Tiffany Vu: Seeing Business in Nonprofits
After a quarter of working at the Hispanic Foundation of Silicon Valley (HFSV), I found that classes I have taken at Santa Clara relate to how the HFSV operates. One key class that stands out to me is Constructing a Nonprofit Organization. In that class, I learned about how nonprofits are different from businesses, but in most cases working with other nonprofits increases the success of both organizations. I drew this connection because the Family College Success Center (FCSC) has had many different partnerships with other nonprofits to create opportunities for preparing students for the SAT, preparing students for college applications, and educating parents on how to support their children. Not only do these programs exist, they also are thriving. Recently, over 150 students signed up for a free SAT class run by the FCSC. It was astounding to see such an increase in interest compared to that of previous offerings. Knowing that the HFSV is thriving and working to achieve its mission statement is amazing.
In addition, all the team projects I have done at Santa Clara have helped prepare me for my internship at the HFSV. I didn’t realize how important effective communication was until I didn’t see the people I was working with every single day. I was not always able to quickly receive updates, so having my supervisors clearly define what they wanted from me and letting me know what problems they wanted to tackle was eye opening. Having that, it made it clear how I had to communicate with others, so they understood what I needed from them or how my projects were progressing. I’m learning a lot at the HSFV and I’m so incredibly happy that I get to work with them for the whole school year.
Although I have learned a lot in the past quarter about what it is like to work for a nonprofit, it’s time for me to pick up my speed and help make a lasting impact on the organization using the skills I’ve learned at SCU.