Development (Fundraising) Intern

To be considered for this role, you must apply directly through our online application. 

Overview

Cato's Development team oversees donor relationships and fundraising activities that support the institute's research and outreach. 

Interns assist with stewardship communications, CRM data management, and prospect research — supporting every stage of donor engagement, from thank-you calls and stewardship updates to creating segmented campaign lists and conducting move management research. 

The internship is operational and donor-facing, rewarding applicants interested in nonprofit fundraising as a career.

Responsibilities

• Make thank-you and customer service calls to Cato sponsors and donors, and maintain contact records and interaction logs in Salesforce.
• Assist in development communications by drafting and editing sponsor emails, stewardship letters, and publications under the guidance of the Director of Development Communications.
• Monitor and analyze campaign performance metrics—including email open rates, opt-outs, and bounce rates—and maintain KPI contact reports.
• Build and manage segmented donor and prospect lists; support Salesforce and Pardot (Account Engagement) campaign setup, and maintain list hygiene.
• Conduct prospect research to guide move management strategies for the major gifts team.
• Review scholar citation coverage across news sources and prepare summaries for major gift officers.

Required Qualifications

• Expressed interest in nonprofit fundraising as a career path — prior experience in development, donor relations, or fundraising operations through a job, internship, volunteer role, or coursework.
• Professional demeanor and clear communication during donor and sponsor calls; comfortable with phone outreach and relationship-focused correspondence.
• Effective writing and editing for donor audiences — thank-you notes, stewardship updates, and brief research summaries — with careful attention to tone and accuracy.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel, including filters, XLOOKUP or INDEX-MATCH, and PivotTables, for list management, reporting, and basic analysis.
• Demonstrated alignment with Cato's principles of individual liberty, limited government, free markets, and peace.
• Professionalism, reliability, and attention to detail — this work handles sensitive donor information and demands discretion, accuracy, and consistent follow-through.

Preferred Qualifications

• Proficiency in Salesforce for data entry, record management, and maintaining list hygiene.
• Previous experience with Pardot (Salesforce Account Engagement) or similar marketing automation tools
• Previous experience using prospect research tools.
• Knowledge of nonprofit development processes, including move management concepts, annual giving cycles, and donor segmentation.
• Previous experience in a development or advancement office, including roles as a student caller or telefund participant.

The Cato Internship Program

Cato’s paid internships are available for undergraduates, recent graduates, graduate students, law students, and early-career professionals who are strongly committed to individual liberty, limited government, free markets, and peace—principles that together form libertarianism, also known as “classical liberalism,” “market liberalism,” or, to many of our international friends, simply “liberalism.” 

All Cato interns participate in the same intensive seminar series, which covers a wide range of history, philosophy, policy, and professional development topics. Interns also assist with events and occasionally support Cato staff with other daily tasks. 

Interns receive competitive pay. Part-time roles are adjusted accordingly and require a minimum of 25 hours per week. Program participants must be able to attend in person in Washington, DC.

For more information about the internship program and experience, we encourage you to explore our website. If you have any questions, email studentprograms@cato.org.