I spent my summer working for Fidelity Charitable Services in Boston, the group that does this fundraising. I worked as a sales support intern on the fundraising team, answering directly to the people responsible for generating as many dollars as possible for charity through outbound phone calls.
Any summer internship has its lowest moment, and mine came in a form I call "The Coffee Run Monsoon." On a perfectly sunny day, I made the familiar stroll to Dunkin' Donuts to pick up coffee for the people I worked with. I was excited to take the stickers off the coffees, return to my cubicle and enter the Dunkin' Donuts Instant-Win Game, which I never actually succeeding in winning (I also never successfully completed a crossword puzzle all summer without the help of the internet). The moment I stepped outside the door, however, rain came pouring down, showing no signs of stopping. If I tried running, it only fell harder. As it rained harder and harder, the tray I was holding became so wet that it lost its sturdy structure, and I lost half the coffees I had just bought to the sidewalk. When I returned, I expected sympathy; instead, I got laughter. It was all in good fun, though, and one of my coworkers lent me a new shirt for the day.
Moments like that monsoon may have been harrowing, but they pale in comparison to the many highlights of the job. The best part of the internship was easily the people I worked with, all of whom welcomed me instantly. Their constant advice, ranging from the lighthearted to the serious, was indispensable.
I also worked on a research project all summer, which resulted in meetings and presentations with management and other groups in the company. Though I wondered if anyone was actually taking me seriously, I soon learned that interest in the project was within my control. If I could get people excited about the research I was doing, then maybe it would become meaningful in the long run. I never thought research was fun, but I guess I chose a good time to enjoy it, especially with junior papers and a senior thesis lying ahead.
The best part of the project, and perhaps of the internship as a whole, lay in the friendly interactions I had via telephone for my research. The project revolved around computers, which I know little to nothing about, so by the time it was nearly over, I felt pretty smart throwing random terms and numerical figures around on the phone. I also enjoyed the inevitable casual digression that usually went something like this:
Person I Am Talking To: "So where do you go to school?"
Me: "Princeton."
Person I Am Talking To: "No way! My (insert relationship here) went there!"
Me: "No way! What's their name? What eating club were they in?"
Person I Am Talking To: "Are those like fraternities?"
In all seriousness, I learned a lot this summer about the effective and ineffective ways of giving to charity. I was blessed to have worked with so many fun people who also gave me a unique opportunity to conduct important, independent research. I can only - and, I admit, somewhat selfishly - hope that one day, I will make enough money that my newfound knowledge of effective ways of giving to charity will come in handy.
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