Sanya Gupta: Bridging Business and Community: What I’ve Learned from My Internship at SVCN

Working at the Silicon Valley Council of Nonprofits (SVCN) has been an incredible opportunity to see how my business education can make a meaningful impact within the nonprofit sector. It’s been eye-opening to learn how the skills I’ve developed in class translate into real-world applications that support community-driven work. As a Marketing and Communications Intern, I’ve realized how important effective communication is in nonprofit organizations. One of my main responsibilities is managing the newsletters, which serves as a platform to highlight events from community members and other nonprofits. Recently, I sent out my first newsletter, and it was fascinating to learn about the events happening in the community, including celebrations such as Lunar New Year, designed to bring people together. This deepened my understanding of how communication isn’t just about delivering information; it’s a tool to foster connection, raise awareness, and inspire action. It creates a sense of community and shared purpose, which makes me excited to be able to contribute to this effort. 

In addition to newsletters, I’ve been actively involved in SVCN’s social media platforms, which has allowed me to directly apply concepts I’ve learned in my marketing classes. For example, by evaluating SVCN’s social media metrics, I identified key areas for improvement, such as creating more compelling captions, adding call to actions, leveraging more storytelling, and incorporating interactive elements to increase engagement. These strategies were a key focus in my marketing class, so it was exciting to see the things I learned in the classroom come to life in the nonprofit setting. Overall, it’s been very rewarding to develop these skills firsthand and work with my team to enhance our ability to reach and engage with the community. 

This quarter, I’m also taking a class called Managing Human Dynamics in Organizations (MGMT 160S), which focuses on how individual and group behavior drives organizational success. It allows us to understand what makes organizations function effectively—or why they sometimes fail. The course emphasizes the importance of collaborating with people from diverse backgrounds, roles, and perspectives. This has given me valuable insights into the complexities of interpersonal dynamics within the workplace. 

Although we’re still early in the quarter, I’ve already seen how I can use lessons from this class to navigate transitions and build relationships in professional settings. For example, I recently experienced a transition to a new supervisor. Adapting to her expectations, management style, and approach to new projects has been a unique and insightful learning experience. While it’s different from what I was used to with my previous supervisor, I see this as an opportunity to develop skills that are essential in any career—such as navigating leadership changes, building strong professional relationships, and adjusting to diverse management styles. Since changes in leadership are inevitable in any career, I’m grateful for the chance to reflect on these dynamics now and have a head start. This internship has truly enriched my understanding of how to apply

my education in impactful ways, while also preparing me to face certain challenges in the workplace with confidence and determination.