Development and Communications Intern

Reports to: Marketing and Communications Manager

Location: Chicago, IL; Hybrid

Schedule: 16 hours per week, January to August 2027

Compensation: $17.50 per hour

CARPLS Legal Aid is Cook County's largest provider of free legal services. We have provided over one million legal consultations to low- and moderate-income residents to help them find solutions to their everyday legal matters. CARPLS operates a legal aid hotline and three court-based advice desks for Cook County. We are also partners with the Cook County Legal Aid for Housing & Debt Early Resolution Program (ERP), and for our statewide projects, we are partners with New Leaf Illinois, the Illinois Armed Forces Legal Aid Network, COVID HELP Illinois and Eviction Help Illinois.

The Development and Communications Intern helps CARPLS raise the support we need and tell the story of the people we serve. You will split your time between our development team, working on grants, donors and events, and our Communications team, working on social media, our website and our brand.

This is a hands-on role for a college student or recent graduate who wants real portfolio pieces and a close look at how a nonprofit funds its work and shares its mission.

• Help plan, write and design posts for Instagram, LinkedIn and Facebook, and keep the content calendar up to date
• Work with program staff and volunteers to gather client stories, photos and event coverage
• Track engagement and help pull numbers for monthly and board reports
• Update pages, news posts and event listings on our WordPress site, and check for broken links and outdated information
• Write and format blog posts and client success stories
• Apply CARPLS brand guidelines across graphics, flyers, presentations, email and fundraising pieces
• Help build and organize our library of photos, logos and templates

• Research foundations, corporate giving programs and government funding opportunities that fit CARPLS's mission
• Keep our grant calendar of deadlines, reports and funder requirements up to date
• Draft prospect profiles and gather data and attachments for grant applications and reports
• Enter gifts, update donor records in Salesforce and help prepare acknowledgment letters
• Help plan the Golden Gavel Gala and Professionals Board events, from sponsorship tracking to event-day check-in

You are a current college student or recent graduate who loves telling stories, enjoys research and wants to use those skills for a good cause.

• Currently enrolled in, or recently graduated from, a bachelor's or graduate program (Communications, Marketing, Journalism, Nonprofit Management or a related field preferred)
• Strong writing, editing and research skills
• Comfortable with Instagram, LinkedIn and Facebook, including how each one works for organizations
• Organized and reliable, with the ability to manage several tasks and deadlines
• Able to handle confidential donor and client information with discretion
• Able to work independently and as part of a small team, and available for occasional evening events with advance notice

• Experience with Canva, Adobe InDesign and/or Illustrator
• Experience with WordPress, Salesforce or another CRM
• Photography or short-form video skills
• Prior fundraising, events or nonprofit experience
• Interest in nonprofits, legal aid or social justice

• Published and portfolio-ready work across grants, social media, web and print
• Experience on both sides of a nonprofit: how it raises money and how it tells its story
• Regular mentorship and feedback from the Director of Development and the Marketing and Communications Manager
• A close-up look at how legal aid serves Cook County residents

Send a resume, a short cover letter, one writing sample and, if you have them, two or three design samples to info@carpls.org with "Development and Communications Intern" in the subject line. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis until November 27, 2026.

CARPLS is an equal opportunity employer. We welcome applicants of all backgrounds and encourage people with lived experience in the communities we serve to apply.