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+ Wags PupUp Brand Ambassador Internship

SUMMARY

Hamptons | June – Labor Day (Summer 2026)

Stipend Available | College Credit Eligible

Wags & Walks is seeking motivated, passionate, and community-oriented students to join our Wags PupUp Brand Ambassador Internship for Summer 2026. This role supports our seasonal Hamptons PupUp, a high-impact summer initiative focused on dog rescue, adoption, and community engagement throughout the Hamptons. This internship is ideal for high school students (17+) or college students who love animals, enjoy connecting with people, and want hands-on experience in nonprofit marketing, events, and brand activations.

Internship Overview

• Brand Ambassadors will play a key role in helping us bring Wags & Walks’ mission to life across the Hamptons through local events, outreach, and on-the-ground support. Interns will assist with promoting summer events, supporting adoption activations, and helping spread awareness about rescue dogs in need of homes.

• This is a partially in-person role and applicants must be local to the Hamptons for the summer (or have summer housing in the area). This is not a fully remote opportunity.

Time Commitment

• Duration: June through Labor Day
• Schedule: Flexible, with availability required for: Local events and activations (weekends and occasional weekdays)
• Some remote support (admin, coordination, outreach)
• Exact hours will vary week to week based on event schedule

Responsibilities

• Represent Wags & Walks as a Brand Ambassador at local events, puppy parties, adoption events, and community activations
• Assist with flyering, outreach, and grassroots promotion throughout the Hamptons
• Support on-site logistics at events (setup, breakdown, guest engagement, adoption support)
• Help spread awareness of Wags PupUp initiatives through word-of-mouth and community engagement
• Provide occasional remote support, including:
• Event coordination assistance
• Admin support
• Tracking outreach efforts
• Act as a positive, professional, and enthusiastic representative of the Wags & Walks brand
• Opportunity to grow into Adoptions and Foster support roles

Ideal Candidate

We’re looking for students and young adults who are:

• Extremely self-motivated and reliable
• Passionate about animal welfare, rescue, and community impact
• Comfortable talking to new people and engaging with the public
• Organized, responsible, and eager to learn
• Able to attend in-person events across the Hamptons
• Local to the Hamptons for the summer (or have summer lodging in the area)

Eligibility

• High school students 17+ or current college students
• Must be available June through Labor Day
• Must be able to commute locally within the Hamptons
• Having consistent access to a vehicle is a big plus
• Must be comfortable working in active, public-facing environments

Compensation & Benefits

• Summer stipend provided
• Eligible for college credit (school approval required)
• Hands-on experience in nonprofit marketing, events, and community outreach
• Meaningful involvement in a mission-driven organization saving dogs’ lives
• Networking opportunities within the Hamptons community and nonprofit space

Important Notes

• Wags & Walks does not provide summer housing
• This role is not fully remote and requires in-person participation

+ Events Manager (Los Angeles Based)

ABOUT US

Wags & Walks is a 501c3 nonprofit dog rescue in Los Angeles, Nashville and New York that’s rescued over 18,000 dogs since 2011. We are a community of dog lovers working to promote shelter dogs as the best dogs in the world through advocacy of our unique family-friendly foster and adoption programs.

SUMMARY

This role presents an exciting opportunity to become a part of an already strong Events Program at the organization as it continues to grow the team following a strong 2025 on the impact and event front. The Event Manager is responsible for leading the teams that identify, negotiate, organize, and execute all Wags and Walks fundraising events throughout the year while also playing a key role in rolling up their sleeves for some of the organization’s newer initiatives. This is a Los Angeles based role that manages a team of Event Coordinators who partner with volunteers to execute the 150+ events that the organization has a presence at or organizes annually. In addition to overseeing the smooth execution of the smaller events throughout the year, this role takes ownership of larger annual events including the Neighborhood Social, Annual Gala (contractor support as well), and either a Wellness or Holiday market. The Los Angeles and Nashville locations are year round locations with a physical presence while the organization hosts a "Pup Up" in New York during the Summer. This Summer will be the fourth year in NY and this role is instrumental in the planning and logistics leading up to the Summer. The ideal candidate is flexible and able to join in New York for a good part of the Summer (5 weeks) with candidates that are only able to join for 2 weeks or less encouraged to apply with a note during the initial application. This multifaceted role must be well organized, motivated, possess a strong work ethic and have the ability to positively interact with donors, partners, volunteers and staff in a fast-paced, high-pressure environment, while remaining calm, focused, consistent, resourceful and efficient.

DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

Event Calendar and Strategic Planning

• Own the annual event calendar - from recurring weekly corporate pup-ups to marquee fundraisers - ensuring a balance of event types to hit revenue, exposure, and impact KPIs are met. Find creative solutions to fill gaps.
• Negotiate inbound event inquiries in collaboration with Head of Partnerships & Strategy, assessing fit against revenue goals, brand standards, and team capacity
• Lead planning kick off meetings for high-lift and marquee events: define scope, timeline, budget, roles (assigning clear ownership across departments and team members)

Project Management and Execution

• Build on existing processes and maintain detailed project plans for all active events using Monday.com and Google Sheets - ensuring records and kept current
• Translate vision into action: take direction from leadership and turn it into a concrete, sequenced plan with clear accountability at every step
• Identify scheduling conflicts, resource constraints, and cross-departmental dependencies early; resolve them before they become event-day problems
• Track progress across all active events and provide regular status updates, proactively flagging issues and suggesting solutions
• Conduct post-event debriefs; documenting lessons learned, sharing post-event reporting metrics, and using lessons to sharpen future opportunities

Team Leadership and Event Execution

• Manage and develop two Event coordinators - provide clear direction, set bi-weekly schedules, and provide real-time support so they are able to execute confidently at each event
• Discern when to lead from the front and when to roll up your sleeves - marquee and high-lift events require more hands-on presence and on-the-ground leadership
• Be one of the faces of the Wags and Walks event team in the community - showing up with energy, professionalism, and always wearing a fundraising hat, ready to make connections
• Ensure Wags and Walks brand standards are consistently met at every event
• Lead volunteer development efforts at events, working with the Volunteer and Community Coordinator to ensure coverage is thoughtful and volunteers feel valued

Internal Cross-Departmental Collaboration and Coordination

• Serve as the logistical hub for event execution - aligning with Foster, Animal Care, Adoptions, and Volunteer leads on event timing and dog needs
• Work with Marketing and PR teams to ensure events are promoted properly in advance, that content is captured during events, bringing creative energy to drive attendance for pilot workshops and events
• Ensure partnership deliverables related to events are achievable andexecuted to the highest standard

Fundraising & Revenue

• Lead the team in evaluating and negotiating incoming event inquiries.
• Support in outreach to vendors and sponsors to help build out the calendar and make a desired impact
• Collaborate with Head of Partnerships to ensure event calendar is structured to meet monthly and annual revenue targets
• Track event revenue and expenses for monthly analysis reports
• Support the all-team effort around Annual Auction fundraising New York Pup-Up
• Oversee execution of the event calendar for Wags’ Annual Hamptons Pup-Up (July - August)
• Collaborate with Marketing, Partnerships, and New York Program teams to ensure deliverables are met
• Coordinate all logistics including team and volunteer briefings in the leadup
• Be present in the Hamptons for a significant portion of the summer (ideally 5+ weeks) to ensure on-the-ground execution that meets Wags’ standards

QUALITIES

• Must be a dog lover!
• Problem solver and quick thinker
• Comfortable leading and delegating while also knowing when the time is right to roll up your sleeves
• Not afraid to talk to everyone and anyone about Wags and Walks
• Excellent project management skills
• A team player who works well with others
• Friendly demeanor and positive attitude
• Over-communicator
• Enjoys working in a fast paced and dynamic environment
• Exceptional customer service skills
• Is very detail oriented
• Proactive and a self-starter

QUALIFICATIONS

• Must have a College Degree

• 5+ years of Event management/planning experience including exposure to larger scale events

• 2-3+ years of management experience

• Must be able to work nights and weekends as needed

• Experience with nonprofits, fundraising and sales preferred

• Willingness to spend the Summer in NY preferred and some some willingness to travel required

• Computer proficient (Google docs, Monday or Asana, ability to learn new software, etc)

• Must have a current and valid California Driver’s License

• Must be comfortable standing for long periods and lifting up to 40 lbs

BENEFITS & COMPENSATION

• Join a passionate team in a rewarding field
• Plenty of quality time with amazing rescue dogs
• Strong health, dental, and vision benefits
• PTO that increases every year
• Snacks, drinks, and monthly team lunches
• Annual salary of $75,000 - $85,000 based on experience

+ Development Manager (Los Angeles Based)

ABOUT US

Wags & Walks is a 501c3 nonprofit dog rescue in Los Angeles, Nashville and New York that’s rescued over 17,000 dogs since 2011. We are a community of dog lovers working to promote shelter dogs as the best dogs in the world through advocacy of our unique family-friendly foster and adoption programs.

