Case Study: Community Fundraising internships
Name: Rebecca Bowman
Internship year: Spring 2011
Internship team/department:Fundraising
Q. Why did you want to volunteer with Barnardo's?
At University I really enjoyed being part of several committees involved with fundraising and working with children, so when the opportunity arose to intern in Barnardo's fundraising department I was delighted. I was excited to enhance my experience of fundraising and also to help out a leading children’s charity that impacts thousands of children’s lives every day.
Q.What department did you volunteer in?
I was based within the Belfast regional office fundraising department and worked directly with the community fundraiser. The community fundraiser’s role is to encourage and assist volunteers to fundraise within the community for Barnardo's. Fundraising activities vary hugely, from charity lunches to running the Belfast Marathon on behalf of Barnardo's. Other members of the fundraising team include the schools fundraiser and the corporate fundraiser. The schools fundraiser visits schools up and down the country to assist children in using Barnardo's education envelopes, which in turn encourage children to learn and help others whilst fundraising. The corporate fundraiser is concerned with organising corporate fundraising events which will not only raise money for Barnardo's but boost team spirit within the company involved.
Q. What were your key responsibilities as a volunteer intern
On a day to day basis my duties and responsibilities were to assist the community fundraiser in engaging and supporting new and existing donors and volunteers; to work with the fundraiser to identify potential community markets; to research the viability of fundraising events; to help to organise volunteers at events such as the Belfast and Newry marathons and to provide administrative support such as creating and updating volunteer databases. Due to the fact that Belfast’s regional office is small and friendly I had the opportunity to get to know members of staff in other departments and to assist them with their work. For example I created a services information document, on behalf of the Media and Communications manager, for the Health and Social Care Board’s website.
Q. How did you benefit from being a volunteer intern at Barnardo's?
The internship is very flexible and is really what you make it. In my case I was interested in children’s services and social work as well as fundraising. Therefore, I benefited from the experience of visiting the Barnardo’s Children Services in Northern Ireland, such as ‘Forward Steps’, which helps children with autism and assisting the Education Fundraiser as she talked to school children about the work of Barnardo’s. I also had the opportunity to complete online learning courses on topics such as leadership, development and Microsoft Excel. Completing these courses along with gaining experience of many departments in Belfast’s regional office means I now feel much more prepared for completing application forms and answering interview questions.
Q. Who would you recommend Barnardo's Volunteer internship scheme to?
I would recommend the scheme to anyone who is looking for a career in fundraising, charity administration or even in broader areas of charity or social work. It might sound clichéd, but for me it really was like a little journey, in which I started off completely baffled about what I wanted to do with my life and ended up with a clearer idea of what I was going to do and how I was going to get there!
Q. Tips for future interns?
Don’t be afraid to get the best out of your internship. Be inquisitive, ask questions, and leave no stone unturned!