Friday, May 9, 2014

Great Times, Great Memories, Lasting Friendships




Hello, my name is Edlyn Chavez and I am the Development Intern at Save the Harbor/Save the Bay. I have been with Save the Harbor since the fall and continued into the spring, but like all internships they all come to an end. Working at Save the Harbor/Save the Bay has been such an amazing experience and I will miss the amazing staff and friends who advocate for the well-being of the Boston Harbor as well as the regions public beaches. 


Looking back to when I started I was nervous and did not know what to expect from my internship, but at the same time I was excited to be a part of a great organization. Everything was new to me especially working for an environmental non-profit organization. As I began little did I know that I would be included in so many things related to foundation fundraising and submitting my very first online grant application!

During my time here I have been learning a little bit about foundation fundraising. My internship has allowed me to see how non-profits work year round securing funds and making sure they have enough to run their programs. I was able to work along with great staff like Amy Davidson and learned so much from her experiences and skills as a grant writer. Thanks to Save the Harbor/Save the Bay I have had the opportunity to attend many of Associated Grant Makers workshops that taught me about the introduction to grant writing, how to research foundations, write winning proposal letters, and meet-the-donors talk panels. Other than that I have been responsible for creating and managing the 2014 Grants Calendar, where I kept track of important dates for foundations. I also managed to use what I learned from the workshops and guidance from Bruce to write my very own proposal for funding. This assignment was a challenging one because I have never written one before.

I would like to take this moment to thank the staff and especially to Patty and Bruce for everything they have done for me. It’s such a bitter sweet moment, but I know I will continue on to do great things. As I begin a new chapter in my professional life I will always remember and thank Save the Harbor for giving me the opportunity to grow and continue learning.

Have a great summer Save the Harbor/Save the Bay! 

Edlyn S. Chavez 

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