SACHI SHAH 52 Newel Street, Brooklyn, NY 11222 | (914) 426-5622 | DOB:12/18/92 | sshah@gm.slc.edu | linkedin.com/in/sachishah | @sachish9

PERSONAL PROFILE

Through work-related and academic experiences, I have gained significant insight in international development program implementation and research. I am trained in community organizing, and have lived and worked in India, Tanzania, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Peru and the United States. My recent work has focused on strategic communications, public health project management, and curriculum development. I am skilled in analytical thinking and writing for varied audiences, and have a strong background in fundraising, event-planning, and working in the non-profit sector. My drive for development stems from my inter-disciplinary and international educational experiences. I bring a dynamic approach that is geared towards sustainability to all my work.

EDUCATION

Sarah Lawrence College Bronxville, NY Bachelor of Arts in Developmental Studies and Economics May 2015 Founder, SLC Student Microfinance Chapter; Senior Gift Chair, Co-chair and Senator, Sarah Lawrence Activities Council, Student Engagement Fund and Student Government; Student Leader, Reading Buddies After-School Tutoring Program.

Mahindra United World College of India Pune, India IB Diploma May 2010 Initiative for Peace: Raised $6000 for an international peace conference, and taught Conflict Resolution workshops to high-school students; Environment Protection Activity: Created custom drip irrigation and recycling systems. Recipient, Cambridge Global Perspectives Diploma.

EXPERIENCE

The Rockefeller Foundation New York, NY Full-Time Global Communications Intern October 2015 – present

Wrote/edited blog posts and press releases, ensuring standardized quality and compliance with foundation’s language and views.

Formatted monitoring & evaluation dashboards, ensuring compliance with executive board recommended guidelines.

Created broad social media strategies for two initiatives, as well as more focused tactics for one initiative during COP21.

Wrote web content for a new initiative on food waste and security, drawing from a range of research and outreach materials.

Created and implemented tactics to establish storytelling as an internal institutional practice among foundation staff.

Wrote research briefs and talking points for foundation leadership on public health, the refugee crisis, and other policy issues.

Created an organizational system for more streamlined access to all foundation media, and updated foundation’s language guide.

Managed the foundation’s internal WordPress web server.

In this role, one of my biggest strengths was the ability to morph to accommodate varied functions, and manage three different team’s expectations simultaneously. I was able to understand broader foundation goals effectively and translate them into well-researched strategic communication pieces of various types and formats, catering to diverse audience groups.

Globahealthaging.org Worldwide Writer, Copy Editor and Special Events Coordinator October 2015 – present

Wrote articles on the state and health of the global aging population focused on African and global comparative issues.

Copy edited articles by regular & guest contributors on a weekly basis, ensuring alignment with publication’s quality standards.

Designed marketing strategies to elevate the publication’s brand value and increase reader engagement, including coming up with a panel event and webinar series, and curating content for the same.

Assisted with other internal decision making such as defining content quality and the publication’s visual design.

As a fairly new addition to the team, I was able to quickly integrate myself into functions beyond just writing for the publication. I took on a leadership role, closely assisting the founder and editor-in-chief in making key decisions about the design and future of the publication. One of my biggest strengths as a writer and copyeditor was the ability to translate technical information into reader-friendly formats.

Y-ACT Youth Employment and Public Health Program Sub-Saharan Africa Founder and CEO January 2015-present

Piloted a successful community development program for 60 high-school aged youth in Tanzania, Malawi and Zimbabwe.

Designed & taught an interactive skills curriculum on community organizing & entrepreneurship, focused on practical learning.

Worked with students to conduct household surveys, township systems analysis, and leverage municipal boards. Ideated with students to design a water purification system, supplemental learning tools, and waste management awareness campaigns.

Wrote a research paper to be published in a peer-reviewed journal to establish the credibility of this training program.

Developed organic and sustained partnerships with a non-profit and two high-schools in Tanzania and Malawi.

Monitored and evaluated pilots, assessed failures and adjusted program; Adapted program from a rural to an urban setting.

The value-add I brought to this program was the ability to connect issues faced by sub-sets of communities in sub-Saharan Africa, and come up with a viable yet flexible solution to the problem of youth employment, and various public health issues. One of the biggest successes of the project was my ability to work with youth so they felt capable of dealing with large systemic issues in a strategic manner.

