Hello! My name is Maggie Achey, and I am a senior Professional Writing and Rhetoric major at Elon. I have been a CUPID Associate in the past and have taken many service-learning classes. Therefore, I loved the opportunity to intern at Family Abuse Services of Alamance County (FAS), a local nonprofit that provides help and resources for survivors of domestic violence, during the fall 2013 semester. They have programs such as a crisis line, transitional housing, and court advocacy that aid clients at many stages. The semester that I spent with FAS I worked on their website and branding.
I started the semester by meeting every two weeks at the Family Justice Center on Martin Street. Before diving into the website I researched best website practices and tried to become as familiar as I could with the organization. As a representative for FAS and as a person propagating their organization, I realized the need to have an understanding of their mission and resources in order to represent them well.
I then meet with my site supervisor and talked about content and purpose of the website. We decided that the purpose of the website was to help those in abusive relationships and those recovering. After cementing the purpose I worked on editing and organizing the content.
The Value of Feedback
I learned a lot about feedback through this process and the ability to give and receive constructive criticism. I really appreciated my site supervisor’s comments on each draft and progress reports. Through this I grew as a writer and learned a good deal about giving and receiving feedback.
First, I realized that when receiving feedback, you should always give suggestions and opinions, as it help visual people articulate what they want and don’t want. For example, give many examples of a website banner with different designs so the client can see aspects of each that they like.
Another part of feedback I appreciate more is the art of giving the suggestions. I realize how important it is to give confident, articulate comments, as this is constructive feedback that really helps the person and doesn’t leave them confused.
Internal Transitions
An additional part of my internship that provided a growing and learning process was departure of my site supervisor and arrival of a new supervisor. This idea of transition in an organization is new to me, but I realize it is a reality of the professional world. My academic internship advisor Dr. Rebecca Pope-Ruark and I talked about the idea of institutional knowledge and how it is dangerous if it is all concentrated in one person. The idea of managing knowledge within an organization really stuck out to me, along with the concept of sharing the knowledge. I was very impressed with how FAS transitions the
ir employees, and it was a positive, smooth experience.
I recognized this need to share information for transitions by putting together a style guide for future employees and interns who work on the website. I made sure to detail steps on posting to the website and editing content, hopefully passing on my knowledge that I had built and ensuring the continuation of the website.
I am realizing that I only know a sliver of what it takes to run an organization, and there are so many layers and aspects of the professional world. This idea humbles and excites me for my future opportunities. But I am so fortunate to get the opportunity to work with FAS to discover more about organizations and grow in a professional setting.
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