Internship Experience at ERD

Edmund Rice Development was delighted to host first-year Marino student Nicole Andrews for a weeklong internship earlier this year. During her time with ERD, Nicole assisted our programme team in researching new funders, received a tour of the Edmund Rice House by Br. Donal Blake, and visited O’Connell’s Boys Primary school and meet their principal Patsy O’Keefe – all while gaining valuable professional experience working in a non-profit organisation. 
 

In her own words:
I was given a list of funding bodies to research to see if Edmund Rice Development and its partner projects met the funding criteria. On Monday, there were 30 names on the spreadsheet. By Friday, there were 100. I checked the programmes that needed funding and added notes into the spreadsheet of what donor I thought would be a good fit. I think that the work I was doing over the five days was very useful for the organisation because they can now easily search donors and have their contact details, the areas that they fund and a link to their website all on one page. I found looking up the different websites very interesting as I was able to research areas in which I had an interest, including women’s rights, child education and equality, while also learning about new donors and foundations that actively respond to poverty, inequality and injustice.

I learned a lot of new information throughout the week placement, not only in the way that an office environment works but also how non-profits work, how programmes receive their funding, and the history of Blessed Edmund Rice and the Christian Brothers. By visiting O’Connell Primary School, I witnessed childhood education and how the school helps children learn and grow. Overall, I had a very good experience with the Edmund Rice Development team and I have learned a lot not only about the organisation, but also about myself.

We thank Nicole for her valuable contribution to Edmund Rice Development, and we look forward to utilising her research this funding season. We wish Nicole all the best in her future endeavours.