Smithsonian Institution
Washington, DC
And Select “Office of Development” from the drop down list of Programs.
Each year, undergraduate and graduate internships are available in the Office of Development. Internships are typically offered during the summer, spring, and fall/winter semesters, and academic credit may be arranged through the intern’s school. All Internships are located in the Smithsonian Castle on the National Mall, Washington, DC.
While internships are unpaid appointments, they provide an excellent foundation for future development-related careers. Interns work within specific departments as well as interacting with development professionals throughout the Institution.
Intern opportunities are filled on an as-needed basis in the following areas:
CLICK HERE for complete descriptions of these opportunities. If you have a desire to explore one of these areas, please use our online application system to submit your qualifications.
HOW TO APPLY:
Internship applications are received throughout the year on a rolling basis. However, the following target dates are useful to keep in mind:
December 1 - for Spring Internships
April 1 - for Summer Internships
July 1 - for Fall Internships
The online application requires five components:
Our online application system provides for the electronic submission of all components.
And Select “Office of Development” from the drop down list of Programs.
PLACEMENT AND NOTIFICATION :
Smithsonian Internships are very competitive, and we may receive many more applications than positions available. Please allow two to four weeks from the time you submit all components of your application for placement notification. If you have a question regarding the status of your application, contact the Intern Coordinator (information provided below).
Please note that all internships in the Office of Development are classified as Non-Critical, Sensitive appointments. As such, all internships are subject to a background check. When an offer letter is issued, the offer is tentative until the background check has been completed with a successful result. Form OF306, Declaration for Federal Employment (also available online at http://www.opm.gov/forms), will be included with any offer letter and fingerprints will be taken.
Thank you for your interest in Internships in the Office of External Affairs/Office of Development, and good luck in your internship endeavors.
The Smithsonian Institution’s Office of Development has internships available for students with an interest in a development-oriented career. The ideal candidate should be able to commit a minimum of 20 hours per week, will be someone who can take initiative and work independently, and will require limited supervision. Familiarity with Excel, Word and databases is very helpful. Internships are available in the following areas:
Donor Relations Internship – The Donor Relations Department works with our Smithsonian National Board, the Smithsonian Women’s Committee, and assists with all stewardship activities for our donors. Specific activities might include assisting with donor cultivation events (including writing, budgets/expenses, logistical planning, and follow up), writing and editing of acknowledgements, creating registration materials, preparing printed communication pieces such as briefing binders, announcements, invitations, assisting with other stewardship and donor-focused materials and designing a menu of unique and creative donor cultivation ideas and opportunities.
Corporate & Foundation Relations – The Corporate & Foundation Relations Department works with our donors from these two arenas. The intern filling this position will be involved with various corporate and foundation relations research and communications projects, and would have the opportunity to engage in activity of the corporate and foundation relation offices. Developing, writing, and coordinating a regular news bulletin to respective corporate and foundation donors would be one of the primary tasks for this internship. The intern would also be assisting with other major gift team programs or projects in the areas of membership, major gifts, and planned giving.
Prospect/Donor Research –As an integral part of the Office of the Development, the Research department provides leadership and support in the management of individual, corporate, and foundation prospects for the fund-raising initiatives of the Smithsonian Institution by identifying, researching, qualifying and tracking prospective and established donors. Projects may include monitoring news sources for information on the Smithsonian’s top prospects and other relevant information and putting together a weekly development newsletter; researching contact information for the Washington, DC, offices of major corporations; coding relationships in prospect accounts; working with other development offices to ensure Central Files contain all key prospect information; and researching various lists to identify new prospects.
Membership – The Contributing Membership (CM) program at the Smithsonian Institution raises over $12 million in unrestricted funding each year that is used to support a wide variety of Smithsonian research, acquisition, and educational endeavors. As part of the Office of Development, it also serves as a vehicle for identifying and cultivating large numbers of members, many of whom will become major and/or planned giving donors during their Smithsonian affiliation. The Contributing Membership is an exclusive membership with membership dues ranging from $75 to $10,000 per year.
The CM program is a fast-paced office that incorporates business, administrative, marketing and customer service activities. There are a number of project opportunities across many departments within the Contributing Membership office. In the Member Service area projects include responding to letters received from members and the general public, writing/editing print materials and letters used in Contributing Membership in-house mailings, and assisting with other related administrative projects. In the Operations and Member Benefits areas, projects include developing a comprehensive department procedures manual, performing operations/membership analysis, and recording and analyzing event attendee information for the previous fiscal year. In the Events area, project include entering RSVP and attendance information into event database, producing budgets, schedules, speeches and other event materials, and preparing information for briefing books. Other duties may be assigned as needed.
Planned Giving – The Planned Giving department helps donors who want to make bequests or other planned gifts to the Smithsonian. Planned Giving also maintains the Smithsonian Legacy Society, a group of more than 550 donors who have included the Smithsonian in their estate plans.
The Planned Giving Department has multiple opportunities for internships throughout the year for under grad and graduate students. Interns participate directly in fundraising projects that help the Smithsonian achieve its research, curatorial and educational mission. An emphasis is placed on individually designed short and long-term projects, such as:
Online Fundraising – The Online Fundraising Department in the Office of Development is focused around a monthly e-newsletter and regular email appeals. Key goals for the program are to grow the e-newsletter subscriber list and to raise unrestricted funds for the Institution.
Specific activities for the internship may include writing of e-newsletter features, researching and compiling of e-newsletter topics, graphic design and photo editing for e-mails and web pages, recruiting Smithsonian visitors to the e-newsletter subscriber list, researching potential online marketing venues (blogs, websites, advertisers, etc), tracking and reporting of fundraising and marketing efforts, set-up and production of regular emails, and participation in strategy and brainstorming meetings for online fundraising campaigns. The ideal candidate must have strong interpersonal skills, attention to detail, and be web-savvy. General knowledge of html, previous experience working with Dreamweaver and Adobe Photoshop, or similar design software, a plus.
Communications – The Communications Department is involved with a wide range of ongoing fundraising, membership, and board activities, and the intern will assist the Manager in these endeavors.
Specific activities the intern may be involved in include:
Skills sought are demonstrated strengths in writing, editing, and proofing; strong attention to detail; analytical and research skills; familiarity with databases and mailings; interest and ability in assisting with the management of a complex flow of documents in a busy work environment. The intern should be comfortable working in a large organization in which collaboration and multiple approvals are required. Skills in Quark/InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator, and other desktop publishing applications are not a requirement but the intern will find many opportunities to put these skills to work.
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Optional Internship (we are not always seeking to fill this position, but will consider an applicant who has a particular interest or skill set in this area):
Management Operations – The Management Operations Department handles the operations side of development activities. Specific projects for an intern will be determined based on the education level of each application. The ideal candidate will have an interest in budgeting, accounting operations, and/or central file management in a non-profit environment.
And Select “Office of Development” from the drop down list of Programs.
Bettie McElroy, Intern Coordinator
Office of Development
Smithsonian Institution
SIB 491, MRC 027
PO Box 37012
Washington , DC 20560FAX: 202-633-0183
EMAIL: mcelroyb@si.edu