October Blog Post

A blog post for the month of October...

Well, there really isn't much to report. My internship is going well. I'm still helping out at the office and learning new things: managerial skills, the importance of organization, how to perfect spreadsheets, etc.. My essential question remains pretty much the same: "what is the best way to run a successful non-profit organization?" And my answer is still leaning towards public image.

I do have to say though, my service learning hours have me thinking if I really want to have a desk job when I graduate college. Although a desk job usually means that you'll be getting decent pay and benefits, I don't think I'll be able to handle one. Everything is too structured and procedural for my taste. That doesn't mean that I regret taking on the topic I did for senior project. I feel like I should do some exploring, and non-profit work offers me a good starting point.

Lesson one presentation was kind of helpful. I now know that I have to get better at presenting in order for me to make it through two hours of presentation. During the lesson one presentation, I noticed that I was messing up my words a bit, so I'll have to make sure that I enunciate. Furthermore, I realized that I unnecessarily repeated some information. So I'll have to create some sort of mental checklist.  

Yeah well that's about it for this month. I hope that by next month I'll be informed enough to be able to comfortably "present" on my topic for at least 15 minutes. Baby steps.

Research and Working EQ

Blog-post 8

1. My working EQ as of now is: "What's the best way to ensure the success of a non-profit organization?"
   
2. Promote the organization to an appropriate audience in an effective manner and keep a good public relationship.
   
3. Thus far, the most important source I've found that's helped me answer my EQ has been "Developing an Information Security Awareness Program for a Non-Profit Organization." This was the second source I found since we started doing research checks. It was very specific and insightful.
4. My mentor is Carlos Carrillo. He, along with Uncommon Good (organization at which I volunteer), have helped me come closer to answering my EQ by allowing me to witness, firsthand, how good public relationships are maintained and developed.

Independent Component 1 Approval

Here's what I plan to do...

1. For my thirty hours, I plan to volunteer at Uncommon Good, a non-profit organization. Most likely, I'll help with typical office stuff as well as organizing events such as cleaning a local park. I'll also help contact members of the Uncommon Good program and remind them of appointments and important dates.
   
2. I will show evidence of the completion of my thirty hours by taking pictures and photocopying any non-sensitive documents. As for proving that I actually did 30 hours, I'll draft a form for my mentor (he works there) to sign.
   
3. This will help me explore my topic by further allowing me to develop the working habits needed to be a successful employee at a non-profit organization as well as learning how to plan events necessary for the accomplishment of a non-profit's goal. Also, just by hanging around a professional non-profit, workplace I'll be able to pick up on certain important skills.