Table of Content

1. Organization Overview
2. Internship Overview
3. Potential Projects & Responsibilities
4. Qualifications
5. How to Apply

The American Civil Liberties Union of Connecticut defends, promotes, and expands the civil rights and civil liberties of all people in Connecticut through litigation, community organizing and legislative advocacy, and civic education and engagement. We are an inclusive, nonpartisan, and statewide organization within the nationwide American Civil Liberties Union network, powered by our supporters, partners, staff, interns, cooperating attorneys, and our board of directors.

The ACLU of Connecticut Philanthropy Department is launching its first-ever internship program. The program is designed to expose individuals to the full spectrum of donor development and fundraising and provide hands-on experience in the field, while also helping strengthen the department and the organization’s mission. The ACLU of Connecticut envisions an equitable, democratic, and anti-racist Connecticut in which all persons are treated with dignity in a thriving society. We utilize community centric fundraising principles to identify and activate the full potential of donors by connecting donors to our work; make the case for increased and sustained support; and create long-lasting relationships with our philanthropic base throughout the state.

An important value of the ACLU of Connecticut is elevating the voices of directly impacted people (i.e. BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, and immigrant communities). If you are someone who is directly impacted by the work of the ACLU, you are strongly encouraged to apply.

The Philanthropy department is seeking a current student who is interested in learning about the full spectrum of fundraising activities within the ACLU-CT and will work with different members of the Philanthropy department to gain experience from an established and dynamic development program. With guidance and mentorship from the Director of Philanthropy, the intern will work on projects related to their specific learning goals. Additionally, the intern will be exposed to valuable professional tools such as Salesforce, Tableau, and other digital platforms that are becoming increasingly ubiquitous in the nonprofit and business setting. The intern may be asked to assist with cultivation activities such as donor events, mailings, and email updates.

Commitment: The ACLU of Connecticut Philanthropy Internship is a 14-week commitment that requires no more than 20 hours per week with a flexible start date and weekly hours.

Funding: The ACLU of Connecticut Philanthropy Internship will be compensated a total of $7500. We encourage all applicants to seek funding through their school. However, if you are unable to secure funding from your school or the funding offered is below $7500, we will provide funding to ensure compensation totals $7500.

Location: This position is based in Hartford, CT and will occasionally require travel, evening, and weekend work. Ideally, the intern would be able to attend in-person weekly all-staff meetings (generally held on Tuesdays at 11AM), weekly Development department meetings (generally held on Tuesdays at 2PM), and at least one fall fundraising event. They are invited, but not required, to attend donor strategy sessions with various members of the Development team and meetings with other departments.

To achieve the goals outlined in the intern’s learning plan, the intern’s primary responsibilities might include:

Gain direct fundraising experience

• Set up and/or attend meetings with current and prospective donors
• Take detailed notes during post-meeting debriefs to add into individual donor accounts
• Assist with end of the year solicitation campaigns
• Make calls to current and prospective donors
• Brainstorm and implement donor engagement strategies with the Philanthropy team
• Generate and implement strategies for Peer-to-Peer fundraising
• Help with grant research, applications, and reporting
• Qualify incoming donors through direct phone calls, emails, letters, and meetings

Aid in the creation of fundraising materials (internal and external)

• Design a donor deck / PowerPoint to utilize in fundraising meetings
• Develop event checklist template (things we need for each event, webinar, home gathering, etc...)
• Work collaboratively to update donation pages and other online fundraising materials
• Generate, deploy, and analyze a donor survey
• Consider how we can better utilize videos in our donor communications and outreach

General support of the philanthropy team

• Help make connections with fundraising professionals at partner organizations
• Support incoming fundraising event requests
• Donor research – find new donor prospects for team to qualify
• Idea generation and implementation on how to better utilize community centric fundraising principles
• Research corporate engagement opportunities and brainstorm strategies to better engage businesses
• General help with your ideas on how we can better fundraise for the ACLU of CT

Additionally, the intern may be asked to assist with cultivation activities such as donor events, mailings, and email updates. The intern can attend weekly, in-person all-staff meetings, weekly department meetings, and fundraising events. They are also invited to attend donor strategy sessions with various members of the Philanthropy team and meetings with other departments.

Prior experience with donor development and fundraising is not required. Success in this role requires strong organizational skills, the ability to prioritize, discretion with confidential materials, willingness to learn and engage with a variety of donors, and a strong belief in the ACLU of Connecticut’s work and mission.

Applicants should have:

• Interest in philanthropy and development
• Strong writing and research skills
• Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written
• Be self-motivated, with the ability to take initiative, manage a variety of tasks, and see projects through to completion
• Have proven ability to work independently as well as within a team
• Have a desire to advance social justice & commitment to the ACLU of Connecticut’s mission

Please send a resume and brief cover letter, including any relevant work or life experience, any relevant information about how you are directly impacted by the work of the ACLU, and why you are interested in the work of the ACLU of Connecticut, to search@acluct.org. Reference “ACLU-CT Fundraising Internship” in the subject line. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis and the listing will remain posted until the position is filled.

This posting provides a general but not comprehensive list of the essential responsibilities and qualifications required. It does not represent a contract of employment. The ACLU of Connecticut reserves the right to change the posting at any time without advance notice.

The ACLU-CT is an Equal Opportunity Employer and undertakes affirmative action strategies in its recruitment and employment efforts to assure that all persons – including but not limited to persons with disabilities – have full opportunities for employment in all positions. We encourage applicants with disabilities who may need accommodations in the application process to include this information in your cover letter, or to call 860-523-9146 to discuss your needs.

We value a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture. The ACLU-CT encourages applications from all qualified individuals without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, national origin, marital status, citizenship, disability, record of arrest or conviction, or veteran status.