Name: Darby Andre
Class Year: 2018
Major: Sociology
Hometown: Fleetwood, Pa.
Internship Placement: The Franklin Institute
Job Title: Development Intern
Location: Philadelphia

What’s happening at your internship?

This summer I’m interning with The Franklin Institute’s External Affairs Department, dealing with fundraising, events, and membership. I’ve been learning about all the writing, planning, and management that go into successfully engaging and cultivating donors to the museum. So much goes on behind the scenes at The Franklin Institute that makes all the really cool programs possible. I’ve been writing donor proposals, prepping materials for our various fundraising events, and helping the team with all their office needs.

Why did you apply for this internship?

I applied for this internship at The Franklin Institute because I wanted to get experience in a fundraising department at a nonprofit. I’ve been thinking about working for a year or two before I go to grad school, so I wanted to explore some other career options related to sociology. While I had been interested in working for a nonprofit after graduation, I didn’t know a lot about how nonprofits operated. I thought interning with a really successful development department in the Philadelphia area would be a great learning experience in the city I hope to live in after graduation.

Can you talk about the skills you are learning and why they are important to you?

This might sound a little bland, but I’ve been learning a lot about the program Raiser’s Edge, which is a database used for fundraising in most nonprofits. It’s going to be something really important to put on my resume and have experience in for future nonprofit jobs!

What is most rewarding about your internship?

It’s been really cool to actually see the results of the work our department does. For example, I worked on prepping for an event that helped raise money to give all of our STEM scholars laptops before they go to college, and now I get to actually put the laptops in cases and write nametags for all the students. Next week, I’ll get to go to the event where each student receives their laptop. It’s been really rewarding to work for a department and a nonprofit that gives back to the community and be able to see that tangible progress.