Acumen is looking for an Institutional Partnerships Summer Associate (10 - 12-week paid internship) with strong research, analytic and project management skills to support the work of our Development & Partnerships team based in New York. Acumen currently works in a hybrid model and people are in the office Tuesday - Thursday.
Acumen
Acumen is committed to transforming the lives of the poor by investing in people and companies working to solve problems for people living in poverty – companies that provide essential products and services that bring more opportunities and more choices to millions. To date, Acumen has positively impacted 500+ million lives by investing $184M in 197 innovative, early-stage companies in Africa, Latin America, South Asia, and the United States. But investing isn’t just about capital. It’s about investing in people. We’ve been investing in people for years. Connecting with emerging leaders in their own countries and engaging them in extended collective dialogue on what constitutes a “good society”, moral inquiry, and skill building. Our work is enabled by a high-performing global team of about 110 people, and a network of supporters that spans generous individuals, governments, foundations, and corporations.
About Development & Partnerships
Acumen partners with leading global corporations, foundations, and governments to advance our mission to change the way the world tackles poverty. The Development & Partnerships team leads fundraising efforts for the organization, working with companies like Apple, IKEA Foundation, Target Foundation, Bank of America, Autodesk Foundation SAP, EY, and others to invest in and support early-stage social enterprises and business leaders across the energy access, agriculture, workforce development, and education sectors to develop more inclusive, locally-led, sustainable business models. We collaborate with institutions in one or more of the following ways: financial support for Acumen’s initiatives, strategic support for Acumen’s global network of entrepreneurs, or through convenings, insights generation and influence.
About the role
The Summer Associate will help the Development & Partnerships team by supporting the team’s overall strategy and engagement of Acumen’s prospective and current institutional partnerships – corporates, corporate foundations, and foundations. -
The Summer Associate’s primary role will be to contribute to the annual assessment of current institutional partnerships, working with a variety of relationship managers across the organization to better understand new opportunities to partner and how we are delivering against our goals with each partner. Specifically, the Summer Associate will be accountable for:
- Supporting the forward-looking strategy for institutional partners by mapping current relationships across Acumen’s priorities, market trends etc.
- Soliciting and analyzing data – both internal and external – in support of the annual scorecard (e.g., assess strengths and areas of opportunity, provide recommendations for engagement with institutional partners, and internal synergies for effective engagement)
- Support planning for events, conferences, and other potential opportunities for Acumen to share its work in front of institutional audiences and engage corporate partners in thought leadership opportunities..
- Potentially supporting existing events and the creation of sessions at conferences.
- Potentially support engagement with specific corporate partners (sponsorships, events, speaking opportunities)
Skills & Qualifications
- Ability to work efficiently to meet deadline
- Ability to take initiative with research and analysis and produce valuable results in conditions of uncertainty
- Some experience and interest in Business Development (Fundraising) or Account/Relationship Management
- Strong writing and presentation skills
- Familiarity with Salesforce or facility with CRM software
- Ability to work effectively within Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint
- Self-reflective and aligned with Acumen values
- Permanent authorization to work in the United States
- Preferred: First-year MBA candidate or other relevant Master’s degree
Deadline
Applications will be accepted and reviewed on a rolling basis through April 4, 2025
Compensation:
Graduate students will work out of the NYC office and receive a stipend of $750 per week for a maximum of 10-12 weeks.
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What We Do
Acumen is changing the way the world tackles poverty by investing in companies, leaders and ideas. We invest patient capital in businesses whose products and services are enabling the poor to transform their lives. Founded by Jacqueline Novogratz in 2001, Acumen has invested more than $128 million in 128 companies across Africa, Latin America and South Asia. We are also developing a global community of emerging leaders with the knowledge, skills and determination to create a more inclusive world. In 2015, Acumen was named one of Fast Company’s Top 10 Most Innovative Not-for-Profit Companies. Learn more at www.acumen.org and on Twitter @Acumen.
