How To Become A Fundraising Internship: What It Is and Career Path

What is a fundraising internship and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

The fundraising interns work closely with the development director and development coordinator of the organization. They exist to recognize, promote, and solicit individuals and companies interested in supporting the organization's goals. A fundraising intern needs to have a passion for the organization's mission and the ability to play a vital role in advancing the organization's effort to reach its goal.

This is a fulfilling job where interns have the chance to gain meaningful professional experience in playing the lead role in the plan and implementation of important projects while gaining exposure to every aspect of a progressive and growing organization. Their primary responsibility includes creating and accomplishing short-term and long-term strategies for fundraising. They also assist with the organization's campaigns in reaching potential donors by sending emails and invitations.

To become a fundraising intern, you must be a junior or senior level undergraduate or currently taking a bachelor's degree. Some internships are unpaid, and others give academic credit to those eligible. Internship lengths vary depending on the organization but typically last around 6-12 months.

ScoreFundraising InternshipUS Average

Salary

2.9

Avg. Salary $36,704

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.1

Growth rate 11%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

4.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.29%

Asian 5.10%

Black or African American 5.17%

Hispanic or Latino 7.88%

Unknown 4.12%

White 77.44%

Gender

female 73.09%

male 26.91%

Age - 41

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 41

Stress level

6.1

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.7

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

4.7

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a fundraising internship

Explore fundraising internship education requirements

Most common fundraising internship degrees

Bachelor's

82.7 %

Master's

7.6 %

Associate

5.8 %

Start to develop specific fundraising internship skills

Skills	Percentages
Database Management	15.92%
Event Planning	11.77%
Press Releases	7.93%
Non-Profit Organization	7.36%
Salesforce	7.30%

Complete relevant fundraising internship training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New fundraising interns learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a fundraising internship based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real fundraising internship resumes.

Research fundraising internship duties and responsibilities

Manage monthly progress meetings and promote education and leadership opportunities through skill-building activities.
Add / remove contacts base on contacts interest level in MDA mission.
Update personal information while interacting with alumni.
Gain excellent customer service skills and an understanding of team management under outstanding leadership.

Prepare your fundraising internship resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your fundraising internship resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a fundraising internship resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable fundraising internship resume templates

Build a professional fundraising internship resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your fundraising internship resume.