Borgen Project

Political Affairs Intern

May - July 2020 • Pittsburgh, PA

What I liked

I really liked the experience it provided me. Lobbying and fundraising and raising public awareness are all critical components on American politics and I am thrilled I got that experience now! I also learned about a lot of different topics (mainly global poverty) that I didn't know about before.

What I wish was different

I wish COVID hadn't been a thing so I could have actually done more and done things in person. I also think it would be better to do during the school year because some of the assignments would have been much easier that way.

Advice

Have fun and be creative!

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Political Affairs Intern

August - October 2020 • Charlottesville, VA

What I liked

I appreciated the flexible schedule (my internship was remote), the variety of assignments, and the prompt feedback I received from my managers. It was also exciting to meet with Congressional offices and see legislation I supported pass after the internship concluded!

What I wish was different

I wish there was more internal communication, especially between interns. I attended a virtual meeting with a Senator's office and only then learned that multiple Borgen Project advocates were present.

Advice

Be prepared to try new things: between fundraising, meetings with Congressional offices, and mobilization campaigns, a lot of assignments will require you to step outside your comfort zone. Doing so enthusiastically will improve your satisfaction and the quality of your work.

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Human Resources Intern

July - September 2020 • Washington, DC

What I liked

In my Human Resources internship position over the summer I got to learn a lot about The Borgen Project. My position was diverse and had activism and fundraising aspects as well. For activism, I Learned how to mobilize my friends and family to effectively lobby congress. I acquired the language skills to speak about difficult issues across parties and explain to people why global poverty should be at the forefront of congress' agenda. Prior to this internship I did not realize exactly how important reaching out to your representatives is; for me this changed when I started to get responses from my representatives to talk about specific bills and issues. To help the organization reach its annual fundraising goals, I created a personal goal of $500 for my 12 week summer term. Because everything this summer was virtual, I had to come up with new and innovative ways to fundraise. I really enjoyed my Internship experience this summer and wold recommend The Borgen Project to other students because they provide a diverse learning experience.

What I wish was different

Advice

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Political Affairs Ambassador

October - December 2020 • Rapid City, SD

What I liked

I liked the fact that I made my own schedule and could alter it around my job and school schedules. I also liked that I was given many opportunities to network within my community and to develop skills such as communication, advocacy, and fundraising.

What I wish was different

I wish I would have started my internship earlier so I could have experienced the full 12 weeks. Instead, I had to cut it short to end in time for the Fall semester end date.

Advice

Do not be afraid to put yourself out there and ask questions. You can only grow and develop if you make the effort to do so. Working hard is crucial but asking for help or advice is the only way to get better.

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Writer Intern

November 2020 - February 2021 • Seattle, WA

What I liked

I liked how the team at The Borgen Project pushed us to exceed our own expectations of ourselves, and challenged us to come up with unique story ideas that were newsworthy and interesting. I also liked reaching how this opportunity helped people become familiar with reaching out to their congressional representatives.

What I wish was different

Because I had this internship during the pandemic, the fundraising part of the internship was a bit of a challenge. It was difficult to come up with creative ways to fundraise when no one wanted to go to personal events, so most of my donations came from reaching out to extended friends/family. If I could wish for anything to be different, I wish I had a more interactive fundraising experience.

Advice

Start working ahead of schedule. The more you plan stories ahead of time and start working on projects early, the easier time you'll have creating content you're proud of. It gives you more room to breathe and you have more time to reach out to your managers if you have questions.

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Writing Intern

May - July 2020 • Nashville, TN

What I liked

I loved the SEO and fundraising training. It was very helpful for the role and for jobs I've worked at since then. I appreciate that they showed us how to effectively contact Congress.

What I wish was different

A bit more feedback on the articles

Advice

It is certainly worth it if you want to learn about global poverty and make a difference!

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Human resource intern

July - August 2020 • Davie, FL

What I liked

I loved getting the chance to work for a non- profit that was really trying to help give a voice to the voiceless.

What I wish was different

I wish I would have been able to get a bit more experience regarding the field I was interested in.

Advice

I think that if you get the chance to work for the Borgen Project, you should take it.

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Nonprofit Leadership Intern

January - March 2021 • Boise, ID

What I liked

This internship provided a great insight into the workings of nonprofit leadership. I got to develop skills in fundraising, networking, and management. Every intern with TBP gets the opportunity to meet with their Congressional leaders, and the managers were very reachable and always open to questions and feedback. The time required for this internship is very manageable because you get to choose your schedule (since it is a remote position).

What I wish was different

I wish we were given a larger window for the fundraising opportunity. I feel that I could've raised a lot more with a few more weeks.

Advice

Don't be afraid of the fundraising! The $500 requirement may sound daunting, but they provide every intern with great materials on fundraising, and reaching the $500 goal is much easier than it sounds. When fundraising, reach out to every person you can think of- you may be surprised who donates and/or how much!

