Development, Events, and Community Management Internship

Development & Community Engagement Internship

How To Apply

Please email apply@rdi.org with a resume, brief cover letter, and short writing sample (<500 words) that is in some way relevant to development, events, or community engagement. This can be a description of an event series you’d like to organize at RDI, a fundraising appeal you’ve written in the past, or something else entirely. Feel free to be creative. Please also indicate your desired hours per week and start date in your cover letter. Only complete applications will be reviewed. In the subject line, please write “Development Internship” followed by your full name. The Renew Democracy Initiative is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

About Us

The Renew Democracy Initiative (RDI) is dedicated to creating a movement based on rational discourse and political liberalism, both of which have come under threat from across the political spectrum. Founded by a diverse, cross-partisan group of leaders, including former world chess champion Garry Kasparov; Senators Heidi Heitkamp and Bob Kerrey; and Pulitzer Prize winners Anne Applebaum and Bret Stephens, we are committed to data-driven decision-making and combatting the twin threats of far-left and far-right radicalism. Our Board and extended network give us unique credibility and a global perspective as we educate people about core liberal principles and empower them to prioritize these values in their civic behavior.

We have a small, tight-knit team, so interns will have the unique opportunity to work on high-level projects and partnerships and make a personal impact on American democracy. As a start-up organization, we have an “all hands on deck” approach, and interns should expect to play multiple roles, handling a mix of substantive and administrative responsibilities.

About The Role

This role will involve working on some combination of the following responsibilities:

Working closely with the Executive Director and the development team to ensure RDI’s long-term sustainability
Researching current/potential donors and philanthropic foundations
Updating the long-term development strategy and expanding RDI’s development techniques
Assisting with the planning and execution of fundraising events
Conducting outreach to donors
Drafting messaging for outreach including email templates, phone scripts, and social media postings
Working with RDI’s Customer Relationship Management tool (CRM), EveryAction, to manage relationships with RDI supporters
Programming CRM forms into our website as surveys, petitions, and sign-ups
Regularly communicate with subscribers
Building a community of people committed to democratic norms is a key goal of RDI, so we will be looking for someone who can help build out this community in the US and around the world through regular communications, event ideas, etc.

Please be sure to review our social media presence (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube) , past events, as well as examples of our work including our newsletters, Defining Democracy narratives, & videos prior to applying!

Qualifications of an Ideal Candidate

Exceptional undergraduates, graduate students, recent grads, or those with relevant work experience are encouraged to apply
Detail-oriented to a fault
Strong belief in RDI’s mission and values
Experience in the fundraising and development space along with excellent verbal and written skills
Open-minded and excited to interact with a range of often-conflicting political worldviews
Social, articulate, and a self-starter unafraid to take initiative
Experience with Google Suite (especially Google Sheets), Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tools (especially EveryAction), and other development databases strongly preferred

Logistics & Benefits

This is an unpaid, volunteer internship
Academic Credit is offered upon school or departmental approval
Our internships last 4-6 months, concurrent with the Fall academic semester, and interns can choose to work either full time (40 hours/week) or part time (25+ hours/week)
Hours are flexible and we are willing to work around your academic schedule
An opportunity to work closely with senior organizational leadership, including the Executive Director, as well as access to members of the Board of Directors, and other individuals from RDI’s extended network
A typical day could include spending a few hours on RDI’s brainstorming ideas for events; working on a donor outreach strategy; participating in a lunch-and-learn with a prominent political figure, a world champion poker player, or a global business leader; time spent working in RDI’s customer relationship manager; and informing RDI’s community about an upcoming event series