Columbus Foundation Fellowship Programs

Wow! The Summer has passed extremely fast. As the camp winds down and the Fellowship starts to end I am preparing to leave enough guidance for the next person who may take over my position in data-keeping. This week’s session on “Leadership and Succession Planning” really was a great way to end our sessions, as we all plan to leave our social profits in varying degrees. I am hopeful that I will have everything done by the time I leave but if that is not the case I need to be prepared to leave a plan of how to handle all the new data that will come even after that I leave.

As the numbers of the camp have increased, we have been switching up things to continue to engage the new campers and for those who have been coming week after week. It is an art to keep coming up with ideas to keep people entertained 9-3:30 pm weekdays for weeks. I was reminded of our session and the ability of the leader to pull off what they proposed in their grant proposal. Ability to fulfil the proposal is key and has shown me that not only is my director an extraordinary person but a phenomenal leader. The data I have been gathering will be used in our report to the City of Columbus which is an amazing feat.

A change of pace happened this Wednesday where instead of going biking/kayaking we went to Ninja City. It was a fun way to interact with the campers and lead after so many weeks. I appreciate getting to know this community and gaining their trust. I am a firm believer in not going into a community and knowing what is best for them. So learning on the job and being able to grow as a leader has been crucial for me as I begin my professional career.

P.S. I was able to see a fellow cohort member over the weekend and that was awesome!

Over the past two months I have walked the mission of Muslim Family Services alongside its social workers. With weekly produce drives, I now know the client’s names by heart and what types of items they prefer. During civics courses and rent requests, I can help lead the conversations and train new workers. I have frequented the restaurants some of our clients own, and have learned the stories of their journey to America.

This week I have finished a grant application for MFS. I found that answering questions about the Comprehensive Family Empowerment program was simple, because I now know the intricacies of the process. While the storytelling component was unproblematic, understanding the more technical procedures for budget crafting and projections was something that I needed to learn more about. I am happy to say that I was able to learn about how to do this and completed the proposal.

In the non-profit world, I have learned that knowledge is most useful if it can be integrated with other skills. I am hoping to utilize the skills I have gained to complete a more independent project I have created for MFS. I will be filling out another grant application to create a database for Muslim Mental Health providers.

A few of the posts I created for MFS’s Instagram during Dhul Hijjah and Eid

This week I did a lot of computer work in the Women’s Business Center focused on fixing errors in our tracking system.

Earlier this week I also learned about a program the WBCs are going to start using with clients called LivePlan. It is a really interesting and interactive webpage that talks the user through the steps to create a business plan. It even helps you with financial planning and connects directly to your financial programs. I think that it is a useful program that’ll really help a lot of our clients.

This week I had a meeting with Edgar who is leaving the WBC soon so that I could learn about his responsibilities and record tutorials for whoever replaces him. I got to learn the ins and outs of our digital connect program which loans out laptops to business owners. I also learned how to get membership details and other data from the back of our website.

Something I have struggled with this week is staying motivated in the workplace. I struggled with my mental health this week and it’s been a good learning point since I’ve always wondered how adults stay motivated even when they do not feel fully there. As much as I wanted to be fully present this week, I found myself not completing my to-do lists or doing work as fast as I wanted/usually do. And then these actions inevitably made me feel worse about myself. I didn’t really figure out the key to staying motivated at work, but I did make it through the week, so I would call it a win.

That’s really all for this week, I absolutely loved our Columbus Foundation session this week and am saddened that the summer is coming to an end, but forever grateful for this experience.

Talk to y’all next week!

Like my peers have mentioned, it is really hard to believe that there are only two weeks left in the fellowship program. I have really enjoyed my time with Zora’s House, and I look forward to what the next two weeks will bring. 

This week I gathered all of the suggestions and edits from the Operations, Infrastructure, and Culture committee meetings, and finished a first draft of the employee handbook with the revisions incorporated into it. Although the process took a bit longer than expected, I saw how important it was to dedicate enough time to be able to structure the handbook well and effectively convey the mission and values of Zora’s House at each point in the handbook. Also, it just feels good to have gotten the first draft completed, even though there are more revisions to look forward to in the coming weeks. 

It was also very nice to see how the organization’s leadership was open to suggestions from the committee about potential changes to their policies and how they could be more considerate and caring towards their employees. The CEO of Zora’s House asked me to research different parental leave policies and develop some policy language that could be helpful for the organization when they draft their parental leave policy. This was an interesting assignment for me, and I learned a lot about how parental leave works in the US and Ohio. It was also a bit scary thinking about how to give suggestions to your boss about what they should do for their employees, especially since I’ve only worked at Zora’s House for 8 weeks. However, one thing that I am very grateful for is that the people at Zora’s House have valued my input and have made me feel like an established member of the organization since day 1. That has made my experience in the fellowship and my ability to work on the projects I have been assigned a lot better than other jobs I’ve had in the past. It also goes to show the importance of being in community with others, and why Zora’s House is so important for the women and femmes of color who are involved in the organization.

