Fundraising Intern in Philanthropy

for the Zurich office. 6-12 months.

Internships at MSF are part of an intra- or extra-academic course, or according to federal professional integration measures lien Etat de Genève : engager un-e stagiaire. A tripartite internship agreement is mandatory.

Context

Médecins Sans Frontières is an independent, international humanitarian aid organisation. It provides emergency medical aid to people affected by armed conflicts, epidemics and natural disasters or who have no access to health care. Médecins Sans Frontières teams are made up of medical professionals, logisticians and administrative staff, guided by medical ethics and the principles of impartiality, independence and neutrality.

The non-profit organisation was founded in 1971 by doctors and journalists in Paris. Today, MSF is a worldwide movement of more than 42,000 staff at its headquarters and in project countries. MSF Switzerland, with headquarters in Geneva, was founded in 1981.

The Philanthropy Unit is one of seven teams in the Communication & Fundraising Department. We consist of 16 people and raised CHF 72 million in donations in 2021. To cover the Swiss market geographically, we are split between an office at the Geneva headquarters and an office in Zurich. Our main task is to strengthen our relationships with major donors. These include individuals, companies, foundations/trusts as well as cantons and municipalities. In addition, our unit is responsible for handling inheritances and legacies.

Mission

As an intern you will support the Philanthropy Unit in all aspects of fundraising. You will be supervised by the head of the private donor team in Zurich, work closely with all members of the Philanthropy Unit and liaise with colleagues in the Communication & Fundraising department in Geneva

Tasks and responsibilities

• Editorial tasks: Writing, editing and translating fundraising documents, such as thank you letters, newsletters, event invitations, donation requests or PowerPoint presentations.
• Administrative support: organising mass meetings, writing minutes, database maintenance etc.
• Ad-hoc support for specific projects: Co-planning and organising events, webinars, background research etc.
• Creative collaboration in looking after MSF major donors
• Helping to analyse fundraising results (data analysis)
• Responsibility for the coordination of volunteers in the Zurich office
• Acting as a substitute for the receptionist in the Zurich office during her absence (telephone service, e-mail).

Your profile

• Have a tripartite internship agreement
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent qualification in a relevant field
• Excellent written communication and drafting skills (German)
• Very meticulous and accurate way of working
• Proactive, flexible and organised
• Willingness to work with different team members on time in a multicultural work environment
• Experience with MS Office 365, experience with Mailchimp and CRM an advantage
• Interest in fundraising and humanitarian aid

Language skills

• German (mother tongue)
• English (fluent written and spoken)
• French (advantage)

Terms of employment

• A tripartite internship agreement is mandatory
• 6-12 months, or according to internship agreement
• Full time (40h/week)
• Based in Zurich
• Start date: 16 January 2023 or on agreement