The past month working as a development intern at The Montefiore Foundation has been very new, exciting, and rewarding for me. Two themes that have emerged in these first four weeks and that I have been reflecting on are opportunity and collaboration.

Coming into the internship I had a narrow understanding of what it meant to raise money for a non-profit nursing home. However, within the first few days of the job – I learned! My team assigned me to research and write a grant, coordinate the main aspects of a donor recognition event, and help plan Montefiore’s first ever walk/run event! I wouldn’t be able to take on these challenging opportunities and day-to-day projects without the guidance given to me by a tremendous team at Montefiore and the support of the Cleveland Foundation’s internship group.

My desk is in a small room at the epicenter of our administrative office, which I share with Melissa and Kerry, Montefiore’s development associates. Each member of the team has very unique skills and experiences that I can draw from. For instance, my supervisor Melissa Adell is an expert grant writer who is working with me every step of the way to develop and write a grant proposal. I am extremely enthused to spend my career in the opportunistic and collaborative non-profit world!

Samuel Braun, a senior at John Carroll University, majoring in Business Management, is placed at the Montefiore Foundation. Samuel is responsible for conducting an audience demographic survey of potential and current donors, to better strategize donor communication and engagement.