MSU Advance-U Summer Internship
Advance-U program is a 10-week, paid, on-campus, summer internship designed to introduce students to nonprofit and advancement work as a profession.
This job is not major specific. Students from any MSU college and major may apply.
Advance-U interns are matched with a host department in University Advancement (UA) that aligns with their area of interest. During the program, students work on and complete a special project related to their learning goals. At the end of Advance-U, interns present their work to University staff.
Interns are paid $12/hour for a 36-hour workweek and spend Monday – Thursday in their assigned host department. Friday is seminar day and an opportunity to build community, participate in group activities and learn from guest speakers. Students also attend UA special events and off-site learning experiences.
Through Advance-U students will:
- Learn about the field of institutional advancement, nonprofit and higher education fundraising and engagement.
- Experience a broad perspective of the functions that make up University Advancement.
- Develop a deeper understanding of professional goals and how to achieve them through peer-to-peer coaching and interaction with senior leadership.
- Achieve an appreciation for diversity, leadership development, communication skills and teamwork.
- Create a project that helps improve MSU, while enhancing their résumé and getting a jump on their career.
- Enjoy a supportive cohort of fellow interns collaboratively learning about career opportunities.
Projects for summer 2022 are expected to include (these are all separate projects, so applicants do not need to be proficient or have an interest in all skills):
- Event Planning/Event Production
- Research, Data Analysis, Data Collection
- Fundraising (Major Gifts, Annual Giving, Grant Writing)
- Graphic Design
- Writing
- Social Media
- Marketing, Advertising, Public Relations (PR)
- Video Production
- Program Planning
- Human Resources
The application is a rolling application meaning it will likely be closed before the final application deadline.
Projects from Previous Years - this is not mandatory to read, just an example of the types of projects which we may have this summer:
Video and Marketing Development – College of Nursing
Assist with video/media production of events. Plan, develop, and launch a program to recognize veterans associated with the College of Nursing, including faculty, students, alums, and donors. Create a marketing plan and social media content based upon this project. Also create and execute a mailing to identify veteran alums. [Through the project, approximately 70 alums who are veterans of the U.S armed forces were identified. The College of Nursing moved forward with engaging the veteran alums and interviewing them for their monthly e-news updates. The Advance-U intern now works for the college as a student employee and is a vital part of the team.]
Events, Development, & Document Design – College of Natural Science
Prepare for alumni events and Dean’s Advisory Board Meeting occurring in the fall. Assist with fundraising for Kellogg Biological Station Bird Sanctuary Renovation. Also assist the communications director with press releases and articles. Edit and design the Dean’s Research Scholars information sheets and a save-the-date postcard for the CANR Scholarship Breakfast. Work with the list of invitees.
Research & Data Analytics – Alumni Association
Process research of recruiter attendance at MSU career fairs by writing and implementing a survey and analyzing alumni discovery data. Also conduct in-person alumni interviews to identify opportunities for fundraising and prospect engagement. Create a final proposal outlining a plan for prospect development and engagement. Fill in data gaps from Career Services’ alumni list and make recommendations for alumni with an interest in engaging with the alumni office around career concerns. [The research from this project is being used for the career engagement strategy plan in the Alumni Office.]
Recognition Updates & Events – College of Veterinary Medicine
Assist with the Dean’s Introductory Tour events and capturing event information. Update the donor recognition wall by identifying possible replacement opportunities, obtaining pricing, and contacting alumni/donors to confirm information.
Marketing Campaign & Events – College of Arts & Letters
Spearhead a campaign for Summer Circle Theater’s 60th anniversary. Interview unit and regional staff to determine best discovery/cultivation practices. Assist Directors with prospect lists. Assist with stewarding the Arts Weekend Alumni and Friends.
Data & Stewardship Analytics – College of Communication Arts & Sciences
Collect/analyze data in order to develop an outreach and engagement strategy. Craft stewardship plans for donors to the college with planned gifts or endowments. Develop messaging for these stewardship plans and begin execution.
Surveys & Reporting – Annual Giving / Stewardship
Update Stewardship Report. Outline university-wide current practices and conduct a survey of implemented practices within other Big Ten institutions. Integrate data into a best-practices report for cohesive/cooperative, campus-wide stewardship. Include a proposed implementation plan, budget, and anticipated ROI.
Social Media – MSUAA
Develop Twitter strategy for engaging MSU alumni and friends. Research technological platforms for mentorship programs and how social media is utilized for alumni career engagement within alumni associations across the Big10. [The intern for this project was hired as a student employee in the alumni office upon completion of Advance-U, and her project was directly used as a reference within the strategic plan for the communications team in the Alumni Office.]
Stewardship Surveys & Reporting – College of Natural Science
Create the Dean’s Research Scholars “fact sheets” for the College of Natural Science. Conduct research of stewardship best practices. Visit other colleges to learn about their stewardship methods. Call 10 major donors and survey them on their preferences. [As a result of this research, NatSci modified their stewardship practices.]
Marketing Response and Office Analysis – Gift Planning
Interview college development directors and other Big 10 gift planners to gauge how the Office of Gift Planning is utilized and how the MSU Planned Giving results compare to other Big 10 institutions. Review two years of responses to mass mailings sent to prospective donors to educate them about planned giving vehicles. Use Advance records to determine if responses resulted in a documented planned gift. [The intern’s analysis helped Gift Planning fine-tune subsequent mailings to increase effectiveness.]
C-Suite Alumni Research – Corporate Relations
Identify C-Suite-level alumni at Fortune 500 companies by utilizing a Fortune 500 data set that identifies each company’s senior leadership team. Cross reference information with corporate data sources to identify each of the C-suite leaders’ university affiliation. Segment out the subset of Spartan C-Suite alumni and match up to college and regional gift officers as individuals, and with corporate relations officers as executives who can lead engagement and funding opportunities between their company and MSU. [Over 45 previously unidentified C-Suite level Spartans were discovered with this project. Three of the CMO’s who attended the Forbes MSU CMO Symposium for over 400 students were discovered as an outcome. The data was also shared with UA Prospect Development]
Events & Program Planning – MSUAA
Create a collaborative database of all MSU alumni clubs, along with their scholarship activity and engagement to be shared by MSUAA and USF on SharePoint. Streamline scholarship information to club leadership with communication between the MSUAA regional engagement officer and the club. Create club Gift Cart scenarios to supply giving links to all clubs with active scholarship activity.
Alumni Engagement & Social Media – College of Natural Sciences
Work with Advancement & Alumni Relations and Communications within CANR. Create posters and information pages for the Dean’s Research Scholars Program. Conduct internal interviews and consolidate information for a 17-page best-practices report for alumni engagement. Develop proficiency with Mura 7.1 and update CANR website. Make informational/thank you phone calls to NatSci donors. Research Give Green Day projects to identify key areas of support across all constituency groups. Also work on special projects and social media strategy.