Written by Paloma Michel

Women’s Storybook Project

“The Women’s Storybook Project of Texas (WSP) is a women’s prison program that connects children with their incarcerated mothers through the joy of literature.” 

I have been interning for the Women’s Storybook Project since September of this year, and have had the fortune to see all the hard work that goes into a local organization. For starters, my supervisor for my position as a development intern is the Executive Director of the program; Jill Gonzalez. Therefore, my familiarity and understanding of the work at WSP has been guided by the direct head of operations and supervisor of other departments.

Environment

The office environment is one of the most rewarding aspects I will take from this internship, as it is a very close group of mostly women who are in constant communication with one another; having my supervisor be the executive director has allowed me to be aware of important events and things to do outside of my role in development, specially in terms of engaging with fellow coworkers to ensure we all are on track. I have also been encouraged to cross train and understand about the volunteering process in order to have the information at hand in the case that I happen to assist an incoming volunteer.

Part of this harmonious environment includes the flexibility to ask to work remotely when needed; though a majority of my time has been in the office and in the company of my supervisor.

 I always encounter a friendly face as soon as I step into the office; which makes this internship experience notable in that my role and contributions are truly appreciated.

Development Internship

My role as a development intern is to do research as a grant specialist; particularly completing applications for available grants to receive in the 2021 year, and continue keeping track of the grants that have been awarded already. Most recently, I have been creating a master spreadsheet of the potential grants to apply for the upcoming year of 2022; grants are in a calendar format, where we are able to prioritize applications by deadlines and prepare the required documentation needed beforehand.

What I would define as the most laborious aspect of my internship is the research process; not because it is complicated or uninteresting, but because it is very detail-oriented. It takes time to determine whether or not a grant (founders and board) might see the organization and initiative as a match to provide funding. Some of the key aspects I keep in mind as part of the grant research processes are previous grantees, populations served, demographics, and potential for future funding; doing this establishes a surface level of information from a foundation which becomes useful in mentioning certain aspects in the application, or when introducing the organization before applying. Defining aspects such as these are something that I will take as a crucial part of my learning experience; there are many customs that are involved in the job description that are not explicitly stated, but are key to establishing relationships.

While a majority of the documentation and questions needed for different grants are similar, some grants might require additional steps, and this is something that I believe to be interesting about my role as a development intern; understanding that to a certain extent I must know what represents the organization because I am constantly selling the importance of the work done by WSP.

This concept not only applies to memorizing the number of staff members or the budget for previous years, a big part of me going weekly to the office is completing assigned readings my supervisor prepared as part of the internship package. These readings include a topic of discussion and two articles to elaborate on, and they can range from understanding about the justice system, the concerns of formerly incarcerated women, the psychological damages separation makes to the family dynamic, and relevant Texas legislation.

I believe this to be incredibly useful in gathering context as core issues are tackled, and what are believed to be the most effective approaches; in this manner, the values that represent a nonprofit are carefully determined by the individuals doing the work, instead of leaving it out to the public and for others to define the organization.

I strongly recommend for fellow St. Edwards’ students to keep the Women’s Storybook Project in mind as a prospect internship, there is so much I am still learning but I would not change the course of this experience for anything.