Development and Communications Intern
Internship Announcement
POSITION: Development and Communications Intern
REPORTS TO: Development Director and Communications Manager
LOCATION: Bend, OR
CLASSIFICATION: FLSA Non-Exempt, Part-time (up to 18 hours per week)
DURATION: 15 weeks, approximately March 9 to June 19, 2026
Oregon Natural Desert Association (ONDA) is a nonprofit conservation organization with a mission to protect, defend and restore Oregon's high desert. With offices in Bend and Portland, Oregon, we represent more than 25,000 members and supporters around the state and across the country advocating for conservation and restoration of more than 12 million acres of high desert public lands in central and eastern Oregon. This includes iconic regions like the Owyhee Canyonlands, Steens Mountain, the John Day River and the Greater Hart-Sheldon. Read more at www.ONDA.org.
POSITION DESCRIPTION
The Development and Communications Intern will undertake a range projects. The Intern will gain valuable nonprofit fundraising and database management experience by supporting gift entry and donor acknowledgement operations. The Intern will also play a key role in the production of ONDA’s Wild Desert Calendar including photo selection, publication support, and promotions. The Intern will also participate in organizational communications work including social media content creation, editorial writing, website management, and graphic design.
The Intern will work alongside a four-person Development and Communications team and the position will require collaboration and a desire to learn. The Intern will have the opportunity to be creative, hands-on, and build practical skills that will assist them throughout their career.
The preferred start date for this position is the week of Monday, March 9, 2026 with limited flexibility for the right candidate. This position requires that the Intern work in-person at ONDA’s Bend office.
DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS
Candidates will have a professional interest in the conservation field, nonprofit work, fundraising and communications. Initial applicant screening will select for those candidates who meet the following qualifications:
- Strong writer and communicator
- Database management or data entry experience
- Social media content creation experience
- Highly organized with attention to detail
- Microsoft Office experience is required, with knowledge of Salesforce, WordPress, Canva, and/or Adobe Suite a plus
- Experience working in an office environment, with nonprofit work experience a plus
ELIGIBILITY
The Development and Communications Internship is open to individuals with a demonstrated interest in ONDA’s conservation mission and is well suited to early career individuals looking to build their professional experience in nonprofit management, development and fundraising, and donor communications.
COMPENSATION
This internship is approximately 18 hours per week, preferably 3 days a week, and is paid at $20/hour for a duration of 15 weeks.
TO APPLY
ONDA uses an anonymous applicant screening process to ensure fair and objective applicant evaluation. To help facilitate this review, please submit your application via email, with your email including two separate attachments as follows:
- Attachment #1: A single page that includes your name, address, email and phone number. Do not include this identifying information anywhere else in your attachments.
- Attachment #2: A cover letter (without your name) describing your qualifications and how this internship supports your career goals, resume (without your name), and the contact information for three references. This information should be combined into a single .doc or .pdf file.
Please submit these application materials to admin@onda.org no later than Sunday, January 25, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time.
ONDA is an Equal Opportunity Employer
ONDA is committed to diversity, equity and inclusion and seeks to create an inclusive environment for all volunteers, partners, collaborators and employees. Our commitment to diversity includes the recognition that our mission is best advanced by the leadership and contributions of people of diverse backgrounds, beliefs and cultures. We strongly encourage applicants from all cultures, races, colors, religions, sexes, national or regional origins, ages, disability status, sexual orientation, gender identity, military, protected veteran status or other status protected by law. Please review our commitment to fostering diversity, equity, inclusion and justice in environmental conservation at https://onda.org/justice/.