SUMMARY

The Development Manager is responsible for moving forward the organization’s Individual Giving program as the role works to build out its own donor portfolio while simultaneously leading team members that support a variety of development programs. This role works closely with, and reports to, the organization’s Executive Directors as they support their major donor stewardship efforts throughout the year. Candidates should be comfortable networking and building strong relationships as this role is expected to be a strong networking presence in the community as they speak to the organization’s work and connect with passionate dog lovers to introduce them to Wags and Walks. An ability to help work through how the numerous touch points can be refined from a development perspective and play a key role in the transition to a new CRM software. This CRM transition along with support in developing the donor flow for the New York “Pup Up” will be some of the role’s early responsibilities. This is an exciting opportunity for a strategic, relationship-driven fundraiser who is passionate about rescue dogs and energized by building something impactful during a critical growth phase. Candidates should thrive in a fast-paced environment, bring fresh ideas, and feel confident leading both strategy and people. Candidates are asked to submit a cover letter describing why they are inspired by this role and our mission.

DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

Individual Giving Program & Management

• Collaborate with the appropriate team members but ultimately own the thorough scoping and build out of all potential donor paths and stewardship for new donors, adopters, fosters, and volunteers
• Become a power user in the organization’s CRM platform to support stewardship including portfolio management
• Maintain and grow a portfolio of mid- to major-level donors, cultivating long-term, values-aligned relationships
• Identify, qualify, and steward new major donor prospects
• Create thoughtful cultivation and stewardship plans, ensuring personalized engagement and impact reporting
• Manage, coach, and mentor 1-2 team members (to start) that own donor portfolios to help them achieve their revenue goals
• Tailor the guidance given to direct reports to the organization’s Founder and Executive Director to support their stewardship efforts as appropriate

Campaigns, Events, & Monthly Giving

• Partner with Marketing and Events teams to align on fundraising campaigns and give strategic insight based on both experience and donor interactions
• Work with the Events team to identify events worth attending from a networking perspective and cultivate relationships with passed off contacts as appropriate
• Identify relevant networking opportunities and work to represent the organization out in the community to build relationships at least once per week
• Grow Pup Club (monthly giving program) through targeted recruitment and stewardship strategies
• Support cross-market fundraising efforts in Nashville, LA, and New York including potentially joining in New York for at least 2 weeks per Summer.

Team Leadership & Culture

• Recruit, train, manage, and inspire development staff and key volunteers
• Foster a collaborative, accountable, mission-driven development culture
• Communicate fundraising goals and equip staff and volunteers to support development efforts

Reporting & Budget Management

• Support the Leadership team in overseeing the development budget and revenue tracking
• Support the Leadership team in producing monthly reporting, insights, and recommendations to help shape development focus
• Use data to drive strategy, track progress, and improve donor retention and acquisition
• Ensure financial categorization and fundraising data are accurate and up to date

Success In This Role Looks Like:

• Thorough and swift build out of a thoughtful individual giving program.
• Be a key contributor to the organization’s goal of $4.5M in individual donations (excluding major events) with a $9M overall budget that includes the Capital Campaign
• Increased donor engagement and retention, including the recruitment of new donors
• Successful CRM adoption and improved fundraising efficiency
• Clear stewardship and donor experience touchpoints
• Strong management skills and cultivation of the direct reports also owning a portfolio including year over year growth
• Consistently show up as a motivated and cohesive development team member
• Strong cross-department collaboration

QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree required
• 3+ years nonprofit fundraising experience
• 1+ years development leadership/management experience
• Proven track record cultivating donor relationships
• Experience with CRM systems (Salesforce, Kindful, etc.)
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to work evenings/weekends for events as needed
• Proficiency with Google Workspace and fundraising software

QUALITIES & COMPENSATION

• Must be a dog lover
• Strategic thinker with strong execution ability
• Inspiring and supportive team leader
• Exceptional relationship builder and communicator
• Proactive, resourceful, and solutions-oriented
• Highly organized and detail-driven
• Data-informed decision maker
• Positive, collaborative, and mission-focused
• Thrives in a fast-paced and evolving environment, self motivated and able to be an entrepreneur in the role
• Exceptional donor stewardship and customer service mindset
• Annual salary between $80,000 - $90,000 based on experience