Development Internship

Description

About   Us

Position Overview

To provide support to the Development department and the Walton Arts Center organization.

Work Experience

Candidates should be seniors with a strong desire to learn about non-profits and fundraising. Interns are encouraged to apply for class credit through their university.

While this is not a paid internship, Walton Arts Center offers a $800 stipend for the semester, reimbursement for mileage and complementary tickets to performances when available. 

Principal Responsibilities (Essential Functions)

Work directly with the Development Project Specialist on a variety of tasks that support Walton Arts Center's fundraising efforts while gaining experience in all aspects of nonprofit development. Specific responsibilities will vary based on team priorities and may include:

Research & Data Support

• Organize donor and sponsor history reports from our database
• Help create charts and profiles that show giving trends over time
• Clean up data (i.e. removing duplicates) in donor database

Staff & Supporter Insights

• Interview Development staff members about their work to identify gaps or needs
• Shadow staff to understand supporter engagement
• Act as a “secret shopper” in donor lounges to assess the experience

Benchmarking & Idea Gathering

• Research how other local and national organizations run events or fundraising campaigns
• Track what’s happening in the community that might overlap with our work
• Conduct informational interviews with other arts organizations and compile findings

Communications & Materials

• Audit donor messaging and visuals for consistency
• Draft surveys to gather supporter feedback

General Responsibilities

• Represent Walton Arts Center / Walmart AMP at both on and off-site events, as requested
• Maintain security and safety requirements as defined by operations guidelines. 
• Maintain compliance with all company policies and procedures

What You’ll Learn:

• Fundraising best practice
• How nonprofits track and use donor data
• What fundraising strategies and donor stewardship look like
• How to conduct prospect research
• How internal collaboration improves donor experiences
• Real-world tools like CRMs, spreadsheets, and surveys

Requirements

• Must have reliable mode of transportation to attend community events and shows. Must be available to work 15-20 hours/week. Some evening hours may be required.
• High school diploma or GED required

The work environment as well as the intellectual, social, and physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. Education, Training, Traits

• Interest in the performing arts, nonprofit work, fundraising, or communications
• Attention to detail and curiosity
• Strong experience with Google Sheets or Excel
• Research skills
• Written and verbal communication skills
• Willingness to ask questions and learn by doing
• Ability to work independently as well as with others to carry out assignments to completion within parameters of instructions given, prescribed routines, and standard accepted practices
• Ability to safely and successfully perform the essential job functions consistent with the ADA, FMLA and other federal, state and local standards, including meeting qualitative and/or quantitative productivity standards. 
• Ability to maintain regular, punctual attendance consistent with the ADA, FMLA and other federal, state and local standards

Physical

• Must be able to lift and carry up to 50 lbs.
• Must be able to talk, listen and speak clearly (on telephone)
• Must have a working cell phone and be willing to install basic applications and be willing to use it for work purposes
• Must be able to endure sitting or standing for extended periods of time
• Must be able to endure standing or walking for extended periods of time on various surfaces such as concrete, grass, and inclined  surfaces
• Must be able to endure outdoor elements including cold, heat, wind, and/or precipitation
• Must be able to work occasionally in large, crowded environments, with flashing lights, loud music and noises, pyrotechnics, and cannons as part of shows and events