Volunteering – Meet Samara

Why did you want to intern at New Israel Fund of Canada?
I wanted to intern at NIFC this summer for a couple of reasons. Firstly, I really like the work they do in Israel funding a variety of different projects for all groups, and I also like how they keep Canadians in the loop with what is going on in the ever-changing political situation over there. Secondly, working for NIFC was a great experience working in a field that I will hopefully will end up in, and I was given a ton of opportunities to learn the inner workings of an organization.

What did you learn about NIFC’s work that you found the most interesting?
I had the opportunity to look back at the history of the organization by going through old documents. I learned what organizations NIFC has funded in the past, and the impact they have had on people over the last 30+ years. I found it interesting seeing which organizations NIFC has supported for the longest, and which organizations are newer. Reading the proposals from over the years shows how far these projects have come, and also how much more still needs to be done!

What did you accomplish this summer that you feel the most proud of?
This summer I feel that I have accomplished a lot and I am proud of the work I was able to do with NIFC. Throughout the summer I worked on a large project that looked at every project NIFC has supported. I reviewed every proposal and summarized them into a document and later, was able to make a spreadsheet that showed NIFC’s support for every organization over the last 30+ years – how many projects, how much money, for how many years, and so forth. It was a lot of work but I found this project extremely interesting and I know this will be beneficial for NIFC going forward.

I was also proud of myself for learning Raisers Edge, both NXT and Database!

What are your plans for the upcoming year?
I am going into my fourth and final year at Carleton University. I plan on applying to a variety of different Masters programs both in Canada and abroad.