Intern Position: Venue Rentals + Activations Intern
Reports To: Special Events Manager
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:
Daily meetings 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM with Manager (Kelly Ford – Special Events Manager). First 30 minutes to review tasks from the day before, with time for Kelly to give feedback on the work and answer questions. Second 30 minutes to review tasks for that day and answer any initial questions. Kelly will also be available to answer questions throughout the day as needed. Weekly meetings on Friday from 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM to review interns progress and generally discuss interns’ questions about the industry, their interests, career paths, etc.
The intern will assist the Special Events Manager with research, document organization, event preparation, and administrative support across Forever Balboa Park’s new Private Venue rental Program, and strategic committee development for Forever Balboa Park’s new Park Activations Committee.
This role is designed to provide hands-on nonprofit event planning experience while supporting high-impact organizational priorities.
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.
Responsibilities
- Research outdoor venue rental pricing from competitor venues across San Diego, including:
- Garden venues
- Historic venues
- Civic spaces
- Museum event rentals
- Private estate venues
- Build a competitive comparison spreadsheet analyzing:
- Pricing structures
- Hourly vs. package pricing
- Guest count limits
- Vendor restrictions
- Included amenities
- Assist with creation and organization of a Google Drive structure for venue rental operations, including folders for:
- Site maps
- Rules and regulations
- Rental pricing guides
- Preferred vendor lists
- Inquiry intake forms
- Client communication templates
- Rental agreements and permitting resources
Activations Committee
Support development of a new board-level Activations Committee focused on fundraising, community engagement, sponsorship strategy, and experiential donor engagement.
Responsibilities:
Research how other nonprofits structure their event and activations committees, including:
- Committee names
- Meeting cadence (monthly, quarterly, etc.)
- Committee purpose statements
- Board member expectations
- Sample committee goals
- Examples of successful activation ideas:
- Community events
- Donor engagement
- Corporate activations
- Park experiences
- Assist with building the first draft of the Activations Committee Framework Packet, including:
- Committee purpose / mission statement
- Proposed meeting cadence
- Member expectations
- Time commitment expectations
- Example agenda template
- Assist with research and creation of an “Activation Idea Library” – a running database of:
- Fundraising activation ideas
- Sponsor-friendly activations
- Young professional engagement ideas
- Experiential donor moments
- Tabling booth ideas
- Community engagement concepts
- Corporate partnership opportunities
- Assist with research and creation of a board member background file including:
- Professional background
- Company affiliations
- Philanthropy interests
- Previous event involvement
- Known community connections
- Assist with research and creation of a sponsorship prospect database including:
- Local brands
- Hospitality groups
- Lifestyle companies
- Wellness brands
- Tourism partners
- Assist in first draft development and organization of Volunteer Support Documents including:
- Volunteer onboarding documents
- Event checklists
- Registration processes
- Internal planning templates
- Social + Community Research of:
- What younger donors engage with
- What local nonprofits are doing well
- Trends in experiential fundraising
- What makes people actually donate at events
For all creation projects, the intern will complete the research, formatting, and first-pass drafting. Final strategy, editing, and approvals will remain with the Special Events Manager.
Skills & Tasks Intern Should Be Comfortable With
- Research
- Data entry
- Spreadsheet organization
- Competitive analysis
- Drafting templates
- RSVP tracking
- Google Drive organization
- Professional written communication
- Vendor comparison research
- Sponsorship prospecting
- Document formatting
- Administrative event support
- Light outreach preparation
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.