Development Intern

Chicago Scholars Foundation • Chicago, IL

8d

About The Position

The Development Intern is a key support role within the Development & External Engagement team. This position provides hands-on experience in nonprofit fundraising, donor engagement, and event coordination. The intern will assist with day-to-day development operations, contribute to donor communications, and support fundraising initiatives that advance Chicago Scholars’ mission. The Development team covers donor data management, grant research and writing, and donor, volunteer, and Alumni relationship management and stewardship. This position would have the opportunity to learn a wide breadth about nonprofit development. This is an excellent opportunity for a college student interested in nonprofit development, philanthropy, and social impact. This role is a part-time & hourly position without benefits. The rate per hour is $17/hour, and the number of hours that you will be permitted to work each week is up to 15 hours on average. The number of hours per week can be flexible to accommodate school schedules and heavy project periods.

Requirements

• Completed at least first year of college, must be a current Chicago Scholar in good standing
• 0-2 years
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Detail-oriented with strong organizational abilities
• Interest in nonprofit work, fundraising, or social impact
• Ability to manage multiple tasks and meet deadlines
• Chicago-based college student preferred, though qualified scholars living outside of Illinois are welcome to apply
• Outlook Proficiency in Microsoft Office; experience with CRM tools is a plus
• Flexibility and ability to take feedback professionally, not personally
• AI Literacy & Engagement: Our team leverages AI to augment human creativity and enhance impact. In this role, you will be encouraged to experiment with AI tools to improve your work and drive efficiency. We seek individuals who demonstrate curiosity about emerging technologies and are comfortable integrating AI into everyday tasks. You will proactively identify areas of friction in workflows where AI can improve speed, quality, or insight, while maintaining a strong understanding of data security, privacy, and ethical considerations in AI use.

Nice To Haves

• experience with CRM tools is a plus

Responsibilities

• Assist with donor outreach activities, including drafting thank-you messages and stewardship communications
• Support tracking of donor interactions and updates in the CRM system (e.g., Salesforce)
• Conduct research to identify prospective donors and grant opportunities
• Support in compiling and summarizing donor data
• Assist in maintaining accurate and organized prospect records
• Provide logistical and administrative support for fundraising events, campaigns, and stewardship initiatives
• Assist with event preparation, including materials, registrations, and follow-up communications
• Participate in on-site event support as needed
• Help curate content for newsletters, donor reports, and digital communications
• Support storytelling efforts by gathering Scholar impact stories, data points, and program highlights
• Contribute to campaign materials as appropriate
• Assist with data entry and document organization
• Maintain development files and shared resources
• Collaborate with team members on ongoing projects and priorities
• This role will occasionally work on nights and weekends for Scholar and Development events and programming and may have the opportunity to manage an intern.
• This role is also required to attend and support mandatory all staff events.
• Other duties, as assigned.

Benefits

• part-time hourly role without benefits

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Part-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: Associate degree