Columbus Foundation Fellowship Programs

This week was one of the most exciting weeks in my fellowship thus far because I got to put preparation into action. Namely, I conducted two out of the four interviews for the Women and the Origin of the Social Sector project!

Tuesday morning, I went to Mary Lazarus’s house along with Jenna and Matt to film the first interview of the project. Mary had so many wonderful perspectives to share. It was very special to talk to someone with deep, lifelong ties to philanthropy in Columbus. I felt so supported by the two mentors who attended the interview with me. For example, Jenna noticed that the squirrels outside the window behind Mary were a little too distracting and paused the interview to shoo them away. Matt, observing the interview, synthesized some new questions based on Mary’s and my conversation that made her light up. We also took some breaks in between questions, drinking water, and chatting. It made me realize it was okay to slow down in an interview, especially when things can be edited. I have more experience in print journalism, and so I feel more comfortable taking pauses and going off on tangents in interviews when I am just casually recording audio for quotes. For some reason, the added presence of a camera made me feel like everything had to be formal. These little breaks, interruptions, and lightbulb moments during the interview with Mary reaffirmed a value that I had forgotten: an interview is really just a conversation.

I put this reaffirmed value into practice when I interviewed Kelley Griesmer on Thursday. The interview probably felt more casual and natural because I see her around the Women’s Fund office. However, I found that I was able to pause, transition between questions more easily, and pivot when a question wasn’t working.

I have begun editing these interviews, which, as I predicted in last week’s post, are taking a little longer than the much shorter summer party interviews. However, they are so rich with content that I am having a wonderful time sifting through it all.

Although my main focus this week was those two interviews, I kept reading and taking notes on LOIs, which came in a burst on the day they were due (the 15th). I was amazed at how many great ones there were, and how many the Women’s Fund team (specifically Arielle) would have to weed out for the next step in the grant-making process. I am learning so much about the nuance that goes into considering LOIs and how important it is to be selective around what best aligns with the Women’s Fund’s mission and grant-making objectives.

Lastly, the list of thank-you cards to write is still quite long. I enjoy working on them intermittently throughout the day because they not only give me a break from computer screens but also connect me to the Women’s Fund’s donor base. I especially enjoyed writing a thank-you card to Mary Lazarus for interviewing with us. I am so grateful for the generosity and kindness of everyone involved in this project.

I have two more interviews next week, and much more editing to do, so wish me luck!

Eva

We are officially one week out from the Fair and the office has been busily bustling with people all week! This week was mostly setup and preparing everything for next week. This looked different each day but mostly consisted of selling tickets, assigning and printing parking passes, and continuing to update the Fair app. On Tuesday Mila and I were assigned the task of delivering thank you gifts we packaged up last week to sponsors around the entire city. My job was to run in and individually speak with the sponsors and thank them for their contribution. After working for several weeks, on emails and processing checks and donations from each of them, it was so wonderful to see them face to face and be able to thank them for their support. 

Wednesday afternoon Mila and I got to walk around both downtown Hilliard and the Fair Grounds taking pictures and videos for our social media page. Since she started at the fair grounds, our social media has been doing so well! Our followers, likes and engagement have increased greatly! It has been so fun learning from both her and Sam about effective marketing/storytelling strategies. I have learned so much!

On Thursday I got to step out of the office again and help with setup for vendor booths in one of our buildings. Even though It was a different from my normal routine it was so nice to participate in prep in a hands-on manner.

One of the best parts of this internship is being able to see the contribution of the community, and see how everyone comes together to make the fair happen. Before this summer I don’t think I understood the importance of having a village/community of people to support large events like a Fair. It takes SO much preparation, monetary support, community involvement, and time. I am excited to see all our hard work come together just in time for the fair!

See you next week!

~ Elena

This week, I continued focusing on creating media content and supporting the organization’s marketing efforts. A large portion of my time was spent curating social media posts and editing video reels to promote the Festival for Good. This allowed me to strengthen my content creation and video editing skills while also thinking strategically about how to engage different audiences across social media platforms. It was rewarding to see how thoughtful messaging and visual storytelling can help increase awareness of both the event and the organizations participating in it.

