Wonder Connection Fundraising Internship (Paid, 10-12 weeks)
Applications due by 5pm on 9/23/24.

Background Information:

Wonder Connection brings science and nature activities to child and adolescent psychiatric and pediatric patients at UNC Hospitals as well as the families staying at the Ronald McDonald House of Chapel Hill, NC. We typically serve more than 2,000 patients and families annually. 

Our mission is to promote joy, well-being, and self-confidence in hospitalized children and teens through the wonders of nature and science. Our natural science activities are patient-centered and focus on empowering patients by giving them the opportunity to make choices and be creative. Interactive topics include animal and plant life cycles, natural habitats of North Carolina, and earth science explorations. For more information about Wonder Connection, please visit our website www.wonderconnection.org  to read our mission, vision, and values, and watch our videos.

Wonder Connection is funded by grants and donations with grants making up the majority of our revenue.  By adding this internship, we aim to diversify our funding sources  and increase donations by individuals and businesses.

Job Summary- Fundraising Intern

Wonder Connection seeks a friendly, organized fundraising intern to help us with our fundraising efforts in this part-time, 10 week position.  This position is a great opportunity to gain experience raising funds for a nonprofit that positively impacts hospitalized kids and teens. Reporting to the Director, the intern will implement and adjust our current development efforts with a focus on individual and corporate giving. The fundraising intern will be responsible for solicitation of individual and business donors to maintain and grow our donor base.

Job Functions: 

  • Secure financial support for Wonder Connection from new individual donors and corporations.

    • Cultivate and solicit contributions directly and indirectly (face to face, by phone, and via mail and email) from at least 100 new prospects with the goal of receiving at least 10 new donations.

    • Cultivate and solicit monetary donations or sponsorships from an existing list of 25 potential new corporate/business donors 

    • Solicit larger contributions from six Wonder Connection established donors

    Create an easy to use database that includes donors, donor prospects, and next steps for each donor/potential donor 

  • Other programmatic and administrative duties as assigned (these will be very limited).

Qualifications/Experience/Skills/Requirements:

  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills 

  • Work requires contact with donors and potential donors via phone, email, and virtual and/or in person meetings (English proficiency is required)

  • Comfort with asking for contributions to support the Wonder Connection mission

  • Able to work independently and as part of a team 

  • Friendly and authentic, with a positive attitude and great work ethic

  • Understand and believe in our mission

  • Strong planning skills , experience with microsoft office/google drive

  • High School diploma or equivalent required 

  • The ideal candidate has the ability to demonstrate previous development, fundraising, or sales experience (but this is not required)

This position will provide the candidate with paid training via webinars and online fundraising courses, a fundraising mentor,  as well as training on the mission and impact of our programming.  This will give the candidate background information about fundraising and our unique program, as well as lots of opportunities for practicing skills and gaining practical experience. Note: the fundraising intern will not be responsible for grant writing.

Compensation: 

$24/hr;  Flexible Schedule of 10 hrs/week for 10 weeks.

Teleworking is acceptable. Hours are flexible (at least 4 hrs/week need to be during 9:00 am - 5:00 pm EDT on a weekday so that you can meet with other staff).  

Paid training

Fundraising Mentor from local nonprofit

Potential to grow position based on success

Fulfilling mission driven work

TO APPLY
Anticipated start date: 10/8/24

Please apply before 9/23 at 5pm through our online form via Jotform.

if you have ?s, please ask Katie Stoudemire, katie@wonderconnection.org 

At Wonder Connection we are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace.  We value a diverse workplace and strongly encourage applications from Black and Indigenous people and other people of color, people from working-class backgrounds, women, LGBTQ+ individuals, and other people of historically excluded identities. 

Wonder Connection  is a project of the fiscal sponsor SEE (Social and Environmental Entrepreneurs).  We are an equal opportunity employer, dedicated to a policy of non-discrimination in employment on any basis including age, sex, color, race, creed, national origin, religious persuasion, marital status, political belief, or disability that does not prohibit performance of essential job functions.  

Wonder Connection’s Safer Recruitment Policy operationalizes our commitment to safeguarding and protecting all children and young people by ensuring that we apply the highest standards in our recruitment and vetting policies. Staff and volunteer candidates are checked for their suitability for working with children and their understanding of child safeguarding.