Columbus Foundation Fellowship Programs

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

Another wonderfully eventful week at the museum! This week, I spoke to three more OSU clubs, completed five 1-on-1 meetings with Ruth Lomax and CMA staff, attended a documentary screening program, and concluded the week with the July Night Shift. It’s crazy to think we only have about a month left of this fellowship, so I want to make as much progress here while I can! 

This week, I spoke with Macie from OSU’s Women’s Glee Club, Aurora from the CTRL + Paint club, and Mac from the Ohio Union Activities Board. I’m honestly surprised by how many students are willing to meet with me virtually during the summer when most of them are back at home. This week’s club individuals were even more enthusiastic about College Night Shift than last week’s, which gives me a lot of hope for this project! My boss Julie wants to organize a visit to the Pizzuti with any interested club members who are in Columbus for July. By doing this, students can see the exhibition, Bar Room, and visualize how College Night Shift would work within the Pizzuti space. Additionally, engaging club members both virtually and in-person makes a convincing case for student enthusiasm and demand for this event to our Executive Director. I genuinely enjoy meeting with students to make a real connection with them and their clubs. It’s also a fun exercise to pitch College Night Shift differently depending on the student and club interest! 

Our biweekly professional development at the Columbus Foundation was another highlight of the week. Challen and Margaret shared their experiences in marketing and storytelling at the Columbus Foundation, emphasizing the importance of empathy and authenticity in effective marketing. Dr. Lomax also led another great discussion about passion, featuring TedTalks by Simon Sinek and Dr. Barbara Hodges. After our PD session, fellow fellows Eva and Elena joined me for a delightful lunch at the museum!  

Additionally, I continued my networking initiative and had five more 1-on-1 chats this week! I first met with Ruth Lomax, City Year Executive Director, who was incredibly encouraging and generously shared more about her career in nonprofits. I then spoke with Molly (Assistant Curator of American Art) to learn about her curatorial process of the East of the Pacific (2026). With Danny, Curator of Collections and Exhibitions, it was so interesting to learn about his contributions to the Art After Stonewall (2020) show and his curatorial vision of the Tavares Strachan show (2026, currently on view in Pizzuti). I later met with Kaitlin, Associate Curator of Photography, who told me about the upcoming show Queer Constellations and also gave me some great digital camera recommendations! My last 1-on-1 was with Kristina, Donor Engagement and Events Manager, who told me all about the fascinating finances of our three biggest fundraising events.

In addition to meeting with so many wonderful people, I continued research for a future vinyl-listening program for Julie, attended a documentary screening for East of the Pacific, and will attend this month’s Night Shift tonight! See you next week!

– Muji

This week picked up considerably in the number of different projects I have my hands in. I am continuing to assist with volunteer program development and event planning under budget constraints with various organizations. I also began drafting an educational presentation and roundtable discussion that could take place before certain volunteer opportunities to make the experience more impactful and meaningful for volunteers. Additionally, I researched a list of nonprofits that Besa partners with so that I can meet one-on-one with a handful of organizations of my choosing. My goal is to better understand how Besa can support their volunteer needs while also picking their brains about how their organizations operate and what their individual roles look like. I also met with multiple team members to discuss the world of grant writing and what it entails, as I have little previous experience or knowledge related to grants. I learned a lot and look forward to gaining increased exposure to this side of the nonprofit world.

In the community this week, I assisted with handing out box fans at the Franklin County Office on Aging and packed and organized food and other goods at the FACCES Fresh Market. While volunteering there, I had the opportunity to really dig in with a handful of fellow volunteers and hear their perspectives on how Besa could better support them, what they think would improve volunteer retention and make volunteering a habit, and why they choose to give their time in the first place. To finish the week, I attended a volunteer event for one of our business partners at the Ohio Wildlife Center, where we saw a wide variety of rehabilitated animals and even admitted a snake we found injured in a wheelbarrow.

The highlight of the week for me personally, though, was the learning session at The Columbus Foundation. We discussed passion and what it really means. It was an extremely encouraging conversation, as I often wrestle with the idea of “following your passion” or trying to find it, especially since I don’t feel like there is one specific passion I am called to pursue. It was reassuring to hear that many of the other fellows were in the same boat and shared similar interests and aspirations. One of the biggest takeaways for me was the reminder that the journey of discovering and following your passions is rarely linear and takes time to develop. We talked about how passion is necessary for persistence, overcoming the inevitable obstacles ahead, and continuing to learn while believing in yourself. We also discussed the idea that passion is often an output rather than an input—that it grows through experience—and that we don’t need to have a fully formed vision for our passions right now. Instead, we simply need to keep searching for that vision.

It was a week filled with meaningful learning, and I am excited to see what next week holds.

This week I worked with the Assest Management department at Homeport. On my first day, I met with one of the staff members and learned that Assest Management mainly oversees Homeports properties to ensure that they are physically and financially successful. One way they do this is through site visits. I got to take part in visits to Pheasant Run, Eastway Village, Eastway Court and Hamilton Crossing. At Pheasant Run, the site visit was focused on a previous NSPIRE evaluation that Homeport was following up on. For the other properties, I shadowed a member of Homeport’s Assest Management department and an individual from OCCH as they conducted an OCCH inspection. At all of the properties, I got to walk inside randomly selected apartments/living spaces where we walked through and examined each space to ensure they were up to Homeport’s standards.

In addition to site visits, I attended a meeting where Homeport’s Lease Option homes were discussed. I also met with Homeports CFO to discuss the financial aspects of Assest Management. I learned that Assest Management must make sure that the rental prices of Homeport’s properties are more than property expenses so that Homeport has money to put into their other properties. This money could go towards a property they are currently building or be used to update some of their older properties.

Overall I learned a lot of valuable information and enjoyed visiting more Homeport properties.

During week 6, I worked steadily on reviewing letters of intent, re-editing the summer party interviews after receiving feedback from Jenna, revising interview questions for the Women and the Origin of the Social Sector project, and writing over 100 thank you cards (an exercise in handwriting endurance).

I also attended the Columbus Foundation fellows learning session, where we heard from members of the Foundation’s communications and marketing team about their work and career trajectories. We also talked about finding our passions, and what passion really means. This session was illuminating in multiple ways for me because I had the opportunity to learn from people in my dream career path and hone in on what my passion really is. Actually, ‘hone in’ might not be the right word. I found out that my passion doesn’t have to be completely narrowed down right now, it just has to be energy focused towards things I love doing. And for me, that is learning from other people, telling important stories, and engaging with art that makes me rethink my previous perspectives. I could list many other things I love doing; before, I thought that meant I was unfocused. Now, I know that it is an essential step in the process.

In terms of work, this week felt liminal because I spent most of it anticipating next week’s busy-ness.

Next week, I have two interviews for the Women and the Origin of Our Social Sector project. On Tuesday, I am interviewing Mary Lazarus, a founder of the Women’s Fund and an established philanthropist in Columbus, and on Thursday, I am interviewing Kelley Griesemer, The Women’s Fund’s CEO. I finished tailoring my interview questions to the interviewees, and am now waiting on final feedback. I practiced the filming set-up with Jenna and Morgan yesterday, and began to feel more secure in the preparation for the interview process.

Once the interviews are filmed, I will immediately start editing them. This process will be much longer than editing the summer party interviews, but I feel ready because I already learned so many lessons in my first editing adventure.

Until next week!

Eva