As part of SDG&E’s inaugural social responsibility project, forty-one interns spent four weeks this summer volunteering with five local nonprofit organizations, helping them with marketing, content creation, database management and business development.
This project was made possible through a collaborative effort led by the nonprofit Mission Edge and SDG&E. Mission Edge designs programs to ensure companies are connected with nonprofits in the community.
“Among some of the challenges that face nonprofit organizations within our region is the lack of resources and capacity to adequately expand critical services and awareness of their work within our communities”, said Kazeem Omidiji, SDG&E director of community relations. “Our inaugural Corporate Social Responsibility Intern program is an excellent opportunity for our interns to provide the necessary capacity building assistance to nonprofits and fill in that gap”.
The five nonprofit organizations that participated in the project were:
- Community Housing Works
- Rise Up Industries
- Greater Than Tech
- Diamond Educational Excellence Partnership
- Includ(Ed).
Each organization was tied to K-16 STEM education, inclusive education, or economic prosperity.
Teams of interns from different departments were formed to encourage cross-campus connections and it was a great success, with teams even gathering outside of work hours to get to know each other. They communicated weekly to discuss project updates, worked independently on each of their responsibilities and learned about the communities each organization served.
“My team and I agree that our collective interaction with Rise Up Industries was uplifting and inspiring. Every individual on my team was an all-star for their
interpersonal communication, creative input, managing deliverables and the list goes on,” said Faamanuia Ahfook, 21-year-old business administration intern studying at San Diego State University. “They performed above and beyond, making my experience both memorable and fun. I hope to work with all of them in the future and I see no limit as to how far they’ll go.”
Over the course of four weeks, the interns built strong connections with each other and their nonprofit that will last far beyond their internship. All together they spent 200 hours curating social media posts, developing training manuals and researching useful new technology.
The program concluded with a mixer where each intern team lead presented their projects to an audience of their peers, mentors, managers, participating nonprofit representatives and SDG&E employees.
Presentation after presentation, each team showcased the immense time and effort they dedicated to their projects. They all received positive feedback and appreciation from the nonprofits, a true testament to the success of this inaugural project.
For information on internships or how to get involved, visit sdge.com/careers or the following opportunities broken down by field of interest:
IT: IT Associate Rotation and Internship Program | San Diego Gas & Electric (sdge.com)
Engineering: SDG&E Engineering Associate Rotation Program & Internship Program | San Diego Gas & Electric (sdge.com)
Accounting and Finance: Sempra and SDG&E | Power Your Career internship and rotation program