Research And Development Intern

Position Title

Development & Research Intern

Aksarben Foundation

On-Site

Fall 2026, Spring 2027, Summer 202

15-20 Hours/Week

$18-$20 per hour

The Aksarben Foundation is building a Nebraska where everyone chooses to live, work, and thrive. We convene the state's most strategic business and community leaders to drive economic growth, develop local talent, and celebrate the people who make Nebraska exceptional.

The Research & Development Intern supports the Foundation's fundraising, donor engagement, sponsorship development, and prospect research efforts. This position provides hands-on experience in nonprofit development while helping strengthen relationships with donors, sponsors, foundations, and community partners that advance the Foundation's mission.

This internship is designed as a collaborative, hands-on learning experience. While some responsibilities may be completed remotely, interns are expected to work primarily on-site to maximize learning, mentorship, and collaboration with Foundation staff and community partners.

• Research prospective donors, sponsors, corporate partners, foundations, and grant opportunities aligned with Foundation priorities.
• Develop donor profiles, briefing materials, and background research to support meetings and relationship-building efforts.
• Identify emerging funding opportunities and philanthropic trends.
• Conduct benchmarking and research to support fundraising strategies and special initiatives.

• Support donor cultivation and stewardship activities.
• Assist with sponsorship outreach, proposal development, and relationship management.
• Help maintain accurate donor, sponsor, and prospect information within the Foundation's CRM.
• Track fundraising activities, sponsorship commitments, grant opportunities, and development metrics.
• Draft thank-you letters, stewardship communications, and donor recognition materials.

• Coordinate sponsor fulfillment before, during, and after Foundation events.
• Assist with donor hospitality and stewardship activities.
• Help ensure VIP, sponsor, donor, and community partner experiences are organized, welcoming, and professionally executed.
• Coordinate sponsor recognition, signage, and fulfillment of sponsorship benefits.
• Support post-event stewardship and relationship follow-up.

• Assist with fundraising reports, development dashboards, and impact measurement.
• Support grant tracking and reporting activities.
• Maintain prospect pipelines and development records.
• Analyze and organize data to help inform fundraising and partnership strategies.

• Prepare meeting materials and development presentations.
• Organize development files and documentation.
• Assist with special projects and other fundraising initiatives as assigned.

• Business Administration
• Nonprofit Management
• Public Administration
• Marketing
• Communications
• Economics
• Data Analytics
• Related fields

• Hands-on experience in nonprofit fundraising, donor relations, and sponsorship development.
• Practical experience in prospect research, grant tracking, and CRM management.
• Exposure to donor stewardship, sponsor fulfillment, and community partnership strategies.
• Experience creating development reports, dashboards, presentations, and briefing materials.
• Professional networking opportunities with Nebraska business and civic leaders.