Intern Position: Development Intern
Reports To: Director of Institutional Advancement
Location: Balboa Park
Forever Balboa Park is the nonprofit conservancy dedicated to enhancing and helping maintain all 1,200 acres of Balboa Park. From caring for the Park’s gardens and urban forest to greeting thousands of guests at the Visitor’s Center and info booths daily, our staff and hundreds of volunteers work year-round to ensure Balboa Park remains a natural source of wonder for all who visit.
Position Summary:
This internship works closely with the Director of Institutional Advancement, supporting donor stewardship, membership, fundraising events, grants administration, research, and development operations while providing hands-on experience in nonprofit fundraising and relationship management. Designed to expose interns to multiple areas of nonprofit philanthropy, this role directly supports Forever Balboa Park’s mission to improve and advance Balboa Park so nature, people, and culture thrive together.
General Forever Balboa Park Intern Requirements:
(Please note that this is an unpaid, temporary, internship position. Interns typically help out for a semester or quarter of their school year. The number of hours of the internship are dependent on the hours the intern needs for their university or college’s internship or work experience requirement).
- Reliable transportation to and from Balboa Park and ability to fill out parking information in online parking portal (if in-person)
- Able to complete a City of San Diego Livescan background check
- Able to complete the State of California Harassment Prevention Training (1hr online training)
- Able to sign Forever Balboa Park’s waiver
- Able to record internship hours in Forever Balboa Park’s Volgistic software.
- Ability to work in a hybrid work environment, with some work in person at Balboa Park and some computer work that can be done remotely.
Intern Responsibilities
Donor Relations & Stewardship
- Assist with donor stewardship activities, including:
- Donor acknowledgements, Membership communications & Stewardship mailings
- Prepare donor briefing materials and prospect research.
- Assist with annual giving campaigns and membership initiatives.
- Help maintain accurate donor records and fundraising documentation.
Fundraising Events
- Assist with planning and execution of donor cultivation, stewardship, and fundraising events.
- Help coordinate:
- Invitation lists, RSVP tracking, Guest communications, Event materials & Name badges
- Provide administrative and on-site event support.
Research & Project Coordination
- Conduct research to support donor prospecting
- Assist with organizing project timelines and fundraising calendars.
- Help prepare presentations, reports, and meeting materials.
- Support administrative coordination for fundraising initiatives.
Communications & Administrative Support
- Assist with preparing donor communications and stewardship materials.
- Gather program information, photos, and impact stories to support fundraising and grant reporting.
- Organize files and documentation within Google Drive and other internal systems.
- Provide general administrative support for the Institutional Advancement Department.
Skills & Tasks Intern Should Be Comfortable With
- Research
- Data entry
- Spreadsheet organization
- Google Drive organization
- Professional written communication
- Document formatting
- Presentation preparation
- Administrative support
- Event preparation
- Meeting coordination
- Attention to detail
- Time management
- Working with confidential information
- Collaboration across multiple department
How to Apply
Interested candidates should submit a resume and cover letter detailing their qualifications and relevant experience to volunteer@balboapark.org.
Forever Balboa Park is an equal opportunity employer. Forever Balboa Park is committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming environment for all members of its staff, visitors, volunteers, subcontractors, vendors, and donors. We do not and shall not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, gender identity, gender expression, age, national origin or ancestry, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or military status, in any of our activities or operations. These activities include but are not limited to hiring and firing of staff, selection of volunteers and vendors, and provision of services. We will take Affirmative Action measures to ensure against discrimination in employment, recruitment, advertisements for employment, compensation, termination, upgrading, promotions, and other conditions of employment against any employee or job applicant.