Development Intern

USA The Nature Conservancy

Charlottesville, Virginia

JOB DETAILS
LOCATION
Charlottesville, Virginia
POSTED
21 days ago
What We Can Achieve Together:

Join TNC Virginia as a STEP Intern!

The goal of STEP is to create pathways for people seeking to gain experience with a conservation focused organization. We currently offer paid internships in a range of disciplines across our Virginia Team. With a focus on recruiting and developing a diverse staff, we strive to create an environment where people of all backgrounds, experiences, and identities feel welcomed to participate in conservation. Wherever you are in your educational journey; community college, technical school, four-year program, or graduate school, STEP may have an opportunity for you to consider!

All STEP interns will receive an orientation, professional development webinars, and chances to visit TNC sites. Along the way, interns will have the opportunity to broaden their experiences through interactions with Nature Conservancy staff and partners. At the end of their internship, STEP interns will give a short presentation about their time at TNC to the Virginia staff.

This position will be open for at least two-weeks from the posting date. Please submit a resume and cover letter. Application materials will be reviewed as they are submitted. Zoom interviews will occur in mid-May with final hiring decisions made by May 29.

Schedule: 300 hours total, intended to be worked on a part-time basis and split between two semesters. Specific schedules will be determined upon hiring.

Pay: $18.25/hour

Location: Hybrid schedule, 80% remote, 20% in-person in Charlottesville, VA (either office time, or through scheduled visits)

The Position:

TNC is looking for an intern who is interested in learning about fundraising and donor research and outreach that support TNC's conservation goals. This intern will work alongside our Development Operations Manager and entire Development Team to conduct research on prospective and current donors, support the writing of strategic external facing documents, and assist with planning events for donors.

The intern should demonstrate an interest in nonprofit organizations and have project management abilities, proficiency with technology, attention to detail, and flexibility in handling multiple projects, as well as the ability to handle and protect confidential donor information.

This position is scheduled to be an eight-month term (from August 2026 - April 2027) with the intern working on a part-time schedule. Candidates must be actively enrolled students. Preference is for candidates currently located in the Charlottesville area.

Main responsibilities include:
  • Work collaboratively with Virginia's Development, Marketing, and Conservation Teams to gain an understanding of the mission and needs of the organization
  • Receive training in our donor management tool - Blackbaud
  • Conduct research on prospective and current donors, creating briefings and updating donor profiles in the database as needed
  • Handle sensitive and confidential donor information
  • Support the Development team in drafting written updates on critical conservation goals
  • Assisting in the planning and execution of events

What You'll Bring:
  • A student who will be actively enrolled at a 2- or 4-year institution for the 2026-2027 school year
  • Experience, coursework, or interest in exploring the non-profit or conservation field
  • Excellent verbal and written communication skills
  • Experience writing and editing
  • Experience with Microsoft Office Suite, including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint

Desired Qualifications
  • Experience with data management
  • Experience using Canva or other design software
  • A student located in the Charlottesville area

STEP is designed for people early in their careers, or with limited prior professional experience.

Salary Information:

The pay for a candidate selected for this position is $18.25/hour. This only applies to candidates whose country of employment is the USA. Where a successful candidate's actual pay will fall will be based on a variety of factors, including, for example, the candidate's location, qualifications, specific skills, and experience. Please note countries outside the USA would have a different pay range in the local currency based on the local labor market, and not tied to USA pay or ranges. Your geographic location will be confirmed during the recruitment.

Who We Are:

The Nature Conservancy's mission is to protect the lands and waters upon which all life depends. As a scienc

About the Company

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USA The Nature Conservancy

The Nature Conservancy is the leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. The mission of The Nature Conservancy is to conserve the lands and waters on which all life depends.

We address the most pressing conservation threats at the largest scale. Thanks to the support of our more than 1 million members, we’ve built a tremendous record of success since our founding in 1951:
  • We've protected more than 119 million acres of land and thousands of miles of rivers worldwide — and we operate more than 100 marine conservation projects globally.
  • We work in all 50 states and more than 72 countries — protecting habitats from grasslands to coral reefs, from Australia to Alaska to Zambia.
  • We address threats to conservation involving climate change, fresh water, oceans, and conservation lands.
COMPANY SIZE
2,500 to 4,999 employees
INDUSTRY
Nonprofit Charitable Organizations
FOUNDED
1951
WEBSITE
http://www.nature.org