Q&A with Bhumika Regmi, Malala Fund's digital manager — Assembly

Bhumika answers questions from girls around the world — from how to start an Instagram account to landing your dream job at a nonprofit.

Bhumika Regmi knows a thing or two about social media. As Malala Fund’s digital manager, she builds and maintains the organisation’s voice across social platforms, launches digital campaigns for girls’ education and helps young women around the world share their stories online.

Today, Bhumika is answering your questions about everything — from how to start an Instagram account to landing your dream job at a nonprofit. Read on to hear how Bhumika built her career and her tips for girls who are just starting theirs.

Q: What was your career path? I would love to follow in your footsteps one day. — Ranjeema, U.S.

A: That’s so sweet, Ranjeema. Digital work is a lot of fun — I’m excited for you to join this field! I started working at Malala Fund almost four years ago (wow, time flies!) as our social media associate. My job was to plan out all of Malala Fund’s social media content, write share copy, grow our content library, etc. Now as digital manager, I work more on longer-term strategies and growing our online brand. Before Malala Fund, I worked as communications coordinator at a small nonprofit that supported people recovering from addiction. That was my first-ever paid job. I had interned at the organization as a grad student and was eventually hired full time to build out their internal and external communications strategy. After a year of working there, I moved to Washington D.C. in search of a job where I could learn from a team of well-established communications experts, tell stories and support feminist work — and that’s exactly what I found at Malala Fund.

Q: I am about to graduate from university and I want to work for a nonprofit organization but I don't know how to start (I have no previous experience). Do you have suggestions for me? — Valeria, Colombia

A: Valeria, early congratulations on your graduation! Like in any sector, it’s really important to start building a network of people you can reach out to. Talking to your university’s career services center about alumni working at nonprofits is a great place to start. Once you have a list, you might contact a few of them and see if they’re willing to have a short chat with you about their career and share any advice. Doing so will not only help you get useful information about how they built out their careers, but also they might remember you when an entry-level position opens up at their organization. I would also think about what aspect of working in a nonprofit you are most interested in. Maybe you want to do social media and communications work, or you are more interested in fundraising, advocacy or grant writing. There are many types of careers at nonprofits and it’ll help to narrow down your interests and reach out to the appropriate people accordingly.

Q: Any advice for young budding activists? — Vanya, India

A: Don’t think of your activism as a solo act. When you speak up, you’re adding to and strengthening the voices of a community of activists. And if you’re speaking out about an issue no one else is already speaking out about, think of your activism as the starting point of a movement. You raising your voice now could lead to thousands of people raising their voices for the same cause and collectively bringing about revolutionary change. I think this will help you see the weight behind your words — especially during those times that you might be feeling defeated or alone.

Bhumika during a trip to India for her work with Malala Fund. (Courtesy of Bhumika Regmi)

Q: Can you give tips on creating an Instagram account? — Nafisa, U.K.

A: Absolutely — that’s what I do best! ;)

Tip 1: Before you start posting content, define your brand. Whether your account promotes your art or activism, or you’re using it for personal content, it’s important to think about what personality you want the account to have, who are your target followers and what you want people to get out of following you. Once you know your brand, curate your content accordingly and be strategic about what you share.

Tip 2: Write a short bio that’s reflective of your brand and gives people a good idea of what kind of content they’re signing up for — and who you are as a person. The best bios are informative and unique to you.

Tip 3: Learn your followers’ screen habits. As you start out, try posting content at different times and frequencies to find out what gets you the most engagement and strategize your content accordingly. Right now, what works best on Instagram is content that’s shareable to Instagram Stories. Think about what you could post that your friends or your target audience would want to share in their Instagram Stories.

Q: My dream job is to protect plants, do research about them and help fight climate change. My question is how do you think I can reach my goals? What role does girls’ education and social media play in achieving these dreams? — Hamna, India

A: Hamna, that is such a great dream job. Thank you for being passionate about the climate and wanting to protect all our futures.

We know that if more girls participate in STEM classes now, more women will work in the green sector in the future and form a larger workforce with the appropriate skills we need to create a low-carbon economy and work towards a greener, more sustainable world. So education is vital to help girls fight the climate crisis. In terms of your career, I would research the various paths you could take to achieve your goal of protecting plants. Learn what kinds of jobs are out there, what skill sets they require and what interests you the most. Once you have a good sense of what your options are, you can narrow down what you want to study or get really good at. Or maybe you’ll find that you’re more interested in carving out your own way of protecting plants by starting a unique company or organization!

In terms of social media, girls can use it for activism, to share about their passion for the climate or to learn what other like-minded young women from around the world are doing. Social media has helped amplify climate movements like the climate protests led by young activists in 2019. It is also a great place to learn about young climate activists from around the world like Licypriya Kangujam from India, Brianna Fruean from Samoa and Indigenous activist Tokata Iron Eyes from the U.S.