In addition to content creation, I compiled and organized files within the organization’s shared drive. While this may seem like a behind-the-scenes task, it is an important part of maintaining an efficient workflow and ensuring that team members can easily access the resources they need. I also developed additional marketing materials using program curriculum and existing organizational resources to generate interest among our target audience. This experience challenged me to think creatively about how to communicate the value of our programs in a way that is both informative and engaging.

One of the most exciting experiences this week was working on an advertising campaign for our annual showcase event, which will take place in two weeks. It was fascinating to gain exposure to the planning process behind a paid marketing campaign and to learn how organizations allocate funds to maximize their outreach. I also enjoyed learning about the performance data and analytics that become available once a campaign goes live. Seeing how metrics such as reach, engagement, impressions, and click-through rates can be used to evaluate a campaign’s success gave me a greater appreciation for data-driven decision-making in marketing.

Overall, this week provided another opportunity to expand my marketing, communication, and organizational skills while contributing to meaningful projects. I have truly enjoyed my internship experience and have learned so much from working alongside such a supportive team. As my internship begins to wind down, I am excited to make the most of these final few weeks, continue learning, and contribute wherever I can before my time with the organization comes to an end.

It has been an exciting week back at CHA. As mentioned, we are in full planning mode for Taste to Remember 2026. This morning I had the opportunity to participate in CHA’s board meeting where we pitched some of our live and silent auction ideas to the board. They were able to provide us with a couple ideas of other businesses to partner with and make asks to. The learning experience was valuable to see how the development team interacts with the nonprofit. 

Anne Marie shared with me some of the decor that we will have for the event, which will be Casino Royale chic. Concurrently, I am also reaching out to other venues across central Ohio to see if they would be interested in hosting Taste to Remember in the future. I have become the direct contact with businesses that are donating items for our auction, and ensuring that we have a usable logo and an in-kind donation form for finance.

This week I had the opportunity to meet with our HR Director to talk about all things resumes, cover letters, and my LinkedIn. She provided me with thorough notes and amazing advice for the future as I begin to embark on applying for full time positions within the next two years. I also was assigned a project through our communications team of pulling usable testimonials from various surveys CHA has conducted. I am looking forward to exploring a new arm of the organization. 

Next week will be busy but exciting as Anne Marie and I go on various venue tours, and eat lunch with our growing development team. Recently, we have had an Americorp VISTA and  Development Director join CHA. I am excited as the Americorp VISTA will be heading up the volunteer program and I will be supporting her through that.

Hello everyone! After two weeks of busy travel, I am happy to be back in office at Children’s Hunger Alliance. 

Although I have not been in the office, I have been working virtually off and on, and have lots of work for the week ahead. 

We are still in the midst of planning for the Taste to Remember event. I have reached close to 20 donations. Currently, I am trying to coordinate the best times to pick up the auction items, and what groupings we should make for the event. This is a marathon not a sprint, but I am determined to work up until the event getting donations!

I am eager for this week as I am working with our marketing team on testimonials for the event, and meeting with our Director of HR to go over my resume, cover letter, and LinkedIn from an HR perspective. I am grateful for the opportunities I am allotted here at CHA; not only am I learning so much about the work they do and the development side, but also am learning how to best market myself in the future. 

I have also had the time to engage in readings for my own knowledge and professional development. In the April AFP magazine, there were many articles regarding layers of philanthropy, types of volunteers who are essential at events, and common fundraising jargon. For example, it is encouraged in the fundraising world to not ‘thask’- meaning, do not thank and ask a funder at the same time. It is more intentional to make them separate.

I missed seeing my other fellows at our last learning session, but I am looking forward to the next one and some of our upcoming events! Although I missed two weeks, I am going to be at CHA in some capacity until Labor Day. Until then, I am going to post as much as possible to give everyone a glimpse of the wonderful work we do at CHA. 

Week 6 at the fair !!:)

This week has been by far the busiest yet! But it has been so fun! The first half of the week was fairly similar to the previous 5 weeks. Monday and Tuesday I was at the office working on key fob changes, updating the Fair app and processing sponsorships. 

