internship Archives | HOPE International

By Charlotte Sprecher (pictured left), 2023 HOPE LM&E fellow

Can listening to a person’s situation help alleviate poverty?

As a fellow on the listening, monitoring, and evaluation (LM&E) team at HOPE International, I have come to believe that it is where we must start.

At HOPE, the LM&E team conducts surveys to learn how to improve our programs, close the feedback loop, and honor the stories we hear. Although we listen to evaluate our ministry, we also believe that listening is part of the ministry itself! Asking someone for feedback plays an important part in how we build a relationship with them and affirm their God-given value. Continue Reading…

by Katherine Gish, 2022 Marketing Communications Intern

Every summer, HOPE International welcomes interns and fellows to serve with us both in person and remotely. From a unique staff culture to learning how to connect with others, some of last year’s interns and fellows share their experiences for anyone considering if a HOPE internship or fellowship is right for them.

Considering an internship or fellowship at HOPE International? To help you decide if spending a summer at HOPE is the next step for you, here are the answers to some of our most-asked questions:

Who is HOPE?

HOPE International (HOPE) is a Christian faith-based, 501(c)(3) non-profit organization investing in the dreams of families in the world’s underserved communities as we proclaim and live the Gospel. You can read more about our mission, method, and motivation here

In November, summer may seem like a long way away. If you’re a college student, classes and exams are in full swing, campus is bustling with excitement, and summer plans might be the last thing on your mind. While there are tons of ways to spend your summer—traveling, working, seeing friends—summer internships present great opportunities to grow, gain experience, and try new things. We know this process can be daunting, so we asked our recent summer interns and fellows to share their insight and advice on how to go about finding your next summer internship.

What advice would you give to someone looking for a meaningful internship?

Sarah Moon: During the interview process, the organization is evaluating you, but you should also be evaluating the organization. Don’t take an internship simply because it is offered; discern whether it will be a helpful and worthwhile experience before immediately accepting.

Arna McArtney: Be open to a variety of internships and departments—the majority of the intern crew at HOPE this year ended up working in a different position than their original application, and I’ve been grateful to engage with something that I never anticipated working with.

Bailey Holway: I stressed out too much about where I was going to be this summer. I had to learn to trust that God was going to use me wherever He sent me—whether that was in my hometown, Lancaster, PA, or somewhere completely different. God is good, He is sovereign, and He knows what He’s doing, even if I don’t like waiting to see how things will end up. Continue Reading…

At HOPE International, we appreciate everything that each member of our team does to invest in the dreams of families living in poverty. This summer, we’re excited to have 17 interns and fellows—from the crew in Lancaster, PA, to individuals around the country—joining us through our GROW program, and we want to introduce them to you! To learn more about them, we asked them a few questions:

Why did you choose to intern at HOPE?

Claire Griffin, Recruitment and Retention Intern: “I was drawn to HOPE’s genuine focus on Christ-centeredness. It gives me joy to know my work is bigger than my peers, this organization, and myself.”

Jimmy Larkin, Homes for Hope Executive Intern: “I applied because I’m interested in economic development and how it can create opportunities to present the Gospel.”

Jess Bauer, California Development Intern: “Reading When Helping Hurts by Brian Fikkert and Steve Corbett strengthened my convictions about how, in our attempts to help those living in poverty, we must be careful not to inadvertently harm them. I researched HOPE and saw that it seemed to be an organization that honored both God and the dignity of families living in poverty.”

Bill Smith, Information Technology Fellow: “I was looking for an opportunity to learn about microfinance firsthand by going to the field and meeting with the institutions and their clients. I was also looking for a position where I could provide some value to the organization with my background.”

What does a typical week at HOPE look like for you?

Libby Tewalt, Executive Writing Intern: “Most of my work is self-directed. My mornings involve finishing up projects from the day before. After that, I make my to-do list and work on those items for the rest of the day. A couple days a week, I’ll have a meeting in between lunch and staff devotions. I reside in Intern Row, where there’s always something fun going on.”

Emily Barry, Writing and Research Intern: “I attend writing team meetings, join the entire staff for prayer or devotions, and work on projects. Projects might include working on a proposal for a grant, writing client stories, or collecting prayer requests for an e-update. There have been lots of opportunities to try different things and develop new skills.”

Arna McArtney, Listening, Monitoring, and Evaluation Fellow: “It’s been a combination of meetings at the organizational, departmental, and team level, and a crash course in data scrubbing and analysis.”

Carly Weaver, North Carolina Development Intern: “Working remotely in Durham, NC, I spend the day working on projects at our co-working space or one of my favorite coffee shops. Recently, I’ve been compiling a booklet full of information and stories about the 16 countries where we serve.”

Continue Reading…

At the same time HOPE’s president and CEO, Peter Greer, celebrated 10 years of leadership at HOPE, Becky Torre, our wonderful writing intern for the summer, marked 10 weeks with us. Read both their reflections for insight into our work from across the organization.

I’ve been at HOPE for 10 short, full weeks, and though I don’t know much, I did learn at least 10 things (more like 100, but no one likes long posts) from my time. Buckle up and hear it from the perspective of a HOPE writing intern:

1. Christian nonprofit excellence exists

I’ve encountered a lot of poorly run nonprofits, and, unfortunately, flying the banner of Christianity isn’t always an antidote.

HOPE ripped my generalizations away from me and stomped on them until I’d be hard pressed to identify even one. And I couldn’t be more thankful.

HOPE does excellent work because it’s intended to glorify an excellent King. Their hearts are really in this, their love is real, their souls are truly intertwined with their neighbors. And so they work, diligently.

2. Mission Drift isn’t a cliché book title

HOPE does a lot of things well, but they do one thing exceptionally—Christ-centered microfinance and savings.

Calibrating ourselves for success, framed pictures of the clients we serve hang on nearly every wall. Their faces, their stories are the reason we work. And it’s this focus, captured in the manifesto displayed in the marketing studio, which fuels such solid service.

HOPE is Mission True—honestly.

3. HOPE’s is a culture committed to washing feet

How often do you get a humorous email reminder from your manager that she’s about to clean out the fridge—claim your Tupperware before it disappears!

I’ve been absolutely blown away by the humility of HOPE staff. These people are intelligent, well credentialed, and willing to wash feet, literally.

4. Meetings don’t need to be torturous

Homemade guacamole and ridiculous party hats aren’t as unusual at HOPE meetings as might be expected. With lightning round answers to an entertaining question, punctuated by bursts of laughter throughout, meetings were always enjoyable—while still being productive.

5. You don’t need a spaceship to fly to the moon

At a Christian nonprofit, the budget is not limitless. But that’s okay.

When your team is committed to stewardship and innovation, you don’t need a budget that covers absolutely every new business technology to do the work God has called us to and reach those orbital heights.

Archives For internship

HOPE Intl

HOPE Intl

How to listen as ministry: a HOPE fellow reflects

HOPE Intl

HOPE Intl

Why these students and graduates chose HOPE for their internship

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HOPE Intl

Most commonly asked questions about HOPE internships

Who is HOPE?

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Where will you intern next summer?

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The inside scoop from HOPE’s summer interns

Becky Torre

Becky Torre

10 lessons from 10 weeks at HOPE

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