Community Partner: Baltimore Corps Intern: Pranathi Ganni Site Supervisor: Liz Gomez
What is Baltimore Corps? Baltimore Corps is a fellowship program that connects social minded leaders with nonprofits in Baltimore
When I picture working in the social impact sector, I imagine people working till their feet hurt from walking door to door and their stomachs growling from getting so carried away in what they do that they forget to eat. At least at Baltimore Corps, I’ m pretty sure the last part is true. But working at Baltimore Corps this summer has made me develop a greater understanding on the different ways creating social change can look.
Before coming to Baltimore Corps I had a certain stereotype in mind as to what a nonprofit looked like. From my first days at Baltimore Corps, its business model and data‐driven focus seemed to not fit this mold precisely. Throughout my summer with CIIP, most of my work with community members was done over the phone, through e‐mail or one‐step away from the people themselves— building systems that would one‐day support their ability to engage in meaningful employment here in Baltimore. My days were spent working in coffee shops, attending meetings relating to social innovation, and collaborating with a team of interns.
Tasks:
• Provided recommendations f safety and security working t foundation for scaling their d
• Created and improved existin procedures, allowing Baltimo it’ s staff team and internship sustainability
• Increased efficiency of contra through automation
• Provided special project supp recruitment, program and op adding needed capacity in ap orientation preparation and S management
I questioned whether my work would be truly impactful if I wasn’ t directly connecting to populations served. I still don’ t know where I will be after college. But, throughout the summer I leaned in to my strengths and used them to foster innovation and impact within Baltimore Corps. I was not impressed with operational, technical work and what it could do in the social sector in the beginning. And much of what I did with my internship was technical. But the Operations team in Baltimore Corps has a motto:“ It should be easier to do good”. Through the use of technology, they work to provide an equitable and data‐driven approach to talent— they are shaking things up in the social impact sector and making sure“ doing good” can be easier. And I believe my work as a CIIP Intern made it a little bit easier for Baltimore to continue doing good. It is a wonderful mindset and one I hope to continue with in the future. ‐ Pranathi