My internship with The Love Yourself Foundation has proven to be an invaluable experience. This organization was founded by Monica Garcia in 2018 and focuses on empowering individuals with the tools necessary to love themselves and the environment, because caring for the environment cannot begin without first caring for oneself. Immediately before this internship, my mental health was unstable, and I was experiencing burnout. My time with LYF has reinforced my sense of self-worth and self-love, strengthened my mental and emotional health, and proven that it is okay to give yourself a break.
Being the first Proposal and Grant Writing Intern for this organization allowed me to truly bring my ideas to life with few constraints. Though I do not believe it was necessary before starting this position, I had experience writing grant proposals from my time as an undergraduate researcher in a biology lab at UNLV. I had not done so for a 501(c)(3) nonprofit but with support from my mentors and peers, as well as a plethora of guides from a website called GrantStation, I was able to expand my knowledge of the proposal writing process.
As I am pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in English, working with a nonprofit centered around self-love may sound like it does not coincide with my future career or my major. However, my internship position has given me more experience with writing and editing, as well as the necessary tools to combat mental exhaustion without lowering my work performance. I plan to continue writing and eventually join the publishing industry, and I feel that every chance to write or edit works helps me hone my craft. In addition, I believe having experience writing grant proposals may help my future career since garnering funding is a huge portion of the formula for success as a writer, publisher, or editor. Though I will continue to volunteer with LYF as an Executive Assistant and the Lead Proposal and Grant Writer through the Fall 2023 semester, I realize that the experience gained from this organization is not specific to publishing, and therefore I would need to branch out to publishing-focused positions in the future.
Based on my experience, it seems to me that a strong work ethic, the ability to manage your time wisely, and patience for the writing, editing, and researching processes are paramount to securing a full-time position writing proposals for nonprofits, or otherwise.
My advice for incoming interns is to set time aside for you. This could be every day, or once a week, but make time to listen to your mind and give it space to breathe. While the first things that may come to mind are exercise, yoga, or meditation, any activity that helps you unwind will work, such as reading, playing video games, or listening to music.
I have included a photo of the Q&A panel from our Sustainability Event, held at Akin Cooperative on June 9th, 2023.