Wednesday we had our bi-weekly learning session downtown at the foundation where we were able to hear from Challen Brown and Margaret Robinson about storytelling and the importance of this strategy for nonprofits. One specific thing that stood out to me about this learning session was how much both speakers emphasized the importance of remaining authentic while trying to convey a message through storytelling. They explained how anyone reading the story will be able to connect (and hopefully support) with the story if it is told authentically. They also spoke about the importance of respecting the privacy of those individuals the stories are being told. I think it is important to understand and implement these ideas to successfully make a difference in the non-profit world. After the learning session I was able to have lunch with Muji and Ava and then we got a mini tour of Muji’s office before we all headed back to work. One of my favorite parts of this internship is getting to connect with so many wonderful people!

The next part of the week was very different from the previous weeks. I was able to help design a pamphlet for Senior Day at the fair! I am not a huge creative person but, with the help of Sam and Mila, two of my wonderful coworkers, I was able to create a cute design for the pamphlet. Then, Mila and I packaged up dozens of sponsorship goodie bags, with customized cookies and Fair tee-shirts. Later that day, we were able to film content for our Tik Tok account. It was nice to step out of the office and find creative and fun ways to promote the Fair. 

Lastly, the highlight of my week was getting to speak in front of a 4-H club about my experience as a missionary kid. Everyone was so welcoming and excited to hear about life in another country. I loved the opportunity to speak about growing up as a missionary kid in Ecuador. This has been a super exciting week, see you next week!

~Elena

🙂

This week was largely spent adjusting TECH CORP curriculum. I was tasked with reviewing all the activities, creating a glossary for key terms, and ‘abstracts’ describing the goals of each curriculum. I started by reviewing all the activities line by line. This was proof-checking to ensure that the instructions were easy to follow. The more clear and precise the instructions, the more effective instructors can teach. Conciseness often goes unnoticed unless its not done properly. It is of upmost importance to have something be clear on the first reading. Curriculums are the last thing that should be made haphazardly.

Secondly, I went through all the key terms and made a glossary. Instructors now have the ability to quickly reference terms. Moreover, newcomers to certain subjects can form an understanding of what the terminology means and why it is used. Thanks to my background, I was able to add additional terms that could be used for even greater conceptual understanding if wanted. Easily the additions I am most proud of.

Lastly, I added abstracts. In scientific papers, abstracts are the summaries of what was experimented on and the data that was found as a result. The choice was made of creating abstracts for anyone to have a general idea of what the curriculum is intended to teach. In my case, the curriculums for game development and web development are to inform students about potential careers as well as build technical skills in said careers. The abstracts give a sense of direction on what the curriculum should lead up to.

I never thought that I would have the opportunity to design curriculum, or that I would enjoy them as much as I did. While editing, I did come up with an idea for a TECH CORPs program. It’s a programming focused with the goal of getting students industry certified. Once I get approval to write it, I plan to present it to the other designers. I am very excited!

This week at the PAST Foundation I really had the opportunity to showcase what I’ve learned the past 2 years as a research intern.  We had 2 new interns (1 temporary) working with us this week.  So, we spent a lot of time showing them the ropes and how to do different tasks.  I didn’t realize just how much of the things that were one difficulty became second nature.  For example, administering surveys feels as simple as riding a bike, though there was once a time when I had to learn how.  So, that was really cool to see.  Also, we were working on some data analysis for an offsite program that traveled to Virginia a few weeks ago.  We walked the newbies through the process of how we organize the data and then divvy the tasks between all of us.  I typically take on the quantitative side of analyzing the data, so I had one of the new interns sit beside me while I showed her my process.  This was a bit difficult because it showcased how . . .sporadic my method can be at times! But that goes to show that what works for one may not work for others.  

On top of teaching the new people what to do, we also crafted a sort of manual where we documented our processes for everything we do as research interns.  This was a bit hard to do because explaining on paper is way different than verbally.  This is still a work in progress and I currently have no clue how to explain how I crunch the numbers.  I’m sure I will figure it out within the next few weeks.  

Lastly, we had more analysis to do! As we know, the midway point of the summer programs at PAST was just last week.  So, I have been working on analyzing the survey responses up to this point.  My goal for the upcoming week is to finish up my analysis and create a report to send out to all of the instructors, support staff, and other employees of PAST to help improve the program experience for the students! This is always a bit tedious but especially so now that I have over 100 responses to sift through.  I’ve got my method, so I get there! But, so far, things are looking positive!

I can’t believe we are nearly halfway through July! Where is time flying???? I love working at past and I can’t wait to see the fruits of my labor. 

See you next week!

Danyelle Bumpus