Client Profile: Using Interns To Improve This Nonprofit’s Operations
What do you think about when you picture a Corporate Social Responsibility initiative?
For most people, it’s volunteering at a local food bank or engaging employees in a donation drive. But some of our favorite CSR initiatives we’ve facilitated have been far more behind the scenes.
One of our recent CSR projects involved helping San Diego Gas and Electric (SDG&E) partner with a local San Diego nonprofit, Diamond Educational Excellence Partnership (DEEP). With Mission Edge’s facilitation, SDGE was able to dip into its resources to help DEEP come up with a better way to manage its workflows and team priorities.
The Challenge
DEEP is a collaborative organization committed to empowering communities and creating the conditions for children to become lifelong learners.
However, the nonprofit faced internal challenges with managing workflows, aligning team priorities, and tracking progress towards their goals. Operating on a patchwork of spreadsheets and word documents, DEEP sought to implement a more streamlined and transparent system to increase efficiency and focus on its core mission.
Our Approach
Through our intern volunteering program with San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E), we assembled a team of eight SDG&E interns to work directly with DEEP.
The goal was to understand the nonprofit's unique needs and workflows, and then implement a project management platform, Asana, to improve collaboration, organization, and communication among the DEEP team
the results
The SDG&E interns worked diligently to set up Asana, nesting DEEP's key programs and initiatives under clear priorities and goals. This newfound visibility and accountability allowed the DEEP team to better see how their individual work streams contributed to the organization's overall mission.
As Rhianna Basore, DEEP's Director of Operations and Outreach, noted:
“The SDG&E interns were amazing! They brought inspiring leadership, thoughtful questions, and flawless follow-through to a project that will help my organization grow exponentially in the coming year.”
the results
At Mission Edge, we are committed to not only supporting the nonprofits we serve, but also cultivating the next generation of purpose-driven leaders. By engaging SDG&E’s interns in meaningful volunteer work, we were able to provide them with valuable real-world experience while also delivering a transformative impact for DEEP.
The success of our partnership with SDG&E and DEEP is a testament to the power of corporate social responsibility.
By leveraging SDG&E’s resources and expertise, we were able to help coordinate a successful internship project that helped a nonprofit overcome operational challenges.
At the heart of effective CSR initiatives is creativity. We love the thoughtfulness that went into creating a better system for DEEP to operate within, and the creativity the interns put into the project.
If your business is interested in running a CSR initiative that benefits an organization you're passionate about – without tokenizing the people you’d like to help – we can help you get there.
