Interns typically have uncertainties about what their summer job is going to look like, and this year was particularly daunting. Simultaneously, as a destructive global pandemic shifted most work online and, as the U.S. erupted in protests and debate in a national reckoning with racism, I was being welcomed as a summer intern at New Profit. Yet, it was within this context of tenuous times that I was better able to discern just how vital the organization and its people are.

1. Creating an engaging virtual setting

Everyone knows how awkward Zoom calls can be, but I learned through New Profit employees that there is a huge difference when a leader can smoothly and confidently orient virtual settings towards creativity, innovation, and collaboration.

In large rooms, this looked like introducing calls with an empowering song, asking thought-provoking questions in the chat, and using the whiteboard tool to create a communal screen for participants to engage on. In smaller settings, this felt like seamless transitions where meeting leaders made sure to lift and value voices from all participants, including interns! I walk away this summer with a toolbox of styles and techniques for being better at online communication and collaboration. 

2. Creating space for difficult, vulnerable, and open conversations

Not unrelated to the first bullet, I also learned about the unparalleled importance of creating space for people, whole people, within organizational structures. 

This space was created for me everyday, with a strategy as simple as beginning meetings with time to “check-in,” where team members candidly shared personal anecdotes, whether about moving out of an apartment or about not feeling 100% on any given day. 

I witnessed how embracing people in their full humanity led to important, yet difficult conversations—such as in DIG Meetings, where employees engage in topics related to diversity, equity, and inclusion. It is this embrace of people’s personal lives and opinions that opened dialogue about compensation philosophy and practices this summer. 

3. Cultivating peer communities 

It’s hard to explain the inherent value of creating peer connections and networks among social impact leaders until you witness it first hand, which I was lucky to be able to do this summer. 

I heard from entrepreneurs about how isolating their role, and this particular moment, can be. I listened as they praised New Profit for bringing them together, and continued to yearn for more time to learn from each other, to bond over common challenges, and to reflect ideas off of one another. I watched in amazement as leaders brought their experiences together to create robust visions about how institutions, how philanthropy, and how they could be better in serving their communities. 

To read more about Mariana and her story, click here.