National Coalition for the Homeless- Development Intern
National Coalition for the Homeless—Development Internship
Reporting Date: Fall 2025 Semester
Reporting to: Donald Whitehead, Executive Director of NCH
This is a non-compensated internship unless your college/university is offering fellowship assistance.
How to Respond: Please send a resume or background information, including the school you are enrolled in and a cover letter explaining why you would like to join the NCH team, as well as if you will be receiving course credit for this internship. Please send your information to dwhitehead@nationalhomeless.org.
Donald Whitehead Ph. (202) 462-4822 x 700 Cell
Internship Summary: The NCH Development Intern will be a hybrid position with some time in person as well as remote work. This individual will participate in the Development Committee to support the fundraising efforts of the organization. The intern will assist with grant research, proposal writing, and planning special events. They will assist with outreach to funders throughout the United States. The development intern will work to improve the fundraising database and assist with the development of a major donor and legacy giving program. This intern will work to set up meetings with key grant makers to forward NCH policy objectives. Finally, the intern will work to highlight inequality and discriminatory policies that act as a block to stable housing in the local community.
Specific Position Activities:
- Attend weekly meetings with staff
- Track local/state/federal legislation related to homelessness and poverty.
- Highlight past champions of racial equity and how they relate to homelessness.
Required Skills and Experience:
- Ability to juggle multiple projects
- Superior research and written communication skills
- Working in a diverse setting with all kinds of people
- Ability to seek input from those with previous experience with homelessness
- Ability to work remotely and without daily supervision
- Ability to research news and interview individuals
Preferred Experience or Skills that will be developed as part of the internship:
- Direct service with homeless/low-income populations
- Experience in writing promotional materials
- Experience in event planning
- Experience in digital and social media writing.
Mission Statement: The National Coalition for the Homeless, founded in 1982, is a national network of individuals who are currently experiencing homelessness or who have been homeless, activists and advocates, community and faith-based homeless service providers, and others dedicated to a single mission. That mission, our common bond, is to end homelessness. We are committed to creating the systemic and attitudinal changes necessary to prevent and end homelessness. At the same time, we work to meet the immediate needs of people who are either currently homeless or at risk of homelessness. We take as our first principle of practice that people who are currently experiencing homelessness or have formerly experienced homelessness must be actively involved in all of our work.
Organizational Goals: The National Coalition for the Homeless remains a substantive voice in the federal legislative process for people who are experiencing homelessness. In our policy advocacy, we work diligently to ensure that mainstream resources and opportunities are available to families and individuals who are either homeless or at risk of homelessness. To end homelessness in the U.S., we use the following strategies to accomplish our mission: lobbying, policy analysis, litigation, public education, community organizing, research, and technical assistance.