development assistant

student assistant

associate

development director

criminal justice consultant

Human Rights Watch

As a graduate student currently finishing his last month at this internship, I can say that my expectations interning at the Human Rights Watch Development and Outreach office in San Francisco have been met. The office fulfills its duties by keeping their donors informed and pleased with the work the organization's researchers perform.

As an development outreach intern, my duties were to conduct prospect research on potential donors as well as maintain the office's day-to-day operations. Tasks that are given to me by my supervisor are both challenging and fun. It is fantastic to work with such enthusiastic people who are passionate about the organization's goals by informing the public of human rights abuses around the world and their mission to defend said rights.

It is an honor to work with such a highly renowned organization committed to defending human rights worldwide.

Responsible for supporting and guiding special projects in the areas of advocacy, education, outreach and development for the Los Angeles office of Human Rights Watch
•	 Responsible for establishing and maintaining communication with HRW constituents - and occasionally with HRW researchers and East Coast based staff - and participate in HRW Los Angeles' special events (class/work schedule permitting)
•	Assisting the LA Network with initiatives and events
•	Helping to plan events in Los Angeles and Santa Barbara, including Human Rights Watch's annual Voices for Justice Dinner and LA Film Club Screenings
•	Management is enthusiastic about their work and have a willingness to you accomplish your goals.
 •	The hardest part of the job is notifying an individual that we can not help individual human rights violation cases because we are simply a watchdog organization, but we provide them with referral information of others that may be able to assist them.

During the internship, I was primarily involved a consist of focusing on ongoing projects such as helping to reconcile international bank accounts by identifying missing items; reporting to cities on the revenue booked on their behalf; confirming that Raiser’s Edge (fundraising software) reconciles; tracking revenue adjustments and confirming changes are made in both databases; reviewing account levels for disproportionate amounts; expense reporting to cities at various intervals; and audit prep work for cities like NY and London.

What is the best part of working at the company?
The culture and what they stand for. It was a great experience and I appreciate the chance to work with a company who fight for the less fortunate.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Nothing really l had a very good training person. Who was very detailed oriented.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Very good. Everyone was willing to help me and the team was very cooperative.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Busy morning , midday normal, end of day went quickly.

This company is a non-profit company that helps out people with various crisis...from domestic disputes, to deportee issues. They refer them to the best lawyers to help with their situation. I was a receptionist and covered the phone lines as well as cases that came through email. The company was a real nice and laid back atmosphere of people who truly worked well with each other...made the days smooth.

Good guidance and great work environment to learn. People are communicative and want you to succeed. The intern program gives you the opportunity to talk about your experience with other interns and work with other HRW interns around the world.

Go to work, enter my office and use the computer. Do researches on International Justice. I have great co-workers and they are really helpful. My job is not really hard because i enjoy doing researches that are challenging. I'm always getting great result for the fight against impunity.

I really enjoyed my experience there even though it was a temporary job. I learned a lot about helping people and listening to asylum seekers.
Translation from French to English became really my passion.

Human Rights Watch is an amazing environment. I feel like I'm helping make a change and that my work is valued. As an intern, I have to pivot from task to task and project to project which makes work exciting and meaningful. I also get to work in the Empire State Building which is a once in a lifetime experience.

This is a great place to work if you like to research and write. That said, as others have mentioned, the organization is relatively insular and it's difficult to get to know the more senior staff. If you want a mentor, this might not be the internship for you.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Development assistant 5 salaries reported	$18.31 per hour
Student assistant 2 salaries reported	$22.76 per hour
Associate 5 salaries reported	$62,165 per year
Development director 5 salaries reported	$107,000 per year
Criminal justice consultant 6 salaries reported	$96,000 per year

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