Development Fellowship
Development Fellowship – Graduate Level
Interested in nonprofit fund development, special events, and membership programs?
Join the Palo Alto Art Center Foundation team for a graduate-level fellowship dedicated to the development process. The Foundation expands the reach and impact of the Palo Alto Art Center through fundraising and advocacy. To achieve this goal the Foundation maintains an active membership base, and donor database and hosts frequent events for cultivation and stewardship purposes. The fellow will gain insight into the steps of the development process at a vibrant arts institution, while assisting with special events, membership communications, travel program, and research.
In this role, you will…
- Become acquainted with the Art Center’s programs, in order to better understand various fundraising opportunities
- Support planning of member and donor events, including Friday Night at the Art Center, member/donor outings, Great Glass Pumpkin Patch, 55th anniversary celebration, and Travel Program
- Work with Foundation staff on membership and donor marketing campaigns
- Conduct interviews of Art Center constituents to collect personal stories to be used for Foundation marketing, campaigns, 55th anniversary celebration
- Create and support visual and digital content for event promotion, including simple graphics (e.g., Canva) and short-form phone videos to capture stories, behind-the-scenes moments, and event highlights
- Support basic website content updates (event pages, announcements, campaign content) and help improve user flow and clarity, including testing simple ways to collect emails through family resources, kids’ art activities, using platforms such as WordPress or similar content management systems
- Conduct research regarding museum membership, event, and other development programs
- Filing, mailings, and administrative assistance as needed
- Receive mentorship from the Foundation’s Chief Development Officer and join a nimble fundraising team, experienced with fundraising in Silicon Valley
You are a great fit for this role if you are…
- Enthusiastic about working with the public and membership base in a museum setting
- Interested in the art making processes, contemporary art practices, and art engagement strategies
- Comfortable creating basic promotional graphics and digital content for events and campaigns
- Excellent organizational, written communication, editorial, and computer skills
- Comfortable editing website content or working in content management systems (such as WordPress or similar), or excited to learn
- Detail-oriented
- Skilled in time management, prioritization, and organization
- Works well independently
- Research and database administration experience preferred
- Flexible, able to self-start, and have a passion for the arts and/or creative endeavors
- Graduate-level coursework in museum studies, nonprofit administration or other relevant field of study preferred
When you will work…
This position is approximately 30 hours per week for 10 weeks, covering mid-June to mid-August. Start and end dates are flexible depending on the candidate’s schedule.
Where you will work…
In person and hybrid work options are available; you will work at least 50% of the time at the Palo Alto Art Center (1313 Newell Drive, Palo Alto).
Your compensation…
$23 per hour
Ready to join the team? Here’s what to do…
Please submit a cover letter, resume, writing sample, and contact information for two professional references. In the cover letter, please address the following questions:
- Why do you feel you would be a good fit for this fellowship?
- How does this fellowship support your professional goals?
Optional but encouraged:
If you have experience creating visual or digital content, you’re welcome to include examples of a graphic, social media post, short video, or website content you’ve helped edit or design (e.g., Canva graphic, Instagram post, phone video, or webpage/event page you contributed to). This can be a link or attachment and does not need to be professionally produced.
The Palo Alto Art Center is committed to fostering the next generation of arts professionals through teen engagement, internships, and fellowships. We value diversity of cultures, races and ethnicities, countries of origin, ability levels, ages, religions, and gender expressions. We encourage individuals who are traditionally underrepresented in the museum field to apply.