This week at FLOW, I had the opportunity to get involved with fundraising efforts. Since much of FLOW’s funding comes from grant money, they tend to have just a few fundraisers throughout the year. I’m excited that I was able to get a glimpse into the fundraising side of nonprofits because I think that could be a valuable skill going forward in my career.

One of the fundraisers FLOW is working on currently is a milkweed sale. As a part of FLOW’s Greenspace Implementation Plan, they want to encourage residents in the watershed to plant pollinator-friendly species. Milkweed is great for pollinators, and Monarch Butterflies LOVE it. So, the fundraiser could be a win-win in terms of funding and greenspace goals. In partnership with Riverside Native Trees, pots of milkweed will be $10, and FLOW will get 40% of the proceeds! My job was to create the flyer/social media graphic as well as determine the best method for online orders. I’m excited to see how the event works out!

Simultaneously, FLOW is preparing for a larger fundraiser in October. The first step was to nail down a venue. Since the goal of fundraisers is to bring in as much money as we can for the mission, we were searching for a venue that would let us have the space at no cost. Fortunately, many businesses in the watershed are supportive of FLOW’s mission! It looks like High Bank Distillery will be the location, which is exciting since the venue is very popular and well-known in Columbus. While the fundraiser is free to attend, we will have gift baskets and prizes to bid on and purchase raffle tickets for. Part of my work will be contacting local businesses to see if they are willing to provide a fun basket or funding for the event. The big goal for this year’s fundraiser is to have visitors renew their memberships and remain involved with FLOW!

Following the theme of fundraising, I attended my first Fundraising Committee meeting on Tuesday. It was great to hear the different ideas bouncing around the room and see how decisions are made. An exciting idea that was thrown out was making the fundraiser event a paid ticket in the future and having members attend for free. I think that would be a great perk of membership and also bring in some extra funding! I’m looking forward to hearing back from local business this week that wish to help us with our fundraiser. More clean-up events happening this weekend, too! Enjoy this picture of me pulling some trash out of the river. Talk to you next week! -Shelly

We’ve made it to week 8! It’s hard to believe I am almost done with my summer here at Equitas Health. This week really picked up pace: with several patron parties to get ready for, art submissions still coming in, and a jury meeting. The beginning of the week was somewhat frantic, as we rushed to get every submission ready for the jury to meet. Among other tasks, I made a PowerPoint with all the images, and prepped and printed binders with all the artwork. (Also, along the way, I somehow put the photocopier into Mandarin Chinese so let me know if you are a copier pro….).

The jury meeting was a success! I took a bunch of notes, but it was so interesting to watch our committee evaluate each piece of art and deeply think about what submissions were accepted. My supervisor told me that in past years, the jury has only taken 30-45 minutes, while this jury took a full three hours. The selection process was super tight, as everyone was contentiously arguing their views on the art. Overall, it was very positive, and we were overwhelmed by the quality of work we received. Now, the rest of the week has been the hard part, with letting people know their work was not accepted, which is a role I do not envy. The rest of the week has been recovery from the jury and gearing up for art drop off. That part will be fun, as the artists will be bringing in their pieces and we’ll get to talk with them and thank them for their donation.

 As the summer starts to wrap up, I am looking forward to the October event immensely. I can’t wait to be able to be in the auction room and start to see everything pay off, with our donors enjoying themselves and artwork selling for great prices!!

It is hard to believe that there are only 2 weeks left in our Columbus Foundation Fellowship experience! This week I would like to reflect on some of the lessons that I have learned while working with Hope Hollow. Throughout the summer, my work with Hope Hollow has both altered my approach to a professional setting and life in general. 

For this blog, I will focus on the lessons I learned professionally. #1 – Acknowledge when you do not have expertise in a certain skill. At the beginning of my time with Hope Hollow, I believed it was necessary to be able to do everything that Kevin, Hope Hollow’s co-founder, asked me to do. At times, I had limited knowledge of how best to complete the task he had assigned, but did not want Kevin to think that I was incapable of completing a task. Towards the middle of my fellowship experience, I realized that being transparent with Kevin about my skills would benefit both of us. By acknowledging my inexperience with certain tasks, Kevin was able to understand which tasks to assign and I was granted the ability to learn a skill through trial and error without the expectation that I knew exactly what to do. 

