I am having a great summer – I started it on the Southern Africa GATE, which was amazing, and now am interning with Common Good Ventures in Maine. They have assigned me to a very challenging project – the development of a growth strategy for the Alzheimer’s Association, Maine Chapter. It includes the development of a project plan, both internal and external research, including 20+ interviews, cost analysis, and drafting a final report to deliver at their Board Meeting in August. I have enjoyed the work, especially with 1 year of an MBA under my belt. Like Jenny, I was reflecting on what classes or experiences have been invaluable to me as well as my regrets. Besides computer skills (thanks, Paula!), here are my thoughts:
A. I was lucky to be involved in the CASE Consulting Practicum, which included a three-term consulting project for a local non-profit, TROSA. I learned a lot about developing a project plan and how to synthesize research into a meaningful report. Plus, Matt Nash oversees the program and, as a former consultant, just being around him taught me a lot.
B. I took Lynch/Carlson’s Market Intelligence elective class – it not only taught me a number of great tools for my arsenal going into my internship (structure of interviews & surveys), but it taught me how to think differently about competition and market analysis.
C. I took Managerial Accounting (it was required, but will be an elective for 1st years) and it has been invaluable. It helped me look critically at numbers and having that context has made all the difference in my cost analysis.
D. I also think that anyone going to Common Good Ventures in the future should have at least 3-5 years of non-profit experience. Both Jenny and I do. It has made the internship better for us and the organizations. My previous experience at the American Heart Assocation has been invaluable.
E. I wish I took one of the classes through the Ford Library on “how to research.” I’ve been doing a lot of external research.
