Philanthropic Communications and Content Intern - IE

James Madison University • Harrisonburg, VA

4d • Onsite

About The Position

James Madison University's (JMU) Philanthropic Communications team is seeking a Langridge Fellow for the 2026-27 academic year. This year-long role involves serving as a liaison to the partner organization, Valley Scholars, by helping to build community among their students and alumni, writing stories to inspire giving, and maintaining their giving websites. In the spring, the intern will support the Family Business Symposium, a signature donor event. The position offers hands-on experience in building alumni engagement systems through social media and newsletters, maintaining donor records in Salesforce, and supporting high-touch events, with close mentorship and structured supervision.

Requirements

• Must be a current JMU student; any class year or major is welcome to apply.
• Strong writing and editing skills, with attention to detail.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality; this role involves access to sensitive student, alumni and donor information.
• Working knowledge or interest in nonprofit communications, storytelling, marketing, fundraising or first-generation student and alumni engagement.
• Knowledge or experience with Microsoft Office is required.
• Students must be degree-seeking students, enrolled on at least a half-time basis (6 credits for undergraduate and 5 credits for graduate).

Nice To Haves

• Preferred majors include Media, Arts and Design (SMAD), Communications, Writing, Rhetoric & Technical Communication (WRTC), Marketing (COB), and/or Hospitality Management, though this is not required.
• Knowledge of web-based CMS (we use Cascade), Salesforce CRM, and/or graphic design (canva and/or Adobe InDesign) is a plus.
• Be adaptable; willing to take feedback and able to pivot.
• Demonstrate strong interpersonal skills; be comfortable speaking with new people, including donors and alumni, in person, by phone and by email.
• Be systems-oriented, organized and able to follow a project through to completion across a full academic year.
• Be proactive; bring a can-do attitude and a willingness to jump in, brainstorm and bounce ideas around with the team and partners.

Responsibilities

• Liaise with the Valley Scholars program team to help build a sustainable framework for connecting current students and alumni, including a LinkedIn community and opportunities for dialogue between the two groups.
• Support processes for capturing and maintaining Valley Scholars alumni contact information while students are still enrolled, working with the registrar to maintain accurate and current alum records in Salesforce.
• Write and edit content for a new Valley Scholars newsletter, in partnership with the Philanthropic Communications team.
• Support the reimagining and consolidation of Valley Scholars web content, and build and update pages using JMU's web-based CMS (Cascade).
• Collect, write and edit symposium content for event materials, speaker and attendee bios, and registration emails.
• Assist with event-day logistics.
• Participate with team on content and logistics for events like Stewardship Luncheon, Giving Day, Women for Madison Summit.
• Assist Associate Director of Content in maintaining JMU Giving website, helping with publishing or updating articles written by freelancer.

Benefits

• A Tuition Waiver Program that allows employees to have tuition waived for undergraduate and graduate level courses taken at JMU.
• Free Access to the University Recreation Center (UREC): Employees can enjoy facility access and program registration privileges at UREC and University Park. This includes the climbing wall, equipment centers, and group exercise studios.
• A variety of voluntary benefits such as Pet Insurance, Identity Theft and Legal Protection Plans, and several other supplemental benefits.
• Holiday Breaks: The university is granted 12 holidays a year.
• Talent Development Trainings: The Talent Development department offers a wide variety of personal and professional trainings, eligible for all employees to join.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Part-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed