Intern, Advancement

Ownership Works • New York, NY

14h • Hybrid

About The Position

Ownership Works is seeking an Advancement Intern to support the Advancement team’s fundraising, prospect research, donor engagement, and team operations. This role is ideal for someone who is highly organized, curious, detail-oriented, and interested in learning how nonprofit fundraising works inside a fast-growing, mission-driven organization.

The Advancement Intern will help the team research existing donors and prospective supporters, map relationships across O.W.’s networks to support outreach, draft and organize fundraising materials, and help synthesize team activity into clear notes, next steps, and project updates. This individual will gain exposure to nonprofit fundraising strategy, donor cultivation and stewardship, prospect management, relationship mapping, and internal systems that support high-quality Advancement work. They will also gain exposure across the organization and be expected to share learnings on workflow automation and operations optimization.

This is a strong opportunity for someone interested in inclusive capitalism, economic justice, philanthropy, nonprofit strategy, development operations, and/or relationship management.

Requirements

• Strong research skills and the ability to synthesize information clearly and concisely.
• Background in fundraising, team leadership, organizing, consulting, or a related field (coursework or practical experience in strategy development a plus).
• Comfort working in fast-paced, entrepreneurial environments such as startups or nonprofits.
• Strong problem-solving skills and ability to translate ideas into practical solutions.
• Excellent writing and communication skills, including the ability to ask questions, synthesize findings, prepare materials, and present recommendations clearly.
• Self-starter with strong organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Passion for social/economic justice and the mission of Ownership Works.

Nice To Haves

• Coursework or practical experience in strategy development a plus.

Responsibilities

• Conduct web research on potential funders, including institutions, foundations, and individuals, and recommend process improvements to strengthen sourcing & engagement.
• Prepare concise research briefs that summarize donor background, philanthropic priorities, giving history, professional affiliations, and potential connection points to O.W.
• Take notes in Advancement team meetings and synthesize key decisions, action items, and follow-up needs.
• Help track team activities, workflows, and priorities so information is easy to find, share, and act on.
• Support preparation for external meetings by contributing to briefing documents & presentations.
• Support enhancements to knowledge management systems to improve how information is organized, accessed, and utilized across funder types.
• Prototype and test tools, agents, or workflow solutions for priority use cases (e.g., briefing materials, funder research).
• Develop clear documentation and guidance to support team-wide implementation of new workflows and tools.
• Present findings and recommendations to relevant team leads.
• Provide general administrative and project support to the Advancement team.

Benefits

• Hands-on experience supporting fundraising and donor engagement in a growing nonprofit.
• Exposure to philanthropic strategy across individual, corporate, and foundation donors.
• Experience conducting prospect and donor research and translating findings into actionable insights.
• Familiarity with pledge agreements, fundraising documentation, donor records, and stewardship workflows.
• Opportunities to learn how Salesforce and other knowledge management tools support fundraising operations.
• Opportunity to prototype and implement solutions with tangible organizational impact.
• Mentorship and collaboration with a high-performing, cross-functional team.

What This Job Offers

• Career Level: Intern
• Education Level: No Education Listed