Fundraising Internship in Cape Town, South Africa

My overall experience in Cape Town was amazing. The city is truly a magical place. I have met some amazing people and was able to do a lot of fun stuff. My internship suited me and was definitely one of the things that made this experience so great. I worked with the New Heritage Foundation in NGO management, focusing on fundraising, social media, creating a business plan, and networking. One thing that I am really taking from this internship is how important it is to have a network with valuable connections. The right person can make a huge difference. On a personal level, I learned that I can get very caught up in wanting more and sometimes forget to realize the beautiful things I already have. I am also proud of being asked to become a board member. I mostly enjoyed the brainstorm sessions with the team. However, there were sometimes long days in the office. As for my career plans, I don’t have any yet. This internship was a way for me to get a taste of the NGO working life and see if it was something for me. I think networking will be important in the future. I also learned that not everyone thinks like I do. My advice: Make sure to communicate properly and don’t hesitate to ask questions when something is unclear. When traveling alone, do some research on people who will be there so you have a community of people to connect with and do things together.

I thoroughly enjoyed my dual internship (both in-person and remote). I learnt a lot about nonprofit management, community development and fundraising, my tasks and activities were also meaningful and exciting. I feel like this internship enabled me to achieve my short-term career goals while also building my professional acumen. Above all else, I had fun and made new connections.

The team is very inspiring and mindful, and working for such a good cause can only make you proud of your job. This internship has given me the opportunity to explore a work environment which (even if remotely) is supporting and inspiring.

I would like to encourage other people who feel too old to give up their safe and settled life for a few months. Booking a ticket to Cape Town was the best decision. I am charged with new energy to find my dream job and have a clear goal to work on. I would love to build a life in South Africa and I will work on making this dream come true!

Talitha and the whole Roots team made me feel supported and reassured at all times when preparing for my stay and internship. They provided me with all the necessary details and information and also suggested me the accomodation, and it was definitely the right choice. I got to live with the people I was working with and we developed a very good relation. The work at the office was stimulating and interesting for the most part. I learnt a lot about cooperativeness, flexibility and adaptability, working in an international environment and city. The on-field work where you witness how the work you do at the office translates into concrete action was a life-changing experience, as were the adventures exploring the beautiful Southern Africa, made possible by a great life-work balance. (Filippo)

Talitha is a dream of a coordinator. She is the only reason I was given the opportunity to work as a fundraising intern at Greenpop in Cape Town. She hurried my resume through to give me a chance at the position I was ultimately offered. She truly cared about my experience, and proved it time and time again. From beginning to end, she was always checking in to make sure I was enjoying with my time at Greenpop. From beginning to end my experience Cape Town was the best experience of my life and it was all possible because of Talitha!