Summer 2027 Principal Gifts Intern

About NRDC

NRDC (the Natural Resources Defense Council) works to safeguard the Earth, its people, its plants and animals, and the natural systems on which all life depends. NRDC combines the power of more than 3 million members and online activists with the expertise of some 800 policy advocates, lawyers, scientists, and communication experts to confront the climate crisis, protect nature, and ensure the rights of all people to clean air, clean water, and healthy communities.

As an international nonprofit environmental organization, NRDC is working to address the world’s most urgent environmental challenges and advance innovative, science-based, and enforceable solutions. Since our founding in 1970, NRDC has helped craft and deliver many of America’s foundational environmental laws, including the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and Safe Drinking Water Act. Today, we continue to lead in advancing and defending strong environmental protections at the local, state, federal, and international levels, as well as through the marketplace.

Our team works across the United States and around the world, from offices in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C., as well as in Beijing and New Delhi (a subsidiary of NRDC India Pvt. Ltd.). Supported by our members and online activists, NRDC is driving impactful solutions that confront the climate crisis, defend nature, and safeguard public health across Asia, Africa, and the Americas.

Internship Program Overview

Our interns play an active role on the front lines of the environmental movement. Over the course of an internship, NRDC interns work with lawyers, scientists, or policy analysts in different program areas and amass experience that they could not have obtained anywhere else. Interns also have access to various events to enhance their NRDC experience.

NRDC interns may support or work on:

• Research, data collection, and analysis
• Writing and developing materials for state and federal campaigns
• Supporting the design of equitable policy solutions
• Copywriting and editing social media posts and supporting marketing campaigns
• Brainstorming opportunities for process improvements, new vendors, partnerships, and engagement
• Project management of department and team-wide initiatives

Position Summary

NRDC's Development (Fundraising) Department is seeking a graduate intern to support ongoing projects and priorities for our Principal & Major Gifts Division. This intern will report to the Senior Donor Engagement Manager. The position is based out of our New York City office; interns are expected to be onsite three days per week.

The Principal Gifts intern will support the Principal Gifts team across a range of donor engagement and operational projects, including meeting preparation, donor research, and database management. This intern will help gather materials and draft engagement summaries for internal briefings, take notes during internal discussions, and track follow-ups across donor engagement workflows. They will also maintain donor information in Salesforce and SharePoint and lead a special project to clean up SharePoint and align it with Salesforce records. In addition, the intern will conduct topline donor research, draft outreach emails and meeting follow-ups, and collaborate with the operations team to coordinate information flow across teams.

Responsibilities

• Gather materials and draft engagement summaries for internal briefings
• Take notes during internal discussions and track follow-ups across donor engagement workflows
• Maintain donor information in Salesforce and SharePoint
• Lead a special project to clean up SharePoint and align it with Salesforce records
• Conduct topline donor research
• Draft outreach emails and meeting follow-ups
• Collaborate with the operations team to coordinate information flow across teams
• Produce short donor profiles, engagement summaries, and formatted templates for donor-facing and internal prep materials
• Deliver a reorganized SharePoint system aligned with Salesforce

Qualifications

• Must be currently enrolled in a graduate program
• Able to collaborate effectively within a team
• Initiative, proactiveness, and creativity
• Research and/or data analysis skills
• Project management and/or problem-solving skills
• Strong attention to detail
• Commitment to NRDC’s mission, values, and DEI principles

Tools & Experience

• Experience with Salesforce or another CRM is preferred but not required

Details

• Duration: 10 weeks
• Commitment: 35 hours per week
• Hybrid Work Model: Summer interns are expected to be in the office 3 days per week; no relocation assistance is offered
• Stipend: Paid internship with a stipend equivalent of $10,000.00, paid bi-weekly over the course of the assignment
• Summer Session Options:
  • Monday, May 24, 2027 – Friday, July 30, 2027
  • Monday, June 7, 2027 – Friday, August 13, 2027
  • Monday, June 21, 2027 – Friday, August 27, 2027