Placement: Marymount University, Arlington, VA: July 31 – November 4, 2017

During the 3 months period, the objective of Réka’s internship was to learn how to develop plans for university endowments, fundraising techniques, alumni development programs and networking with the Hungarian American community. At Marymount University, Réka helped with preparing the promotional materials for alumni events, attended several meetings with potential donors, helped organize and attended Homecoming and President Circle Dinner for annual donors. She regularly attended events at Foundation Center and made research at the Library of Congress on fundraising strategies, online media, and how social media is used nowadays for fundraising purposes. Réka also attended Hungarian Communion of Friends’ ITT-OTT conference in August helping the Bocskai Radio with the production of interviews and short film clips and in September, she attended the 62nd Hungarian Scout Festival in Cleveland, both events together with CIP intern Orsolya Gazsó.

“This experience had a great impact on me: I learned how to start a fundraising campaign, I gained insight to the philanthropy world of the US, I met new people, I had meaningful conversations which were very helpful, and learned how to behave at an American work environment.”

Réka Veres is an undergraduate studying Communications and PR at Babeș-Bolyai University (Cluj Napoca, Romania). She is originally from a small village in Transylvania, Romania called Sânmiclăuș (Bethlenszentmiklós). As an alumna of the Bethlen Gábor Kollégium (BGK) of Aiud (Nagyenyed), Romania, she was recommended by the Két Fűzfa Association to help their goal of establishing an endowment fund which will support BGK through donations and sponsorships.