Title: Development Intern
Organization: Equality Texas Foundation/Equality Texas
Reports to:  Development Director
Location: Austin, TX
Hours and Compensation: Hours are based on selected candidate’s availability. Ideally, applicants should be able to commit to at least 10 hours a week from January – June 2025 and hold a predetermined schedule to be agreed upon during onboarding. Interns will be paid $16/hr.

Candidates MUST LIVE IN THE STATE OF TEXAS and be able to commute to our Austin office.

THE POSITION:

Equality Texas is seeking an intern to join our Development team. This individual will work closely with the Development Director to engage donors, plan events and support our fundraising priorities.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Attend Equality Texas events including tabling, fundraising events, donor hosted parties, etc. as needed
• Enter data and assist in maintaining donor database (EveryAction, OneCause)
• Conduct research on individual and corporate donors to understand soliciting potential
• Assist with grant writing and tracking
• Create an outreach plan to update donor contacts and files in donor database
• Track and manage in-kind donations for fundraising events (Love Equality, Gala, etc.)
• Collect donor profiles and donor related articles for use in e-newsletter
• Support staff with volunteer management during events
• Assist in campaign execution – mailing, filling, outreach to donors
• Collaborate with communications team to track social media engagement, potential client prospects and engagement related to donor potential
• Learn about Equality Texas’ priority LGBTQ+ rights issues
• Attend planning and organization wide meetings with staff and partners

CANDIDATE SKILL PROFILE/REQUIREMENTS:

Preferred Qualifications/Experience:

• Demonstrated commitment to achieving full legal and lived equality for LGBTQ+ people in Texas
• A strategic thinker with a focus on improving systems, coordinating efforts, using data to drive decision making, and an unwavering commitment to reaching goals
• Ability to handle confidential information with discretion
• Demonstrated ability to achieve high-performance goals and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment
• A proactive approach to problem solving with strong decision-making capability
• A strong work ethic
• Proficient in the use of PowerPoint, Word, and Excel
• Able to commit to the full 5-months term
• Able to build and maintain strong working relationships
• Superior customer service
• Models maturity and transparency
• Strong writing skills
• Reliable transportation with capacity to pick up supplies
• Prior internship or volunteer experience preferred.

Learning Objectives:

• Learn how to effectively communicate with donors through mail, phone, email, and social media by developing regular communication alongside staff to support Equality Texas’ fundraising goals.
• Create understanding of donor activity through management of donor database and updating outdated records.
• Learn about creating successful campaigns from concept to execution by creating fundraising goals, execution plans and database management strategies.

ORGANIZATION OVERVIEW:

Equality Texas envisions a Texas where all LGBTQ+ people and their families have full equality in the hearts and minds of their fellow Texans and in all areas of the law. Headquartered in Austin, Equality Texas is dedicated to securing full legal and lived equality for LGBTQ+ Texans through political action, education, community organizing, and collaboration. With tens of thousands of members across the state, Equality Texas is the state’s leading state-wide organizing and advocacy organization for LGBTQ+ Texans.

Today’s Equality Texas is comprised of two nonprofit organizations:

• Equality Texas Foundation, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that provides educational programming on LGBTQ+ issues and conducts campaigns to build public support for equal rights, and
• Equality Texas, a 501(c)4 organization that conducts direct lobbying and advocacy efforts to advance pro-LGBTQ+ legislation and candidates and to defeat anti-LGBTQ+ legislation.

Each organization is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors; these Boards have 33 members in total who represent a cross-section of LGBTQ community, business, and philanthropic leaders and allies.

Equality Texas values the leadership of BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ individuals, and strongly encourages people of all traditionally underrepresented identities to apply.

No applicant will be discriminated against because of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, religion, national origin, disability, ancestry, marital status, veteran status, medical condition, or any protected category prohibited by local, state or federal laws.

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS:

Please email your resume and cover letter detailing how your experience prepares you to assume the responsibilities and expectations of the Development Intern role at Equality Texas to internships@equalitytexas.org with subject line: EQTX Development Intern.