#2 – Accept when you are “burnt out” with a certain project. Prior to the Columbus Foundation Fellowship, I really had no knowledge of “burn out” or how it can be detrimental to a person’s work. Even though I am passionate and excited about Hope Hollow’s new website, there was a point in my fellowship where the website was all-consuming and draining. In my week 3 blog, I mentioned a setback to our website work that actually was a blessing in disguise. This setback delayed our website work, allowing my excitement to rebuild and my passion to rejuvenate. 

When I interviewed to work with Hope Hollow, I knew that this summer would be life-changing, but I underestimated the amount of professional growth that would come from this opportunity.

I found the Columbus Foundation learning session this week to be especially helpful. I have been interested in leadership and succession planning for a long time. When I left my last position to return to school, I had created a “Leslie Knope-esque” binder to give to my successor that included lists of who to call if an answer could not be found in the binder. My successor later told me that she refers to my binder as “The Bible” and still uses it now, a year later. I was obsessed with leaving her in a good position not only because I had walked into many situations where the person before me did not care, but because the people I served were counting on me to make sure they were taken care of. And that is why succession planning for nonprofit organizations matters so much! Because the work we do REALLY matters.

I also loved hearing from both Elizabeth and Nicholas about their leadership styles, and the tidbits of information they were able to share about their experiences thus far in their careers. I can relate to Elizabeth’s constant pursuit of “what she wants to be when she grows up” and Nicholas’ emphasis on trusting your team and always having a servant focus on the work. But perhaps most impactful was the call from both of them to protect our own mental well-being so we can show up for others. Naomi Osaka and Simone Biles are making news for doing just that, and I think it is so important when doing meaningful (and sometimes exhausting) work. As we become leaders, knowing that we cannot pour from an empty cup, and recharging in ways that work for us, will make us great.

• This week I took a dive into the curriculum at ROX. I read through all the curriculum and made suggestions about language, topics, and things to add. I used the data provided by ROX to figure out what issues girls are facing that ROX could focus more on. I searched for multicultural video examples that could be used in the curriculum. I looked through all the Girl’s Index Reports to identify what statistics stood out to me and could be focused more on in the curriculum. Furthermore, I tried to identify gaps in the curriculum or areas of improvement. Because the women at ROX are so knowledgeable and intelligent, it was challenging to find gaps in curriculum, areas of improvement, or items to add. 
• I wrote up responses to the Congressional members the founder met with in 2019. I found the reports and data needed to be included in the follow ups as well.
• Additionally, I worked on making a legislative tool kit for ROX. This tool kit would help ROX members connect with congressional members in other states as well. I gathered all the materials and sources I had used to create emails and responses to the congressional members in Ohio. I included research I found on the top things to include and remember when emailing a congressional member and advice on how to contact members by phone or mail. 
• I finished the final editing needed for the congressional emails that I will start to send to congressional members next week!
• Lastly, I was able to attend the Women. Service. Influence Quarterly Event. This event is hosted by a law firm that invites nonprofits to come speak and give an opportunity for their employees to get involved. I really enjoyed speaking with everyone, especially the lawyers. Because law is one of my potential future career paths, I had a great time asking the lawyers about their experiences in law school and life as a lawyer. I was truly inspired by all the women and their stories. 

Last week was a weird week. I was pretty sick all week so I worked from home when I could, and my only day in the office there was a board meeting and a farm stand.

I spent a lot of my week making signs for the farm stand as well as collecting community resources and creating a recipe card to give out with the vegetables.

Overall, the week was pretty slow and for the first time since I got to ECDI I didn’t have any more projects to think about.

My bosses really encouraged me to get rest last week since I was sick, but I noticed I did not do well taking their advice. I felt bad for missing work, meetings, and projects.

But Friday was really wonderful, I even brought my brother to help at the farm stand. We met a lot of community members and were even invited to a neighborhood biker club next Thursday. It was great to actually get to talk to folx in the Devon Triangle neighborhood and we were able to pick their brain about how we can better help them.

For this farm stand we changed the usual time from 12-2:30, to 3:30-5:30, to try and reach more community members. However, it was really difficult to get ECDI volunteers to help harvest and pass out veggies during this time block. Unfortunately, it does feel like we may have to move it back to the original times because John can’t do the farm stand by himself, and I leave in just a few weeks.

As my last day approaches, I have reflected on the initial goals for the garden, and we have taken quite a ride away from them. Even a few weeks ago when we revisited them and made plans, more options and more opinions crept in, and we had to change our focus. I hope that we can still order a banner and that we have the volunteer page up before I leave. A new goal I have before I leave is to create a reflection for the next garden intern so that they will hopefully find it easier to pick up where Arvind and I left off.

I am still unsure for what this next week has in store, but I am excited for our Wednesday Columbus Foundation session and as always I’m grateful I work at such a wonderful organization!