This semester, I am working at generationOn, the youth division of an international nonprofit organization dedicated to engaging people through voluntary service named Points of Light. The Points of Light headquarters is located in Atlanta, Georgia and they have locations in NYC and Washington D.C. as well. As they say on their website, “generationOn is the global youth service movement igniting the power of all kids to make their mark on the world. … By partnering with teachers, parents, schools, community organizations and businesses, generationOn gives kids the opportunity to see firsthand the issues in their communities and the tools and resources they need to respond and become part of the solution.” 

The office I work in is in Midtown about a block away from Macy’s and the staff is very small with only about 15 people altogether. There are many departments represented in this small group and the managers have multiple titles such as “Manager of Campaigns and Days of Service” or “Manager of Marketing and Communications.” My department is MarComm and I work under Kate and Niki. There are two other interns that I work with, Mari, the Campaigns and Days of Service intern, and Jenna, the Clubs intern. The three of our desks are in a semi-circle in front of the chalk wall that displays the genOn logo.

genOn, founded in 2010, works with service clubs across the country on setting up volunteering events. This means that a lot of the work I do is updating and creating materials that are sent out or available online to many people. Currently, genOn is working on their branding, coming away from their juvenile designs to have a more sophisticated look and feel. The marketing/communications department is concerned mainly with making content that is appealing to their main audience and represents the genOn brand and story in the best way possible.

generationOn partners with companies like Hasbro and Disney for their Days of Service events. Their main events are happening in this season and I’ve been working on designs for are Family Volunteer Day (November 19th) and the Joy Maker campaign (November 21st – December 23rd).  These two events happen every year and engage families and school communities in volunteering during the holiday season.