Week 1 VHA organization style

Virginia Housing Alliance is an advocacy and lobbying arm for housing nonprofits in Virginia. VHA works directly to shape housing-related legislative policy in the Virginia General Assembly and at the national level. After completing my first week interning for the Virginia Housing Alliance, I have obtained a much better understanding of the culture and organizational style of the group. As of right now, the people I have worked with include Brian, the executive director, Molly, senior policy analyst, and Brianna, the operations manager. This group works very closely together, but they also heavily rely on each other to do their job accurately and efficiently. All team members specialize in different areas, and when they piece their work together, a lot of important things get done. The work VHA produces requires a heightened level of communication and trust. The employees at VHA expect one another to perform well so others can do the same and collectively, they produce their best work. 

After meeting this group, I have found that VHA employees communicate rather informally, getting their points directly across, and making clear what they need or have done. This is not to say that they do not all get along. I would say that everyone at VHA has such a close-knit relationship that this direct form of communication does not impede their relationship; it actually strengthens it because they are so transparent and straightforward. 

The norms and processes of learning at the Virginia Housing Alliance is a hands-on experience. So far the learning I have done is coming from hands-on projects. Specifically, I have done a lot of research that will aid in various projects such as fact sheets, personal knowledge, and future policy proposals. The research I have conducted thus far is directly aiding the work done at the alliance and I appreciate their trust in me to provide accurate and relevant data.

Overall, everyone has a very positive attitude at VHA, they are very excited to have the help of an intern and are more than welcoming and informative towards me. They have extended invitations to all their meetings so I can learn as much as possible about their work and in order to give me the most experience this summer.