Ellie Stimmel

What organization did you intern with?
Berger Hirschberg Strategies, a D.C. based fundraising firm

How did you find out about the internship?
I found out about this internship from a friend I formerly interned with who now works as Berger Hirschberg and let me know about internship opportunities.

What were your responsibilities?
Drafting memos, donor research, calling donors/fundraising, event planning
 
What did you most enjoy?
Although this internship was virtual, I appreciated the rapport of the staff and the ability to impact the fundraising progress of campaigns and non-profits.

What is something that you learned from your internship experience?
I learned how to be an effective communicator when making calls to high-dollar donors and recruiting participants for fundraising events as well as extensive donor research skills. 

How will your internship help you in your future studies/career?
The professional relationships I was able to foster as well as the research skills will help me greatly in my post-graduate career. 

What's one piece of advice you would give other students about securing an exciting internship?
My piece of advice to students looking for an internship is to 1) Join groups and clubs! These people will share interests with you and can provide valuable relationships and information regarding the industry you'd like to go into. 2) Stay in touch with your peers and supervisors from past experiences, student groups, and internships! This was one piece of advice that was given to me during my first internship in 2019, and it was invaluable. Many of my peers through that initial internship experience graduated and got jobs in D.C. and within campaigns. They have been vital in helping me connect with other political professionals and obtaining future internships, including my one this past summer.