Emma Koestner

Responsibilities

During my internship I provided general support to the development team at Atlas Free, as well as more specialized projects related to donor journey mapping. This included projects related to donor relationships and engagement building, collaborating with the marketing and development team members to execute fundraising events, and connect with Atlas Free donors. Outside of general task support (things like calling donors, sending peer-to-peer fundraising materials, event/fundraising event support), I worked deeply in compiling and presenting a recommendation document for re-vamping donor journey maps at Atlas Free which included synthesis of current systems, industry research, visual aids/charts, and a suggested standard operating procedure in order to increase donor retention and increase first to second gift conversion.

Accomplishments

My greatest accomplishment was the compilation, distillation, and recommendation I presented to my supervisor for donor journey mapping. The team spent time submitting pre-work for this process which reflected the current state of different areas of ownership over donor audiences (e.g. events attendees, monthly supporters, corporate partnerships, etc). I then took the submitted information and synthesized this into a higher level summary strengths, gaps, roadblocks, confusions, and weaknesses. This was also translated into a comprehensive SWOT analysis. These documents provided evidence, along with research, for a pitch I made for a re-vamped donor journey.

Learning experience

One of the greatest lessons that was reinforced from my time with Atlas Free was that everyone will do something for the first time at some point in their professional life. For example, collaborating with team members on strategic meeting planning was something I had not done before. It was a first for me, and I had to remind myself that it was okay to be new to a process or experience. My team did not expect me to be an expert, but did expect me to show up with a willing attitude and a desire to grow together.

What advice would you give?

I would encourage students in the HDFS major not to discount the skills and qualifications they have for roles and future roles that come from life experiences. I think some of my most hireable qualities come from less traditional experiences, like volunteering or learning to live somewhere new or connect with different types of people. Classes are great for some more technical skills, and don't be afraid to lean into skills and interests you've discovered or developed outside the classroom when looking for next steps after college!