Development Intern

Chesapeake Bay Trust

Paid Internship: Development

10 hours/week: July 2026 – May 2027 (flexible start and end dates) 

The Chesapeake Bay Trust (the Bay Trust) seeks a motivated and detail-oriented Development Intern to support our fundraising and donor engagement efforts. This is a great opportunity to gain hands-on experience in nonprofit development, communications, and event planning while contributing to a mission you care about.

About the Chesapeake Bay Trust

The Chesapeake Bay Trust seeks to engage and empower a diversity of groups to take actions that enrich the natural resources and local communities of the Chesapeake Bay region. The Bay Trust is a nonprofit grant-making organization established by the Maryland state government in 1985. The Bay Trust currently makes 400+ grants and other awards per year ranging from $100 to ~$400,000 for projects in the K-12 environmental education, on-the-ground restoration, science, capacity building, and community engagement realms. In the past 15 years, the Bay Trust has increased its grant-making four-fold through various revenues streams under the purview of four Bay Trust departments, with annual awards of approximately $20-30 million. 

Position Responsibilities

As our Development Intern, you will gain hands-on experience with skills critical to development and communications within the growing environmental space. Tasks include donor correspondence and data entry, in addition to forward-facing opportunities through special events. The role is ideal for those considering a future career in nonprofit and/or environmental sector fundraising, communications, or program management.

This is a hybrid remote/onsite internship requiring at least 50% in-person/on-site work (the rest can be remote), some additional travel, and some evening and weekend hours. The Chesapeake Bay Trust office is located in Annapolis, Maryland, with parking offered at no cost. The position reports to the Director of Development with associations to additional members of the Development, Marketing, and Communications team.   

Responsibilities May Include Some or All of the Following:

• Assist with donor research and prospect identification


• Support the preparation of donor communications, including solicitation and engagement mailings, event invitations, acknowledgement letters, and other donor correspondence


• Help maintain and update the donor database (Raiser’s Edge, training provided). Support donor- and gift-related data entry.


• Provide support for fundraising campaigns and special events


• Represent the Chesapeake Bay Trust at community events, networking receptions, and other opportunities


• Draft and edit content for newsletters, social media, and other outreach materials


• Perform general administrative tasks to support the development team

Skills and Qualifications

Required

• Strong literacy in MS Office, Adobe Creative Suite, and/or Canva.


• Strong writing skills, including drafting, editing, and proofreading.


• Attention to detail.


• Demonstrated ability to work independently and effectively with deadlines.


• Ability to travel to the Bay Trust’s Annapolis office and attend some evening/weekend events.

Preferred

• Advanced skills in one or more of: special event management, donor relations, database management, digital content creation.


• Ideal applicants can execute mail merges, manipulate data and formulas in Excel, and design basic graphics.


• Pursuit of an associate, undergraduate, or graduate degree in environmental science, journalism, communications, or related field. Students majoring in other fields must have demonstrated experience in communications or fundraising. High School Seniors interested in pursuing a career in these fields will also be considered.


• Knowledge of or interest in conservation, sustainability, and/or community engagement.

Compensation: $15.00 per hour, 10 hours per week

Term:
2026-2027 Academic Year (preferably July 2026 – May 2027 with opportunities to start before the summer and continue through June 2027, and/or work increased hours during the winter semester break, if desired)

Application Instructions and Deadline: The position will remain open until filled.  Please submit your resume and cover letter. In your cover letter, please address your ability, based on your skills and experience, to accomplish the specific duties of the position as outlined above. Your cover letter is the most important piece of your application. We recognize that the skills needed in this position may be gained from a variety of personal, education, employment, and volunteer experiences. Please do not simply list your previous experience. Your cover letter should describe what makes you a strong match specifically for this position, and why this position is a match for you.

The Chesapeake Bay Trust provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, or any other protected status in accordance with applicable federal, state and local laws.  Our values guide us to create a workplace where everyone is respected and valued. The Trust strives to recruit, retain, and promote employees that reflect the communities we engage in our work Applicants must have a residential address in Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, or Washington D.C and must be currently authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis. The Trust does not participate in programs that require sponsorship for work visas.

Our accessibility statement is available on our website at Accessibility Statement - Chesapeake Bay Trust