Donor Care Internship

About MSF

Doctors without Borders (MSF) Southern Africa is a global network of principled professionals who specialise in medical humanitarian work driven by our common humanity and guided by medical ethics. We work together in teams, small and large, to respond to the medical needs of people affected by conflict, disasters, epidemics and those excluded from healthcare.

Doctors Without Borders team members are on the ground, working directly, every day. We bear witness and describe what is happening, to raise awareness about the experiences of the people we assist and the situations where we work. We alert the public to emerging crises, acute emergencies and serious challenges, such as lack of access and exclusion from healthcare, and to mobilise support for MSF’s work and social mission, provoking change.

Today, MSF is present in more than 70 countries, where thousands of MSF doctors, nurses, logisticians, water-and-sanitation experts, and other medical and nonmedical professionals work together to bring essential health services to people caught in humanitarian crises. MSF South Africa is in Johannesburg, with an office in Cape Town too. MSF SA is governed by the MSF Southern Africa Association, which is made up of more than 300 members from seven countries in the region.

The MSF SA Fundraising Team's mission is

To inspire and engage the South African community to take action to save lives around the world through financial support towards MSF projects. MSF SA’s fundraising department is responsible for raising private funding, predominantly from individuals, to support our humanitarian mission and our activities in the Southern African region.

Purpose of the job

The Donor Care intern at MSF Southern Africa (MSF SA) will be part of the Retentions and Loyalty team in the Fundraising department. Providing essential personal contact to donors and qualified prospects by handling customer service issues, facilitating donors’ queries, gift renewals, upgrades and assisting in all retention activities. Providing quality care for inbound and outbound donor queries via online and offline channels while learning about fundraising and donor care.

Department: Fundraising

Reports to: Retentions Manager

The MSF SA Fundraising Team's mission is

To inspire and engage the South African community to take action to save lives around the world through financial support towards MSF projects. MSF SA’s fundraising department is responsible for raising private funding, predominantly from individuals, to support our humanitarian mission and our activities in the Southern African region.

Job Overview

Reporting to the Retentions manager and working directly with the Donor Retention officer, the Donor Care Intern will provide essential personal contact to donors and qualified prospects by handling customer service issues, facilitating donors’ queries and donation upsell & cross-sell requests.

Visions of the post

• By providing quality outbound and inbound care and services to all donor queries via both online and offline channels, mainly emails and telephone, but not limited to.
• Accurately capturing and recording all donor care requests and queries on the CRM.
• Work with the Donor Care team to archive annual team KPIs and improve 
  donor efficiency. 

We are looking for a proactive and efficient individual with outstanding interpersonal, oral and written communication skills, a strong work ethic and a commitment to confidentiality and high ethical standards. The Donor Care Intern will be able to prioritise the workload on time and translate donor requests and queries into the most efficient solutions to improve MSF’s donor retention and loyalty objectives.

The Donor Care Intern must be passionate about humanitarian causes, have a strong customer service focus, and be excellent at attention to detail. He or she should be highly computer literate with high-level oral and written communication and strong administration skills. 

Key Learnings

The Donor Care Intern will focus on the following learning areas:

• Customer care practical responsibilities and efficiency
• Customer Relationship system management experience and user 
  administration.

Key Task and Responsibilities

1. Pro-active retention program:

• Proactively communicate with regular and Occasional donors in a timely and appropriate manner to: thank/welcome them and systematically encourage increased levels of involvement.
• Work with the Donor Care team to implement the Relationship cycle for Active Regular Donors (RD), Occasional Donors (OC) and Pre-active Regular Donors.
• Ensure that each loyalty campaign is recorded in the database.

2. Re-active retention program:

• Respond to all incoming enquiries and requests from current and prospective donors; update donors' profiles and details, cancellations, and requests for any types of information.
• Record each interaction with donors and update the donor profile accordingly
• Ensure that all gifts are acknowledged with appropriate and timely 
  correspondence

3. Retention program: Admin and Reporting tasks:

• Update, as required, MSF SA fundraising files, both paper and electronic. Active participation and contribution to the Fundraising Financial Audit 
  process.
• Record information about individual donors on the CRM database.
• Actively participate in the MSF CRM database updating and customisation to ensure that the database is meeting any retention activities needs, both for short-term and long-term activities.
• Work with the Donor care team to improve the KPIs of the retention and Loyalty programs.
• Related duties as assigned.

Requirements

Education:

• Relevant tertiary qualification in Marketing, Business Administration, 
  Public Relations, Communications and other related studies.

Knowledge & Skills:

• Proficiency with Microsoft Office, including Word and Excel, and a working knowledge of search functions for donor research; experience with donor databases is a plus.
• Organisational skills and ability to prioritise workload promptly to complete an assignment when faced with many deadlines and competing requirements.
• Excellent verbal and written skills.
• Willingness to learn skills in coordinating and managing personalised donor relationships

Required Competence:

• Passion for humanitarian causes.
• Interpersonal, oral and written communication skills.
• Strong work ethic.
• Ability to work flexible hours.
• Strong customer service focus and excellent attention to detail.
• Demonstrated creative thinking, with the ability to take initiative and the 
  willingness to learn.

Personal attributes:

• Detail-oriented, deadline-driven and self-directed.
• Team-player.
• A natural curiosity about people is key.
• Confidence to show initiative.
• Tact, diplomacy, sound judgment and demonstrated commitment to 
  professional ethics and safeguarding donor confidentiality at all times.
• A positive mental attitude, persistence and desire to learn.
• Cross-cultural awareness.
• Results and quality orientation.
• Strong organisation and multi-tasking skills, and the ability to work under deadlines and pressure at specific times.
• Adhere to the MSF principles and to our values: Respect, Transparency, Integrity, Accountability, Trust, and Empowerment.
• Adhere to the MSF Behavioural Commitments.

Remuneration and resources:

• Resources needed, such as working space, computer, internet, stationery, and other resources, will be made available.
• Monthly Stipend: R 5000.
• 100% Medical aid contribution.
• Transport allowance.
• Cell Phone Allowance.

Commitment:

Length of commitment: 12 months 

APPLY HERE

Closing date: 03 | April | 2026
Starting date: ASAP

Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

NB: Information

The protection of your personal data is important to MSF SnA. By submitting your application, you consent to MSF using your personal data only for the recruitment process to have all the information and documents necessary to proceed with the recruitment, validation of your application and selection of the most suitable candidate. Your personal data will be treated confidentially. MSF SnA will not use your personal data in any other way not foreseen for purposes of recruitment.

MSF values diversity and is committed to creating an inclusive working environment. We welcome applications from all qualified candidates regardless of disability, gender identity, marital or civil partnership status, race, colour or ethnic and national origins, religion or belief, or sexual orientation, and all other diversity characteristics.