Internship Opportunity: Data Visualization
National Funeral Directors Association | Brookfield, WI
Part-time | Approximately 10 hours per week | Start Date: June 8, 2026
About NFDA
The National Funeral Directors Association is the world's largest funeral service trade association, representing nearly 20,000 members across the United States. Founded in 1882, NFDA serves funeral professionals by providing education, advocacy, resources, and research that help members deliver compassionate, high-quality care to the families they serve.
NFDA's Research plays a central role in this mission, producing data-driven insights that inform member programming, conference planning, consumer engagement initiatives, and industry-wide reporting. This internship sits at the intersection of that research work and the communication of findings to internal stakeholders and NFDA's broader membership.
Position Summary
The Data Visualization & Survey Research Intern will work alongside NFDA's Researcher and Marketing teams to support the full lifecycle of survey projects, from initial data collection and quality review through analysis, visualization, and final reporting. This is ideal for a student who wants hands-on experience turning real data into clear, usable insights.
Much of the work will center on surveys tied to NFDA's annual convention and other member-facing events. The intern will be responsible for helping organize and clean incoming data, building charts and visual summaries, and drafting narrative takeaways that can be used in presentations and reports. Work will be performed primarily in Microsoft Excel, Power BI, and the Microsoft Office suite, with some exposure to survey platforms such as SurveyMonkey or Qualtrics.
The work schedule is flexible and can be coordinated around academic commitments.
Primary Responsibilities
- Data Visualization and Reporting. Design and produce charts, graphs, tables, and dashboards for internal reports and member-facing presentations. Build and maintain Power BI reports that allow staff to interact with survey data and track trends over time. Format visual outputs for use in PowerPoint decks, Word documents, and PDF reports.
- Survey Data Management. Receive, clean, and organize raw survey data exported from platforms such as SurveyMonkey or Qualtrics. Identify and resolve data inconsistencies, flag outliers, and maintain organized file structures so that datasets are audit-ready and easy to work with. Apply Excel functions, formulas, and pivot tables to summarize and segment data as needed.
- Quality Control and Proofreading. Review completed reports and data outputs for accuracy, consistency, and formatting errors before distribution. Cross-check figures against source data and flag discrepancies for correction.
What You Will Gain
This internship offers direct, applied experience in a professional association environment. Interns will leave with a working knowledge of the research and reporting process from end to end, including how data is gathered, validated, visualized, and used to inform organizational decisions. Specific skills and experiences include:
- Hands-on experience with Power BI dashboard development and data visualization best practices
- Practical exposure to survey methodology and market research operations in a membership organization
- Experience translating quantitative data into written narratives for non-technical audiences
- Familiarity with professional report production and formatting standards
- Portfolio-ready work products that demonstrate applied data skills to future employers
Qualifications
Candidates are not expected to meet every qualification listed. We encourage students with relevant coursework or transferable skills to apply.
Education
- Currently enrolled in fields such as marketing, communications, business, data analytics, psychology, sociology, political science, mathematics, or a related discipline are particularly relevant
- Completion of coursework in research methods, statistics, data analysis, or a related subject is a plus
Technical Skills
- Experience with Microsoft Power BI, including building basic reports, connecting to data sources, and creating interactive visualizations; candidates with coursework or project experience in Power BI are strongly preferred
- Solid working knowledge of Microsoft Excel, including formulas, sorting and filtering, pivot tables, and basic charting; advanced Excel skills are a plus
- Proficiency in the Microsoft Office suite, including Word and PowerPoint, for report formatting and presentation development
- Familiarity with online survey platforms such as SurveyMonkey or Qualtrics is preferred; candidates who have used these tools in an academic or professional setting are encouraged to highlight that experience
Professional Competencies
- Strong attention to detail; able to catch errors in data, formatting, and written copy before work is distributed
- Clear written communication skills; able to summarize findings in plain language for audiences who are not data specialists
- Organized and self-directed; able to manage multiple tasks and meet deadlines with limited supervision
- Genuine interest in data, research, or communications work; curiosity about how insights get used to make decisions