Internship: Development Engagement
Season: Summer 2025 (Approx June-August)
Location: Hybrid
Application Deadline: March 17 at 4pm CST
 
Shedd Internship Program
Shedd Aquarium's Internship Program aims to provide meaningful career exploration for those seeking professions in non-profits, animal care, conservation, research, and beyond.  We hope to inspire and develop future professionals as diverse as the aquatic world we care for.

These opportunities are geared toward those that are new to the field and just starting to establish a career. They have the skills and knowledge, but not necessarily the real-world application.

We welcome applications from all levels of experience, including those seeking career exploration or changes, gap year students, freshmen, sophomores, and those seeking first internships.

Department Overview: 
Shedd Aquarium’s Development Department engages individual donors, corporations and procures government and foundation grants to achieve a $14M revenue goal. The Engagement Team provides robust opportunities to engage donors to achieve the above lofty goal. In this role, the intern will contribute to the success of the Engagement Team by assisting with the planning and execution of various engagement opportunities to further connect members and donors to Shedd’s mission and vision, analyzing data and tracking trends.  
 
Learning Objectives: 

• Support the donor engagement team in the event planning process across multiple events, gaining the skills to plan an event from conception to execution 
• Obtain working knowledge of how Shedd Aquarium’s Development Department plays a vital role in the organization’s mission and vision.  
  • Then display the ability to articulate Shedd’s mission and vision externally to move aquarium members forward in their understanding and connection to the organization’s mission.  
• Enhance donor communication by supporting the Manager of Donor Communications in the creation of end-of-year impact reporting materials 
• Compile learnings into a presentation and present at a Development Team meeting on a date to be determined 

Responsibilities & Projects: 

• Demonstrate commitment to Shedd’s vision, mission and values 
• Partner with the Engagement team on outreach and engagement efforts regarding upcoming donor events.  
• Partner across multiple departments to plan and execute donor events and experiences 
• Work with Engagement Team to execute memorable moments for donor acknowledgement 
• Learn Tessitura CRM and assist in event data entry 
• Assist with planning pre-Gala logistics 
• Help create materials for events and donor visits 
• Collaborate with staff to provide copy and gather content for donor communications  
• Participate in onsite donor events.  
• Assist with inventory management.  
• Other projects as assigned 

Qualifications: 

Fields of Interest: Business Administration, Communications, Marketing, English, or Non-Profit Administration  
 
Skills/Characteristics: 

• Ability to handle multiple projects, strong communication skills, and an outgoing and friendly personality.  
• Must maintain confidentiality.  
• Ability to lead presentations and activations for large groups 
• Ability to learn Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system.  
• Detail oriented  
• Excellent written and oral communication  
• Comfortable using Microsoft Office  
• Position will be a combination of working from home, onsite work and evening events  
• Must be at least 18 years old.
• Have a high school diploma or GED. 

On-boarding
All interns attend one full day orientation. These are held in person on select Mondays from 9am-5pm. This is required, even if you will not normally be scheduled on Mondays.

Time & Compensation: 

• This is a non-exempt, temporary position that pays $17 per hour
• We anticipate this position will be scheduled for 24 hours per week for 12 weeks, pending business needs and individual performance.
• Preferred schedule: Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday
  • Required Dates: 7/25 (Member Night), 8/22 (Nautilus Event)
• Set schedule based on intern availability. 

Reasonable Accommodations:
Shedd Aquarium is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities. If you need reasonable accommodations for any part of the employment process, please email us at internship@sheddaquarium.org.
 
We strongly encourage people of color, LGBTQ+ community, Veterans and active duty military, parents, individuals with disabilities, and individuals from all cultural backgrounds to apply. Shedd Aquarium is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes everyone to our team.