Development Intern

New York Lawyers for the Public Interest (NYLPI), a community-driven civil rights organization, seeks an undergraduate student to work as an intern with its Development and Communications team for the Fall of 2025. This will be a hybrid in-person and work from home position, and NYLPI will ensure that the intern will have any necessary technology.

The Organization

For nearly 50 years, NYLPI has been a leading civil rights advocate for New Yorkers marginalized by race, immigration status, poverty, neighborhood pollution, and disabilities. NYLPI pioneered the practice of community lawyering in the five boroughs of New York City. These communities shape our priorities, and their struggles for justice demand innovative solutions. Our interdisciplinary teams of advocates use every tool available – community organizing, impact litigation and individual representation, policy advocacy, media, pro bono partnerships, and public education – to solve seemingly intractable problems, develop leaders, and build collective power to achieve justice. We strive to create equal access to health care, achieve equality of opportunity and self-determination for people with disabilities, ensure immigrant opportunity, strengthen local nonprofits, and secure environmental justice for frontline communities.

The Position

The Development Intern will report to the Deputy Development Director and support the work of the Development and Communications Director and team. The intern will assist with the day-to-day operations of the Development and Communications team including conducting donor research, development of donor communications, and supporting planning for NYLPI’s upcoming 50th Anniversary. The position provides a unique opportunity to interact with a large variety of public interest legal organizations as well as lawyers from some of New York City’s prominent law firms.

Responsibilities include: Conducting prospective donor research; supporting the development of donor briefing materials; developing communications materials around NYLPI’s 50th Anniversary; maintaining donor data and tracking systems using NYLPI’s donor database.

Qualifications: Applicants should be interested in gaining exposure to the legal sector, civil rights advocacy, and be interested in sharpening communication and fundraising skills. Strong organizational, interpersonal and writing skills are essential. Proficiency in computer applications such as Microsoft Word, Outlook, Excel, databases, and design software a plus. Applicants must possess a commitment to public interest and must also fit into a team-oriented environment.

Applicants should be available to intern for 12 to 16 hours per week as a combination of in-person and remote work. Please note that NYLPI requires that employees and interns demonstrate proof of vaccination against COVID-19. This internship includes a stipend or can be completed for academic credit.

To Apply: Please send applications to jobs@nylpi.org with the subject line “Attention: Development Internship.” Applications for our program are accepted and assessed on a rolling basis until all positions are filled. We strongly encourage early applications. Applications must include:

1. Detailed cover letter explaining your interest in an internship with NYLPI with a specific answer to the following required question: How have your background or experiences, professional or otherwise, prepared you to contribute to our commitment to cultural competency and diversity, equity, and inclusion? Feel free to think broadly about your response to this question, applying various aspects of your life and personal experiences. Please also reference in your cover letter where you saw this posting.
2. Resume

We strongly encourage candidates fluent in multiple languages and candidates from historically marginalized populations to apply. Students enrolled in an accredited Historically Black College or University or a public law school are also encouraged to apply. We are committed to advancing social justice and civil rights in our advocacy, and we value the dynamism and perspective that staff diversity, equity, and inclusion bring to the work and culture of our organization. We strive to promote behaviors, attitudes, and policies that enable us to work inclusively and effectively in cross-cultural situations with clients, co-workers, and community partners. NYLPI is an equal opportunity employer, we actively recruit and seek to grow and maintain a staff that is diverse along many axes, including but not limited to race, ethnicity, and national origin; disability; socioeconomic background; sexual orientation; and gender identity.