwill flew by. I loved working with everyone and learned a lot from this experience.
