Advancement Intern

Program (Check all that apply)

☑ College Intern               ☐ Native American Undergraduate Museum Fellow           ☐  Heritage Studies & Public History Intern

Position Title

Advancement Intern

Department

Advancement and Membership

Supervisor 

Operations and Research Manager

Semester

Fall 2024/Spring 2025 (September 2024 - March 2025)

Hours Per Week

15 Hours/week

Status

Paid

# of Positions Available

1

Location

Minnesota History Center (345 W Kellogg Blvd, St. Paul, MN 55102)

Project Summary

The Advancement Intern works closely with Development Officers and the Operations and Research Manager. The Advancement Department exists to identify, cultivate, solicit and steward individuals, companies, and foundations interested in supporting the Minnesota Historical Society. As an intern, you will be assisting the core teams of the Advancement and Membership Department—Major Gifts, Research and Prospect Management, Corporation Sponsorships, Foundations, Legacy Giving, Gifts Processing, Membership and Events. The internship will provide substantial experience in nonprofit development and advancement, while providing valuable experience working in one of the nation's leading historical societies.

Ideal Degrees

Communications, journalism, public or nonprofit administration, library and information science.

Responsibilities

• Assist with the annual endowment acknowledgement process.
• Research individual, foundation, and corporate donors and identify potential sources for funding support.
• Write and provide editing support for donor and prospect communications.
• Gather information and data to submit into the CRM database. Ensure all information and data is accurate before submission.
• Provide assistance with in-person and virtual fundraising and membership events.
• Give support for processing mailings.
• Other duties as assigned by the Advancement team.

Qualifications

Must be a graduate level, or junior or senior level undergraduate interested in nonprofit fundraising. Recent graduates (up to one year after graduation) are welcome to apply as well. Must possess the following:

• Experience with research and the tenacity to uncover hard-to-find information.
• Familiarity with or willingness to learn a variety of CRM and research-related databases.
• Ability to write and communicate clearly and accurately.
• Comfort level with taking on multiple tasks and working as part of a team and independently.
• A background in customer service with the potential to communicate with donors and members.
• Project management skills along with being detail-oriented.
• Interest in a potential career in the nonprofit industry, especially in fundraising/advancement.
• Working knowledge of the Google Drive suite, including Google Docs, Calendar, Mail, and Spreadsheets.

Knowledge Intern is Expected to Gain

• Experience in the non-profit sector in an Advancement and Membership Office.
• Ownership of projects, building experience in project management.
• Collaboration and networking with multiple areas in the Advancement and Membership Office, as well as the organization.
• The opportunity to build customer service skills and potentially work with donors.
• Familiarity with and ability to utilize a CRM database and research tools.
• Acquire prospect development and research skills.

Additional Materials Required

None

How to Apply

Send a cover letter, resume, and any required additional materials to internships@mnhs.org. 

At MNHS, we don’t just accept differences--we celebrate it, we support it, and we thrive on diversity for the benefit of our volunteers, interns, employees, sour products and services, and our community. The Minnesota Historical Society believes that an inclusive culture among our team members is critical to our success as a historical society, and we seek to recruit, develop, and retain the most talented people from a diverse candidate pool. The Minnesota Historical Society is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace.