Community Fellows Blog Posts

Being a part of the Hispanic Foundation of Silicon Valley (HFSV) as a Marketing and Communications Intern has given me a deeper understanding on how non-profits operate. In the business world, all organizations maintain some sort of structure. Capacity, however, differs from business to business. For a mission-driven organization such as HFSV, a small team means taking on more responsibilities and sometimes having overlapping ones to make up for less available hands. When my supervisor left HFSV at the end of last December, I wasn’t sure what my role would consist of. Feeling like there was still so much I didn’t know, especially as someone who isn’t majoring in marketing and lacks that expertise, I was uncertain about my ability to take on larger responsibilities for a position I was still new to. However, my anxieties began to melt away when my new supervisor, the Programs and Development Chair, began working closely with me, making sure I felt supported in everything I needed to do. 

Before, my role consisted of supporting my supervisor in promotional materials and newsletter making. Now my role revolves primarily on spearheading the newsletter each month, meaning I need to become more active in my outreach and more organized with deadlines. Fortunately, as someone who has experience creating newsletters and has some basic knowledge about using the marketing platform, this responsibility was something I wasn’t too worried about. In fact, I would honestly say I was pretty excited about taking on the newsletter and implementing my own ideas into it. Something I had suggested during one of the meetings was to feature a monthly program partner shout-out. To me, uplifting resources from third-party organizations that we have connections to is very important in maintaining a good relationship and making a conscious effort to make resources more accessible. Especially in times where resources for many underrepresented communities are being threatened or actively removed, I believe sharing resources and amplifying voices with others is more important than ever, so I was really glad that my team was receptive to my suggestions. 

This January was the first time I helped lead the creation of the newsletter. Our first program partner spotlighted was Career Launch, an organization dedicated to teaching and guiding students to be intentional and proactive in building professional relationships from the ground up. Through data analytics, I was able to see how many people were able to interact with all the sections of our newsletter. I was pleased to see that a number of viewers engaged with the highlighted resource, and I hope many others come to utilize programs that can help support their needs. Overall, this experience reminded me that being a successful business doesn’t only mean focusing on ourselves. By using our communication platforms and engaging with organizations beyond our own, we can make a difference.