by Elise Giacobbe

This was my second semester interning at the Benedict Inn Retreat & Conference Center in Beech Grove, Indiana. Here I am the marketing intern. This involves a lot of different tasks: mailer, brochures, social media, website upkeep, inventory, and more. Being there for two semesters really helped me get comfortable with my position. The women I worked with everyday would help me with any questions or concerns I had. They also taught me all sides of working for a non-profit.

The first meaning I can think of with this job was the guidance of God with everything I did. He led me here, kept me around and let me continue to learn and grow in one place. This was more than an internship for me, it led me back into my faith and allowed me to see that God is watching over me and looking out.

My purpose and contribution to the Inn varied based on each day and what was needed. This is one of the many things I really liked about this position. I was always doing something different or new or helping another side of the business. This last semester I got to learn about the financial side of things. This was very different from my other internships at public relations firms. Having a strict budget with several programs, events and more to plan can get tricky. I also worked a lot in the gift shop at the Inn so there is another added expense involved in the budget. This gift shop is full of gifts, collectables and more and the guests love to check what we have inside. We like to keep things updated and available for any occasion a person would need something for.

My time at the Benedict Inn is hard to describe in just a few paragraphs. The people and work challenged me and I made some connections I have will for a lifetime. I highly recommend this for anyone interested in the marketing and communications field, experience at a non-profit will teach you things that you can take anywhere.