Welcome back to a brand new year and a brand new semester of Casual Fridays. For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Kelly Dougherty and I am the Assistant Director of Employer Relations. In addition to meeting with students, a large part of my job is engaging with our employer partners helping to bring information, events, and opportunities to you all! CASUAL FRIDAYS is a new initiative that we began last year as a way to feature some of our awesome employer partners who are looking to hire Swat students for full-time and/or internship positions. Each week, we will bring you an interview with one of our employer partners who wants to share with you information about their organizations, the work they do and what kinds of opportunities they have available for students and upcoming grads.

We’re excited to continue this initiative this year and are looking forward to introducing you with some new employers, as well as re-connecting you with some of our old friends! We hope that these informal sit downs will be a great way to get you some good information that will be available and accessible to you all throughout the semester. Check back every Friday for the latest!

Today, we’re kicking off the first Casual Fridays of the fall with a new employer partnership that we are excited to bring to you, The FAO Schwarz Family Foundation. I’m Joined by Priscilla Cohen who is here to talk about their fellowship program.

Kelly Dougherty: Hi Priscilla! Thank you for being our first Casual Fridays employer this semester! Why don’t you introduce yourself to our readers.

Priscilla Cohen: Hello! My name is Priscilla Cohen and I am the Executive Director for The FAO Schwarz Family Foundation/FAO Schwarz Fellowship Program.

KD: Can you tell us a little bit more about the Fellowship Program?

PC: Sure! The FAO Schwarz Fellowship in social impact provides graduating seniors interested in careers in social change opportunities to develop their leadership potential and professional skills. These fellowships are paid, two-year experiences working at leading non-profit organizations in Boston, New York City and Philadelphia both in direct services and in leading key program initiatives.

KD: Wow. These sound like great opportunities. What does the recruiting timeline look like for this?

PC: For the Summer 2025 cohort, those positions will be announced on our website (faoschwarzfellowship.org) on November 1, 2024. Applications will close February 1, 2025 @ 9pm. Interview take place in March and selection of the fellows will be made in April.

KD: I know you mentioned that these are paid fellowships. Can you talk a little more about the compensation?

PC: Fellows who start their Fellowship during the summer of 2025 will receive total compensation of approximately $105,000 (Boston and NYC) and $95,000 (Philadelphia) plus benefits over the two-year fellowship. Due to the difference in cost of living, the salaries for Boston and New York based fellowships are slightly higher than those of Philadelphia.

• Year One: $50,000 (Boston & NYC), $45,000 (Philadelphia) – both include $2,000 start of Fellowship Bonus
• Year Two: $55,000 (Boston & NYC), $50,000 (Philadelphia) – both include $3,000 end of Fellowship Bonus
• This also includes entry-level employee benefits at whatever the host organization is. 

In addition to salary and benefits, The Fellowship program also provides professional development, retreats, mentoring, and cohort experiences.

KD: How many Fellowship positions are typically available each year?

PC: Six

KD: And just to clarify, these Fellowships are just open to graduating seniors?

PC: Yes. Anyone graduating between December 2024 – June 2025 can apply to this cohort.

KD: What is one takeaway that you want our students to have about the FAO Schwarz Family Foundation and the Fellowship Program

PC: The FAO Schwarz Fellowship in social impact provides graduating seniors interested in careers in social change opportunities to develop their leadership potential and professional skills

KD: How would you say Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion is supported and reflected in practices at the Foundation?

PC: The FAO Schwarz Fellowship seeks to attract and retain Fellows representing diverse gender, racial, and socioeconomic backgrounds. Our recruitment strategy includes colleges of all types, and our eligibility criteria are purposefully broad, ensuring that college seniors of various backgrounds and interests can apply. Our compensation strategy ensures Fellows from all backgrounds can live comfortably during the Fellowship, empowering them to focus on launching their careers. 

The Fellowship also includes a strong mentorship component—all Fellows’ supervisors serve as mentors, in addition to Fellowship alumni mentors matched with each Fellow when they start the program. The Fellowship alumni network as a whole also acts as a mentorship group, with Fellows and alumni connecting to talk about their careers or even forming partnerships across their organizations. Professional development is another core tenet of the program, with professional development retreats hosted two times a year and across cities where Fellows are based. The retreats are a time for Fellows to learn and hone new skills from leaders at each others’ host organizations, as well as other Fellows. They offer an opportunity to network, as well as build community and learn about the work of other nonprofit organizations.

KD: What is your favorite part about where you work?!

PC: It’s so rewarding to work and support the FAO Schwarz Fellows who are such a diverse and interesting group of individuals. While there is no one kind of major or no one kind of college, Fellows share a passion for social justice and for solving complex problems.

KD: Finally, what is one piece of advice that you would share with our students about their job/internship search process and how to make themselves standout as a candidate?

PC: An important part of the application process is the cover letter where applicants are asked to weave in responses to four questions:

• Why are you interested in being an FAO Schwarz Fellow?
• Why are you interested in being the FAO Schwarz Fellow with this host organization?
• Describe an aspect of this host’s mission or work that engages you.
• What background and experiences would you bring to the direct service and special project work at this organization?

I would recommend making a compelling case for why your background and experience positions you well for the specific direct service and special project work at this organization.

You are welcome to apply for more than one FAO Schwarz Fellowship position but tailor your cover letter to the specific FAO Schwarz Fellowship opportunity that you are applying for. 

KD: This has been so great, and such helpful information! Is there someplace or someone our students can reach out to if they have any other questions?
PC: contact@faoschwarzfellowship.org. I would recommend signing up on our website (faoschwarzfellowship.org) to receive notices about the Fellowship program including our monthly newsletter