The Chicago Humanities Festival has a Cornucopia of Internships

Ex LibrisCareer Builders

The Chicago Humanities Festival Internship Program welcomes students and graduates to experience the creation and execution of public programs within a nonprofit cultural institution.

This program internship will require a commitment of 14-21 hours a week, starting in late January and ending in late May, 2014.

CHF internships are project-based and vary based on the program cycle and needs of the organization. While all intern projects involve inter-departmental collaboration, each intern project has a specific concentration as outlined below.

Marketing Intern:

Specific project-related aspects of the internship include:

  • Research and undertake specific outreach and marketing to Chicago and suburban families for the 2014 spring festival “Stages, Sights & Sounds,” including attending networking events, distributing festival materials and posters, and more.
  • Assist marketing staff with public relations efforts for winter and spring programs, including publicity to Chicago area universities and colleges and entry of CHF event information on various online community calendars.
  • Assist marketing and website staff with communications for February through May 2014 events
  • Assist marketing and website staff with early preparations for the fall 2014 festival

The successful applicant will have:

  • Strong written and oral communication skills
  • Proficiency in Microsoft Office programs (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
  • Ability to multitask on multiple projects at once; ability to work in a fast-paced environment
  • Design skills, including Adobe Creative Suite 3 products (InDesign, Illustrator, and especially Photoshop), optional but preferred

Web Content Intern:

  • Specific project-related aspects of the internship include:
  • To work on the Festival’s multichannel web strategy; Tasks will include creating multimedia content from video and/or audio captured from past Festival programs.
  • The successful applicant will have:
  • Demonstrable experience with any video and sound editing software
  • Firm understanding of concepts and terms in video and audio editing
  • Experience editing images and converting content to multimedia formats for online use
  • Rudimentary HTML authoring experience a plus, but not required
  • Excellent Word and Excel skills
  • Strong written and verbal communication skills
  • Excellent organizational and time management skills
  • The ability to work both independently and on teams

Box Office Intern:

  • Specific project-related aspects of the internship include:
  • Box office preparation for the 2014 Stages, Sights, & Sounds festival and other year round programs
  • Assist in the management of venue bag packing and coordination
  • Administrative tasks including processing ticket orders; managing real-time box office information; database maintenance; filing, mailings, and other duties as assigned
  • Creating strategy to aid in the continuous development of customer service within the box office and front of house The successful applicant will have:
  • Strong written and oral communication skills
  • Excellence in customer service both on the phone and in person
  • Proficiency in Microsoft Office programs, especially Word and Excel
  • Ability to multitask on multiple projects and strong organization skills
  • Ability to work in a fast-paced environment

Production Intern:

  • Specific project-related aspects of the internship include:
  • Working closely with the Director, Production, to produce selected programs and venues. Duties may include, but are not limited to, communicating with artists, presenters, partners, venues, vendors, and the like; determining technical requirements; confirming and augmenting requirements as needed; tracking details in the FileMaker database
  • Other responsibilities such as drafting contracts and maintaining files, as needed.

The successful applicant will have:

  • Should have some previous production or special event experience and enjoy complex multi-layered projects, show initiative and be able to work in a team environment
  • Have experience with both Mac and PC computers,
  • Microsoft Word and Excel experience is required
  • Experience with Filemaker Pro and Raiser’s Edge databases is a plus.

Program Intern:

  • Specific project-related aspects of the internship include:
  • Participating in the early stages of program research for the fall 2014 Festival
  • Researching biographical information and contact information for potential CHF presenters
  • Providing logistical support at winter/spring Festival programs
  • Providing administrative support for the spring festival, Stages, Sights & Sounds, including database entry and itinerary creation; Helping maintain the FileMaker Archive database

The successful applicant will have:

  • Should enjoy complex research projects, demonstrate dynamic writing abilities
  • Show initiative, have extensive computer experience and be able to work in a team environment.
  • Microsoft Excel, Filemaker Pro, and Raiser’s Edge experience a plus.

Development Intern:

  • Specific project-related aspects of the internship include:
  • The primary responsibility of this internship will be to perform prospect research on potential donors and board members.
  • Prospect research involves utilizing a variety of online resources to gather information and then collating this data to create comprehensive biographies on the prospects.
  • This process also includes tracking prospect engagement and updating records in our donor database Raiser’s Edge.

The successful applicant will have:

  • Candidates should possess extensive computer skills
  • Strong attention to detail, excellent writing skills and the ability to work independently.
  • Candidates should feel comfortable executing multi-part projects and complex research assignments.
  • Experience with Raiser’s Edge or a similar donor database is a plus.

How to apply:

Please submit the following by November 27, 2013

Application (uploaded at http://chicagohumanities.org/about/internships ), a cover letter, resume, a brief personal statement and one or two letters of recommendation (optional).

Internship Program

email: internship@chicagohumanities.org

fax: 312.661.1018

post: Internship Director, 500 N Dearborn, Suite 825, Chicago IL 60654

Your personal statement should be no longer than 500 words and include your career goals and what you hope to contribute to the Festival.

About the Chicago Humanities Festival

Get Cultured. Seriously! The Chicago Humanities Festival creates opportunities for people of all ages to support, enjoy and explore the humanities. We fulfill this mission through our annual festivals, the fall Chicago Humanities Festival and the spring international performance festival, Stages, Sights & Sounds, and by presenting programs throughout the year and on our web site that encourage the study and enjoyment of the humanities.

Audiences can experience lectures and performances by people as diverse as Matt Groening, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Tony Kushner, Sarah Jones, Antony Gormley, Dan Savage, Robert Reich, Sam Shepard, Lynda Barry; as well as performing arts companies from all over the world.

The Chicago Humanities Festival is devoted to making the humanities a vital and vibrant ingredient of daily life. We believe that access to cultural, artistic and educational opportunities is a necessary element for a healthy and robust civic environment. Tickets for most Festival programs are $5 to $28 in advance; a $5 per tickets a surcharge applies to all purchases at the event. Free and reduced –price tickets are available for students and teachers (with ID).

The Chicago Humanities Festival is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Employer.