INTEGRATED MARKETING WITH A NONPROFIT
Understood.org Internship
Integrated Marketing: External Communications Intern
ROLE
SKILLS
PR, Project Management
TIMELINE
June — August 2025
OVERVIEW
Shaping the future of a department
Understood.org is the leading nonprofit empowering and supporting the 70 million people in the U.S. with learning and thinking differences—a mission I connected with personally, as someone with ADHD.
Over the summer, I stepped into a two-person External Communications team as my manager's first supporting hire. This meant I wasn't just assisting, I was helping build the processes that would shape how the department worked going forward. Over the course of the summer, that meant coordinating the organization's first ever Satellite Media Tour, tracking and analyzing national media performance, preparing senior leadership for high-visibility moments, and helping the organization compete for industry recognition.
Look for these bubbles throughout the case study for my personal notes on my internship!
WHAT I DID
Controlling the narrative around Understood.org
Pitched and wrote a narrative-style blog post that was a new approach for the org, which drove 3x the average Instagram click-through rate
Developed executive briefing books and interview frameworks for senior leadership, including preparing the CMO for a national podcast appearance
Co-authored award submissions for the Shorty Awards, DigiDay, and 11:11 Media, supporting high-visibility partnership moments involving Paris Hilton and PBS—ultimately earning Understood.org a Bronze Honor at the Shorty Awards
Supported the org’s first Satellite Media Tour by evaluating 5+ media agencies, coordinating day-of live operations, and documenting a repeatable playbook for future use
THE IMPACT
Reaching millions through a neurodivergent lens
The Satellite Media Tour I worked on was designed to bring national awareness to Through My Eyes, Understood.org's interactive hub built to allow users to experience the world through a neurodivergent lens. It resulted in:
7+
Station Placements, Including Fox and CNN
1M+
Total Viewers
50+
Media Placements
200M+
Total Impressions
Explore different media placements in the Resources section at the end.
LESSONS
Key Takeaways
1
2
3
Thinking on my feet
Live, back-to-back broadcast interviews meant we had to react quickly with feedback to sharpen the messaging as we went. I learned to process what was working in real-time and translate it into fast, useful direction for the next segment.
Building from scratch
As the org's first Satellite Media Tour, there was no existing process to follow. I worked on building and documenting the steps as we went, which gave me insight into the groundwork required for a project like this.
Earning trust beyond my title
Working as the only supporting member of my team pushed me to think and contribute more meaningfully to the department. This led me to become the first non-director selected to present updates cross-functionally to other departments.