Our interns play a significant role in the work we do, and are often behind the scenes supporting our staff, working on new projects and bringing energy and excitement to the work we do. We are happy to highlight Taylor, who just wrapped up her internship with us and will be a lifelong friend of Allies!

Tell us about yourself:

My name is Taylor Pepperworth and I was hired at Allies, Inc.as the Development Intern for the past 5-6 months. I just graduated in May from Indiana State University with a major in Criminal Justice and minors in Nonprofit Leadership and Psychology. I will be attending the University of Tulsa for law school in the fall. 

 

What has been your favorite part of being an Allies Inc. intern? 

My favorite part of being an intern at Allies is the culture that Allies embodies. I am constantly surrounded by love and patience and have seen how a healthy culture is crucial in the growth of employees. Allies has empowered me to think strategically and creatively, giving me endless opportunities for professional and personal growth. I have loved learning from the core staff at Allies on how to lead with love and compassion, provide grace to yourself and others, and how commitment can prompt impactful change.

 

What have you learned in the last few months as an intern? 

I have learned that leaning into the unknown allows for growth and discovery of the self. I embarked on my internship at Allies without expectations or experience working within the human trafficking field. I just graduated with a minor in nonprofit leadership and have always been passionate about serving within nonprofit organizations. One day, I was sitting in a nonprofit class, listening to my professor, and he mentioned Allies, Inc. I typed “Allies, Inc.” into Google and instantly felt led to be a part of their mission and organization. Looking back I am so grateful I said yes to working for this organization. By saying yes to working for an organization I once knew nothing of, I have been able to grow in tremendous ways both professionally and personally. 

I have learned how nonprofit professionals wear many different hats making for very flexible and versatile employees. I have gained knowledge on how it takes various community partners, organizations, and people to fully act on and fulfill an organization’s mission. I have learned that it may only take a simple ask of someone to accomplish something huge within the organization. I learned that if you lead with compassion, commit to a mission and the people, and invest your time, energy, and talent, you can make impactful change in a world that desperately needs it. 

 

What work have you been doing for Allies Inc. during this time? 

I was hired onto the Allies team as a Development Intern. Through this position, I provided grant research, learning how to find grants using research accounts such as Instrumental and Pivot, and completed a few grants on my own.

Additionally, I created a Case Statement for Allies which is an Internal working document for the purposes of fundraising, data collection, program evaluation methods, organizational strategies/goals, and the overall organization information. This assists the organization in having access to various resources and information from different parts of the organization, organized into one document. 

Furthermore, I have had the opportunity to learn from the Director of Programming, Audrey, on strategy, data collection, and program evaluation. I assisted in creating a logic model for the Thrive Program which is a data collection tool that highlights the organization’s long term outcomes, program goals, short term outcomes, performance measures, data sources, and program elements plan. This is what we use in our evaluation process of the Thrive Program in order to collect accurate and consistent data to ensure we are reaching program goals that align with our mission.

What has been the most impactful part of your internship? 

The most impactful part of my internship at Allies has been learning from women who have a passion about the work they do, lead with compassion, commit to fighting for improvements and change, and who live with a servant’s heart. I have learned invaluable lessons about how to work in challenging situations and how to continue to prevail after something does not go as planned. I have loved working in an environment where sacrifice and self-care go hand in hand. There is sacrifice in the work we do whether that is for the people we serve or for a deadline or for a fellow employee; however, there is value placed on self-care and health. The Allies culture considers the humanness of the individuals they serve and employ – the messiness and all – which has been the most impactful on my own personal growth as well as my professional growth. To learn in an environment where the culture values filling your cup up in order to be able to pour out has been invaluable. Allies has forever left an impactful imprint on my heart and life. I learned about the operations of a nonprofit, have been empowered to complete projects where I have gained a multitude of knowledge, experienced what a healthy work culture is, and have made forever friends and mentors. I am beyond grateful for the experience I have had at Allies, Inc.