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HR Intern

December 2021 - April 2022 • Tacoma, WA

What I liked

I liked that my position was remote in that it allowed for me to approach my work with a flexible schedule. I also very much appreciated my manager's patience, support, and active communication with me throughout my time at The Borgen Project. It made me feel like every contribution I made helped the cause no matter how small.

What I wish was different

Fundraising was a challenge as my school's campus was closed due to COVID-19. Had things been normal, I like to think that I would have achieved better results due to being able to interact with my classmates and instructors. As a result, my influence was rather limited which made the task more difficult than the rest.

Advice

Plan your time wisely. Some weekly tasks can be time consuming so in order to achieve good results without getting overwhelmed, set a consistent daily schedule that divides the task into smaller parts and stick to it.

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Public Policy Intern

June - August 2022 • Provo, UT

What I liked

I liked the ability that I had to reach out to my legislators and advocate for impactful policies

What I wish was different

I wish that we hadn’t been required to raise $500 for the cause

Advice

This was a good experience overall and is good if you really want to get into public policy

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Writing intern

August 2022 • Myrtle Point, OR

What I liked

How they preached about ending global poverty while exploiting unpaid interns.

What I wish was different

SIMPLY PUT, TERRIBLE Every position is unpaid and we need to raise $500. If you cannot raise $500, your internship would be marked as "incomplete" regardless of how many articles you've written for them. All they care about is that $500 they can get from you. There are tons of negative reviews online about the project and most of them are real. Aside from fundraising, you need to harass your friends/family repeatedly through sending them fundraising letters and asking them to email Congresspersons for you. I've learned nothing about writing during the internship, but I have become more adept at begging my friends.

Advice

DON'T COME HERE just don't. I find this article from a former intern very true - https://www.debt.com/news/borgen-project-internship-lesson/ I recommend anything considering an internship here to read this article first.

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HR Management Intern

September 2021 • Myrtle Point, OR

What I liked

I loved being able to have free range of what hours I work and what days.

What I wish was different

I wish there was an aspect the better allowed interns to collaborate together.

Advice

The internship definitely requires an individual good with time management and self motivation.

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Fundraising Leadership Intern

June - October 2022 • Arcata, CA

What I liked

I learned so much about the politics of the country I live in and I made a community of friends from all over the world.

What I wish was different

I would have loved to have continued my role within the Borgen Project further.

Advice

For anyone that is thinking about an internship I advise really understanding how to organize your time so that you can both enjoy your internship and have it be as enriching as possible!

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Writing/Journalism Intern

June - September 2021 • Tacoma, WA

What I liked

Being able to do individual research and greatly improve my writing skills. Pitch original ideas for approval and get publications on The Borgen Magazine and Blog that I can use for future employment opportunities.

What I wish was different

It was a remote internship so probably being in person. It was also unpaid, however, the skills and experience I gained were immense.

Advice

Don’t get discouraged if your pitch ideas get shot down or someone already wrote about a topic your interested in. You will find something meaningful eventually.

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Public Relations & Marketing Intern

September - December 2018 • Pullman, WA

What I liked

well I like how this is a different type of internships.

What I wish was different

Something that I wish that was different is wish that it wasnt remote the internship I wish we can work with people face to face

Advice

That spreading awarness about global poverty is really amazing and awesome.

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Political Affairs Intern

June - August 2021 • Wichita, KS

What I liked

I enjoyed connecting with constituents and communicating with my Congressional leaders.

What I wish was different

I would have liked more opportunities to meet with Congressional offices.

Advice

You will get out what you put in. I experienced a remarkable personal transformation over the course of the summer because I put a lot of time and energy into the internship.

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HR Internship

June - September 2022 • Bemidji, MN

What I liked

Great remote internship opportunity! Clear expectations, communication, and a good opportunity to get experience.

What I wish was different

I wish there had been more one-on-one meetings through a platform like Zoom.

Advice

Take care of work early in the week!

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Journalism Intern

June - September 2021 • Philadelphia, PA

What I liked

I loved being able to talk on topics that matter to me. The ability to also see the product of my hard work on their website is also a point of pride.

What I wish was different

I wish I had been able to do more for those in need in raising funds.

Advice

One piece of advice I'd offer for potential interns is this: Be ready to go out there and try to raise funds. Meaning, be prepared to get creative in the ways in which you will go about raising money.

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Writing intern

May - July 2020 • Seattle, WA

What I liked

The writing internship gave me great experience writing informational articles, fundraising, and becoming more aware of global issues.

What I wish was different

Since this was a remote position, I wish there had been more of a community element.

Advice

This is a great opportunity to get real-world writing experience and start building a portfolio! But be aware that fundraising is a big part of the (unpaid) internship.

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Content Team Intern

August - November 2021 • Ruston, LA

What I liked

I loved being critqued as a writer like never before. As a writer with no previous published work, The Borgen Project helped me gain the skills I needed to have confidence in turning in articles. They were there whenever I needed help or had any questions.