A Big Welcome to Our New Summer Interns!

Charities Review Council is excited to welcome our three new summer interns, Anna Bartz, Jay Corliss, and Siri Ericson. After a grueling orientation (filled with free doughnuts and personalized office notebooks), we asked them those 'fall asleep at night,' thought provoking questions like,  'how have you seen nonprofits have an effect on our community,' and more seriously, if you could listen to one CD for the rest of your life, what CD would it be.' These interns have covered it all. Read on to see what they had to say! 


Anna Bartz

Anna, our Engagement and Marketing intern, is a rising senior at St. Olaf College with a double major in Economics and Psychology. She plays collegiate women's hockey for St. Olaf and is a member of the service fraternity Alpha Phi Omega. Born and raised in the Twin Cities, Anna is excited to engage and work with the community throughout the summer while interning at Charities Review Council. Besides her work here, Anna is also currently a research assistant for the Institute of Research and Evaluation at St. Olaf College. Anna has a passion for traveling, and just recently spent her J-term in Italy and Germany studying religion and history. 

 Here's what Anna had to say to our tough questions.


1. What is your favorite Accountability Standard®?

My favorite Accountability Standard® is Impact on the Community within the Public Disclosure section. It is crucial that nonprofits stay on track with program goals and ensure they are ultimately benefiting the community with their work.

2. How have you seen nonprofits have an effect on our community?

Nonprofits positively impact our community by giving individuals an opportunity to personally take part in the solution, rather than rely on external actions to make a change. I think it is important that all community members take a personal responsibility in helping to engage in and solve local matters. Nonprofit organizations help with this by facilitating important conversations and giving community members appropriate outlets or causes to direct their efforts towards.

3. When you’re not connecting with nonprofits through the work that you do at Charities Review Council, what do you like to do for fun?

I enjoy playing hockey, reading, solving Sudoku puzzles, taking my Jack Russell Terrier, Herbie, for walks around the Minneapolis lakes, going to Zumba classes, and spending time with friends and family.

4. If you could eat any food for the rest of your life, what would it be? 

My dad’s air‐popped popcorn! I have tried many times to duplicate his recipe, but I have never come close to his kerneled masterpiece.

5. What are you most excited about as you begin your journey with Charities Review Council?

I am excited to learn more about the nonprofit sector, and to help the enthusiastic Charities Review Council team engage with the community.


Jay Corliss

Jay, our Events and Communications intern, is originally from Wisconsin, and moved to the Twin Cities to pursue a career in the music industry. She recently graduated with a degree in Music Business from McNally Smith College of Music. Throughout the last few years Jay has worked for many music-related businesses in Minneapolis, Austin TX and Brooklyn NY. After attending the SXSW Music Festival this year, Jay realized that she wanted to use music as a vehicle to promote good causes. Jay hopes to someday work for an arts-related nonprofit, and is excited to be at Charities Review Council to learn more about event planning and how organizations can grow to meet the Accountability Standards®.

See how Jay answered our questions below.

1. What is your favorite Accountability Standard®?

My favorite Accountability Standard® is the Impact on Community Standard. I think it’s really important that organizations aim to not only serve the community but become an effective part of it.

2. How have you seen nonprofits have an effect on our community?

When I worked with Rock the Cause I was able to interact with many nonprofits at different benefit concerts. I was able to see how organizations utilized these opportunities to promote their mission and turn audience members into donors and volunteers who were passionate about helping better the community.

3. When you're not helping plan events at Charities Review Council, what do you like to do for fun?

I spend my time working with various people and organizations in the local music scene. Most nights I can be found selling merch, volunteering, or checking out new doughnut shops.

4.  If you could listen to 1 CD for the rest of your life, what CD would it be?

I could listen to Death to The Pixies forever. If I could meet Kim Deal my life would be complete.

5. What are you most excited about as you begin your journey with Charities Review Council?

I'm most excited to meet everyone and learn more about the work Charities Review Council does.

Siri Ericson

Siri, our Nonprofit Services intern, will be a junior next fall at St. Olaf College. She is majoring in Political Science, and Sociology & Anthropology. At school, Siri has an assortment of jobs including working in the economics department, science library, post office, and dining hall. Siri is passionate about ending sexual violence and creating a safe campus environment, and strives to do so as a Sexual Assault Resource Network Advocate. Outside of school, Siri volunteers regularly with the Northfield community and has taken  mission trips to Tanzania and Guatemala.  

Last, but not least, let's see how Siri answered.


1. What is your favorite Accountability Standard®?

My favorite Accountability Standard® is the Governance Standard of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. I believe in the value of creating nonprofit organizations that are responsive to the needs of the community and representative of the population they are designed to support. This is my favorite standard because it calls for organizations to be directly involved in the communities they serve and to be open-minded to a diversity of new perspectives. Through the collection of information related to individual demographics, internal and external components of the organization, as well as the organization’s general goals, setbacks, and achievements, this Standard is significant because it promotes the  establishment of nonprofit organizations that are built on the foundation of trust and public support.

2. How have you seen nonprofits have an effect on our community?

I value living in the Twin Cities because it is a concentrated area with a variety of social justice initiatives and nonprofit organizations working to meet the needs of the community. I am currently employed at the nonprofit organization, Open Arms of Minnesota, where I see the Accountability Standards® coming to life through staff, donors, volunteers, and clients working together to provide meals to individuals with life-threatening illnesses. In light of the immense social and economic needs within communities and the challenges nonprofit organizations face, I believe it is important to reflect critically on the failures and successes of aid and to strive towards the establishment of organizations that promote services in legitimate, respectful, and effective ways.

3. When you're not strengthening the capacity of nonprofit organizations by interning at Charities Review Council, what do you like to do for fun?

I love to run, read, and spend time with friends. I am a Political Science and Sociology & Anthropology major at St. Olaf College and I volunteer in the Sexual Assault Resource Network on campus.

4. If you could be a superhero, who would you be? And why?

If I could be any superhero, I would be Elastigirl from the movie, The Incredibles. Elastigirl is a smart woman with a secret identity and the superhuman power of great flexibility. She can stretch to be the length of skyscrapers and transform her body into the shape of boats and parachutes in times of need. I would like to be the superhero, Elastigirl, because she fights bad guys alongside her family with a stubborn persistence and unconventional strength.

5. What are you most excited for as you begin your journey with Charities Review Council?

I am excited to be part of Charities Review Council and learn more about the factors that make nonprofit organizations accountable, transparent, and just. I am passionate about issues of social justice and I believe that non-profit organizations are meaningful agents of social change. I look forward to becoming more knowledgeable about the Accountability Standards® and I hope to develop my writing and editing skills through this internship.

Join us in welcoming Anna, Jay, and Siri to Charities Review Council by sending them an email.