{"id":272,"date":"2012-06-21T11:03:08","date_gmt":"2012-06-21T15:03:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.wabash.edu\/littlegiants-bigresults\/?p=272"},"modified":"2025-07-08T19:32:54","modified_gmt":"2025-07-08T19:32:54","slug":"andrew-dettmer-15-experiencing-the-challenges-of-a-non-profit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.wabash.edu\/plastics\/2012\/06\/21\/andrew-dettmer-15-experiencing-the-challenges-of-a-non-profit\/","title":{"rendered":"Andrew Dettmer ’15: Experiencing the Challenges of a Non-Profit"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Andrew Dettmer '15 and Eric Eversole '94<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Andrew Dettmer \u201915<\/em>\u00a0– This summer I have learned something important; while many of us may complain about the amenities that Crawfordsville has to offer, at least it is not the center of the sun that D.C.\u00a0 could be.\u00a0 Seriously, with a temperature of 99 degrees and 65% humidity, why on Earth did we think this was a good place to build our nation\u2019s Capitol?<\/p>\n

In all seriousness though, I\u2019ve had the wonderful opportunity to spend this summer in Washington, D.C. working for the Military Voter Protection Project (MVP Project) headed and founded by Eric Eversole \u201894.\u00a0 I would like to thank him, and the Small Business Internship Fund for giving me this wonderful opportunity.\u00a0 I truly appreciate it.<\/p>\n

After seeing overseas military voters being unable to vote time and time again and the Justice Department failing to do enough solve the situation, Eric left the Justice Department to start the MVP Project as a non-for-profit to do what he saw the government fail to do.\u00a0 Now, as MVP expands, it has moved from strictly a watchdog function into also working to actively increase the amount of military members who vote in the elections.<\/p>\n

Working for Eric has provided an experience I\u2019m not sure that I could have received elsewhere.\u00a0 Working for a non-for-profit comes with its own unique set of challenges, and working for one that deals with such complex issues such as federal, state, and local laws, military policy, and politics means that every action the organization takes must be carefully thought out.\u00a0 So no only have I learned about all of these complicated issues, but Eric has also given me advice on the paths open to me as someone who is interested in the field of law.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>I, along with Jim Youn \u201914, am handling the social media for MVP Project.\u00a0 To many, social media may seem relatively easy or something that is a matter of just getting people to find your page and keep them there.\u00a0 Well, how do you do that?\u00a0 How do you generate consistent content for each page? How do you attract more followers or get your tweets trending on twitter?\u00a0 There is a science behind all of that.\u00a0 It was not too long ago that I really didn\u2019t think that creating a Facebook was worth my time; now I\u2019m sitting in meetings and listening to experts talk about how to best approach the various aspects of it.<\/p>\n

While Mark Zuckerberg may have originally created Facebook in order for college kids to create networks of friends, it is now an important, integral, and necessary part of any business wanting to create a real presence and way for people to connect with the company.\u00a0 While Facebook may not be around forever, social media is here to stay, and business has begun to realize its importance to their advertising and marketing.<\/p>\n

Yet like all internships, what I learn in the office is just part of the experience.\u00a0 Thanks to Hayden Wetzel \u201872 I got to spend two evenings cooking with a family from Azerbaijan, and see the look in their eyes as they had their first s\u2019more.\u00a0 That\u2019s something that I never thought would be an eye-opening experience for me, but it made me realize all the simple pleasures in life that we as Americans sometimes forget to appreciate.<\/p>\n

Well, I have approximately 6 weeks left here in this great city, and I\u2019m sure I will have more rewarding experiences and memorable moments before I leave to head back to Wabash.\u00a0 It\u2019s been an incredible summer, and I can\u2019t be thankful enough for the opportunity I have had.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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