Groundwork Hudson Valley Yonkers, NY Programs Assistant September 2014 – December 2014

Coordinated meetings and created research dockets for community stakeholders for a city project. Customized dockets, including key measurement metrics, based on community stakeholder’s priorities as a local government official or local business owner.

Worked on marketing plans for community engagement projects, including creating infographic and posters, and determining best vantage points for all communications materials.

Wrote website text for new initiatives, and made updates as necessary. At Groundwork, I prioritized learning about the politics of the community the organization is situated in, so as to apply this knowledge to making strategic decisions and producing customized content to engage community members into the organization’s programs.

Rhize New York, NY Fellow June 2014 – August 2014

Worked on business development for a non-profit that trains activists. Wrote several client proposals, with a view to customize Rhize’s services to the client’s requirements and work, and emphasize Rhize’s value-add to the client’s mission.

Curated a grants database selecting funds most aligned with Rhize’s work and values. Created an application strategy for each.

Wrote, researched and designed templates and content for weekly/monthly update emails, donation requests, and social media. As part of the initial team of a start-up, I helped determine Rhize’s core language and style. I was able to understand the organization’s value proposition and translate it into presentations and proposals for Rhize’s international clients in Turkey, West Africa and elsewhere, adjusting for the diverse cultural contexts. I learned tactics and how to write to captivate an American donor audience.

U.S. Fund for UNICEF – The Eliminate Project for Neonatal and Maternal Tetanus Prevention New York, NY Intern February 2014 – May 2014

Created country guides, emphasizing key socio-cultural and political considerations, and ensuring compliance with donor-specific language, for Kiwanis International volunteers visiting U.S. Fund’s work abroad.

Researched and wrote a report on microneedles, outlining why the U.S. Fund should invest in the particular healthcare technology.

Created an original, themed social media campaign to engage donors in the American north-west. Being a part of a UN affiliate agency, I learned how multi-lateral organizations foster partnerships to achieve outcomes. I also learned to create certain types of international-standard donor and funding documents, and exercise creativity in social media campaigning.

The Fund for Sarah Lawrence Bronxville, NY Intern September 2013 – December 2014

Wrote copy for a mass donation request that generated a record amount of donations.

Tracked and recorded donor information on institution-wide databases.

Organized and created engaging communications materials and presentations for events to encourage philanthropy on campus. As a relatively permanent part of a focused fundraising team, I leveraged my personal experience of being a student to produce effective and heart-felt copy for donation requests, and learned how to encourage a philanthropic mindset among a younger audience.

AWARDS AND ACHIEVEMENTS

Clinton Global Initiative United States Commitment to Action Maker 2015 Selected to join CGI’s network for designing an initiative to combat issues of sanitation and rape in Indian urban slum and rural poor areas.

Takepart.com and LinkedIn Public Health Blogs Worldwide, Online Published Writer November 2015 Wrote and published a blog post on the link between sanitation and rape in India.

Hult Prize Boston, MA Regional Finalist and Semi-finalist March 2013 and March 2014 Conceived process innovations towards solving the Global Food Crisis and chronic disease management in urban slums. Conducted R&D and created business models to implement ideas. Generated presentations to pitch the concepts for a $1,000,000 prize.

Barbara Walters Presidential Scholarship and Davis United World College Scholar Program Scholarship Bronxville, NY Recipient September 2011 - May 2015 College scholarship for academic excellence and contributions to the college community.

Sarah Lawrence Undergraduate Post-Colonial and Development Conference Bronxville, NY Presenter March 2013 Presented research on the impact of soap operas on community and women’s development in the Global South.

SKILLS, TRAINING AND LANGUAGES

Completed movement-building training; Courses in Monitoring and Evaluation and Human-Centered Design; Trained in Community Based Participatory Action and Research; Strong written, interpersonal and strategic communication skills; Strong research and analytical skills; Event planning and organizational experience; Proficient in Microsoft Office, Google Docs, Final Cut Pro, Raiser’s Edge, Photoshop, and using film equipment. Languages: English, Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati (Native proficiency); Spanish, Kiswahili (Elementary proficiency).