Community Partner : Fusion Partnerships Intern : Maria Camila Garcia Site Supervisor : Allison Duggan What is Fusion Partnerships ?
Through collaborative action , including fiscal sponsorship , Fusion Partnerships works to be a catalyst for social justice and peace .
I was able to learn about Fusion ' s complex role as a fiscal sponsor by aiding in the filing of credit card receipts and check requests from the years 2016 through 2020 for the community initiatives they support . What proved to be a very arduous and difficult job taught me about the importance of organization in such a big institution and made me realize how much weight Fusion really takes off their partner ’ s shoulders . Moreover , I learned about the resources made available to partners in relation to grant applications , and how , as a whole , Fusion ’ s support has helped to bring many resources to those who need them most . Another important aspect of Fusion is its capacity to foster collaboration and empower initiatives throughout the city . When joining Fusion , partners are able to engage in a huge network of programs in areas such as social justice , food justice , education , art , violence prevention , and many others . As a result , Fusion facilitates intersections amongst organizations and neighborhoods throughout the city , amplifying the voices of many .
I was incredibly fortunate to witness the diversity of Fusion ’ s impact by attending over twenty-five events hosted by partners all throughout Baltimore and speaking directly with community leaders . Through these experiences I gained a deeper and better understanding of the non-profit work in the city , as well as the challenges faced by residents and methods that have proven to be effective in improving the lives of Baltimoreans .
Lastly , Fusion also gives residents in specific areas of Baltimore City the opportunity to lead projects within their own neighborhoods and allocate funds according to the needs of their communities through inFusion . I attended several meetings of the local participatory grant making group , where I listened to residents suggesting ways to help their communities and receiving guidance from people experienced in the field . Finally , I helped to organize the “ Storytelling for Sustainability ” event , where the programs under InFusion shared their stories , missions and work through videos and pictures , in the hopes of raising awareness and growing . In very simple terms , throughout the past few months , I went from not knowing what fiscal sponsorship was to understanding the difficulty of defining it and appreciating its uniqueness in the non-profit sector .
Developed a Summer Journal aimed at providing a deeper look into Fusion ’ work and sharing recent efforts of partners Attended and documented over 25 community events hosted by Fusion ’ s partners Created a contact and social media spreadsheet of over 120 partners in order to facilitate communication across organizations and aid in development of new website Built and regularly updated a collective calendar of events that connected Fusion staff and allowed them to share events hosted by their assigned partners Interviewed over 10 community leaders to write blog posts that will serve as evergreen content for various online platforms Helped file credit card receipts and check requests from over 70 partners from the years 2016 to 2020 in preparation for an audit
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