2024 Fall Community Arts & Development Internship

Photo by Minoosh Zomorodinia.

  • Internship

2024 Fall Community Arts & Development Internship

Application Due: Friday, July 26, 2024
Length of Internship:  August 12﹣December 20, 2024

Must be available to work in person September 14 and October 19, 2024 (Saturdays) for Southern Exposure’s 50th Anniversary and our Monster Drawing Rally.

Description:

This internship will provide valuable training in the field of non-profit arts development for a contemporary arts organization. The internship is not a paid employment relationship, but is a stipended educational opportunity that will benefit the candidate with mentorship, training, and instruction. 

Engaging in a wide variety of professional activities under the instruction and supervision of the Operations and Development Coordinator, the Community Arts & Development Intern assists in coordinating all aspects of our annual fundraiser and event organizing, digital content management, database management, artist coordination, volunteer coordination, and donor fulfillment. Responsibilities of the Community Arts & Development Intern will include collecting and organizing information for the 50th Anniversary and Monster Drawing Rally Fundraisers; sending out event postings and calendar listings; uploading photos and text to the SoEx website; supporting the logistics at the event; and data entry.

Must be available at least one day a week. As a major component of this internship is our 50th Anniversary Celebration and 2024 Monster Drawing Rally, candidates must be available the afternoon and evening of September 14th and October 19th, 2024 to be considered for this internship.

This opportunity is ideal for someone interested in learning about event-based fundraising, the Bay Area artist community, and the in-and-outs of a midsize arts nonprofit. In addition to receiving a modest stipend, there is also ample opportunity to learn the ins and outs of grassroots fundraising and development, and learn about the many moving parts of hosting a rigorous fundraising event. 

About Southern Exposure:

Southern Exposure (SoEx) is a 50-year-old artist-centered nonprofit organization committed to supporting visual artists. Through our extensive and innovative programming, SoEx strives to experiment, collaborate and further educate while providing an extraordinary resource center and forum for Bay Area and national artists and youth in our Mission District space and off-site, in the public realm.

The principles of Southern Exposure’s internship program are to:

  • Provide interns with professional experience in arts administration
  • Prepare interns for, and connect them with, further opportunities within the arts, especially paid positions and leadership roles
  • Actively seek out communities and experiences that are underrepresented in arts administration
  • Build nurturing relationships that share knowledge in omnidirectional ways between interns, staff and other SoEx community members

All interns should be interested in working in a nonprofit arts environment, possess a commitment to equity in the arts, and have computer skills. Due to COVID-19, our staff is currently working both in the office and from home, and candidates should be prepared to commit a combination of hours on site at Southern Exposure and at home on their own computer (if this presents a barrier to your participation, we can make arrangements for participating on site during all internship hours).
 

Attributes Needed:

  • Attention to detail
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills
  • Ability to self-direct and follow through with long-term projects; 
  • Knowledge of contemporary artistic practices; 
  • Working knowledge of Apple computers and Gmail. Experience with Google Drive, Google Sheets, Google Docs, InDesign/Photoshop, Facebook, and Instagram is helpful. 

Expectations:

SoEx internships are educational opportunities providing training and opportunities to learn while gaining professional skills. At this time, we can offer a $1,500 stipend per intern for the duration of the internship to help offset expenses incurred during the internship. We are happy to partner with schools and community organizations to provide further stipends or course credit. We are dedicated to providing professional development toward our interns’ goals. Interns are expected to commit 8﹣10 hours per week, ideally across 2 consecutive days each week. Typically at least 1 day/week is in-person in our office.

Activities:

Activities include instruction and practice in:

  • Event logistics and volunteer coordination:
    • Event Support:
      • Coordinate all aspects with Development Coordinator of Fundraising Events including:
      • Food and Beverage
      • Decoration
      • Check In and Cashier Set up
      • Rental Equiptment Inventory and Logistics
      • Digital and in-person volunteer communication and support
    • Webstore support, auction shipping and fulfillment: 
      • Collect, edit, and upload photos for online platform and gallery
      • Coordinate with Events and Development Coordinator to organize artist information
      • Assist with art logistics
  • Website Support:
    • Support Development Coordinator with website development and design
  • Data Management and Post-Fundraiser Thank You’s: 
    • Process and Document Monster Drawing Rally Sales and Donations
    • Support Development for acknowledgements
  • Administrative Tasks:
    • Database administrator for Civi, our Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system
    • Data management in Google Sheets
  • Execute a final project (interview, survey, research of your choice)
  • Participate in a professional development workshop

Application instructions:

Please send a current résumé that reflects any relevant experience and skills, along with two professional references (contact information only, no reference letters required) and a cover letter that explains what you will bring to the position and what you hope to gain as an intern to [email protected]. Please apply by July 26, 2024 for full consideration.