McMullan Arts Leadership Internship, Annual Giving (Academic Year 2025–2026)

POSITION SUMMARY:

The museum’s Engagement department is inviting talented and motivated individuals to apply for this internship within the department’s Annual Giving team.

The Engagement department supports the museum’s member and public initiatives including Annual Giving, Member and Visitor Services, Special Events, Programming, Revenue, and Retail/Dining.

The McMullan Art Leadership Intern, Annual Giving will gain experience for implementing innovative communication strategies to engage and retain base and leadership-giving members. This position works with a Director and an Assistant Director, Annual Giving on executing multichannel direct response marketing campaigns including renewals, acquisition, reacquisition, and annual giving, in addition to gaining donor and special events experience with Luminary programs and the Woman’s Board Lecture Luncheon.

The intern will join a museum-wide intern cohort and have access to a range of programs to support their development in addition to their placement in Annual Giving. Mentorship is provided throughout the experience and connections with an intern alumni network will be established.

Goals of the McMullan Arts Leadership Internship Program

The McMullan Arts Leadership internship program is part of a museum-wide effort to provide students the opportunity to gain experience, career awareness, networks, and skills that will position them to thrive as future art museum leaders.

This program specifically aims to support students who encounter economic challenges when considering a career in the arts. Aligned with this goal, we aim to help shape a diverse group of leaders whose actions are informed by a wide range of perspectives, varying career paths, and values inspired by their own lived experiences.

INTERNSHIP OUTCOMES:

In this position, the intern will have the opportunity to:

• Become aware of the inner workings of the museum and understand how different departments function in order to provide more than 1.7 million annual visitors with quality art and culture experiences;
• Gain an understanding of the planning and strategy involved with direct marketing and development work and how each team plays an important role in what results in financial gifts to the museum;
• Acquire and sharpen project management skills including effective resource management, defining, expediting, and reviewing deliverables, and attention to detail;
• Develop mentor relationships with field practitioners;
• Build peer-to-peer relationships with fellow interns.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

With guidance from the position’s mentor, the intern will:

• Edit and review ongoing and ad hoc multi channel direct response marketing campaigns including renewals, acquisition, reacquisition, and annual giving;
• Ensure the Museum's tone and voice is consistent throughout all communication vehicles including, but not limited to: direct mail campaigns, segmented member communications, and other printed and digital communication pieces;
• Research and track trends in annual giving to inform strategy for outreach, retention and acquiring new donors;
• Participate in the execution and delivery of Luminary and Woman’s Board special events;
• Support the wider Engagement team as needed by working events or programming (lectures, workshops, classes, receptions) during the day, evening, and/or weekends).

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Undergraduate or graduate student; recent graduates (within one year of graduation) will also be considered;

• Applicants must be based in the Chicagoland area and/or attending school in the Chicagoland area over the course of the internship term;

• Experience in fundraising, individual giving, and/or direct marketing;
• Superior communication skills, both written and oral;
• Capability to maintain discretion when coming in contact with confidential information is required;
• Proficiency in Microsoft Suite and Google Suite is required;
• Experience working in an office setting is preferred but not required;
• Self-motivated; able to proactively contribute solutions and pose generative questions;
• Detail-oriented and organized; able and willing to complete administrative tasks as necessary;
• Knowledge of Raiser’s Edge database is preferred but not required.

APPLICATION:

You must upload all of the requested materials below (résumé and essay responses) into only one pdf document and list your last name and “AY 25-26” in the title of the file (example: [LAST NAME]_AY 25-26.pdf.) Please upload your materials where asked in the online application.

PLEASE NOTE: You will not be considered if any requested application element is missing.

To apply for this internship, tell us your story. We want to understand who you are, what motivates you, how you think, and where you’re coming from. Please submit the following materials:

• Résumé
• Instead of a traditional cover letter, please respond to the following questions in short essays (no more than 300 words per answer.) We encourage you to provide specific examples to support your answers or to illustrate your ideas:
  • What about this job description interests you the most?
  • With the mission of the McMullan Arts Leadership intern program in mind, what perspectives might you bring to this role that you think museums need more of?
  • How do you envision this opportunity helping you towards your professional goals?

DEADLINE: The deadline to submit an application to this position is Friday, July 25 at 11:59 pm CDT. We will not accept late applications. We will contact the candidates we want to interview within three weeks of our deadline.

INTERNSHIP INFORMATION

Duration of Position: 32 weeks / September 2025 (start date anytime during the week of September 22–26) through April 2026 (end date anytime during the week of April 27–May 1)

Compensation: Paid / $16.73/hr / part-time / Temporary

Schedule: This is a part-time, 32-week position for a currently enrolled or recently graduated undergraduate or graduate student. The intern will work 14 hours per week, for a total of up to 448 hours over the course of the internship. Work days will occur between Monday–Friday; the start date and schedule will be determined upon agreement with the candidate and the host department.

Hourlong virtual and in-person intern professional development programs will be scheduled throughout the internship term that the student is strongly encouraged to attend. These programs will occur during the week; we ask that the intern make this part of their internship schedule.

Format: The internship will be fully onsite. Due to onsite necessity, applicants based or attending school in the Chicagoland area during the internship timeframe will be prioritized. Internet access and appropriate technology will be necessary to complete this internship; technological accommodations will be provided by the Art Institute of Chicago based on necessity.

Number of openings: 1