Community Engagement Intern (Bilingual Spanish/English)

Every year, nearly 1,200 children in Illinois are newly diagnosed with a life-threatening illness. Make-A-Wish Illinois believes that wishes are an important part of the overall care and treatment of these children, and each wish offers the opportunity for a joyous, life-changing experience. This belief guides us in everything we do at Make-A-Wish Illinois, as we are fueled and guided by our values — values that are represented in the inspired people we work with and the life-changing work we do, every day. 

Since being founded locally in 1985, Make-A-Wish Illinois has granted more than 17,000 wishes and continues its mission to share the power of a wish with children in all 102 counties across the state. This is made possible with the support over 1,000 WishMakers and numerous donors and other supporters. A dynamic, professional staff is also essential to delivering high-quality wishes to children.

The Make-A-Wish Illinois Internship Program is a structured 10-week program (June-August) that will provide you with a unique opportunity to see how a renowned nonprofit organization runs from the inside by developing business acumen. The Community Engagement internship provides exposure to what goes into maintaining an amazing brand image for a successful nonprofit organization. There will be opportunities to learn how to draft press releases, create collateral and other mixed media to help increase brand awareness in the Southside of Chicago. In this position you will be working under the Community Engagement team to help foment brand presence in events with the goal of increasing volunteer recruitment and create new relationships with potential referral sources.

This is an unpaid internship opportunity.

Qualified candidates will be contacted by hiring team to schedule interviews.

Time Commitment: 10-15 hours per week (hybrid work experience), including at least one in-office working day, from early June through early August. It is required to attend our in-office orientation on Tuesday, June 3rd, 2025.

Minimum Requirements:

• Must be able to work in a hybrid environment and commute to our downtown Chicago office (we are located in the Central Loop)
• Selected candidates will be asked to participate in a criminal background check
• Must reside in the state of Illinois during the duration of the internship cycle
• Demonstrated ability to work well in a team environment
• Desire to contribute to the mission of Make-A-Wish
  

Key Responsibilities:

• Event support and outreach assistance for external community events as assigned
• Research, writing, preparing, submitting, and speaking at press releases and other media communications (as instructed)
• Organizing off-site community outreach and alumni engagement activities
• Speaking to assigned parent groups, referring organizations and individuals to deepen their engagement
• Assisting with data entry
• Additional outreach projects as needed

Skills and Abilities:

• Bilingual (English/Spanish)
• Strong attention to detail
• Well-developed communication skills - comfortable speaking with wish families, compassionate, charismatic, good listener, clear and thoughtful in tone and delivery
• Ability to multi-task
• Proficiency with Microsoft Suite
• Familiarity with Salesforce
• Public Speaking
   

Preferred Qualifications:

• Coursework in marketing, journalism, advertising, communications, public relations, and/or events management

An internship at Make-A-Wish Illinois provides a unique opportunity to see how a renowned nonprofit organization runs from the inside. In addition to the learning opportunities outlined in the job description, all interns also:

• Sit down with the senior leaders of our organization
• Build working relationships with interns throughout other departments
• Skill-based workshops and projects
• Participate in creating impactful lifelong memories for children with critical illnesses and families
• Opportunity to assist in the creation and execution of wishes