ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:
The Director of Special Events is responsible for the fundraising, strategic planning, and overall successful execution of the American Kidney Fund’s medium-sized signature events, including A Pairing for Prevention and AKF’s Living Donor Assistance Program events, as well as AKF’s peer-to-peer fundraising program, KidneyNation. The Director of Special Events is a pivotal fundraising role responsible for significantly growing revenue by building and nurturing strong relationships and creating an engaged fundraising community.
Signature Events Fundraising (85%)
- Support committee members and frontline fundraisers to achieve contributed revenue goals of at least $300K annually. Identify and solicit new event sponsors and in‑kind donations. Assess the current sponsorship approach and develop and implement an updated strategy to attract new donors, deepen relationships with existing donors, leverage corporate partnerships, and increase revenue.
- Serve as liaison to event committees, including managing monthly meetings and providing support and guidance in fundraising and sponsorship solicitation, including prospect identification and individualized follow‑up. Responsible for the recruitment and cultivation of high‑level volunteer committees. Facilitate honoree selection and restricted fundraising, as needed.
- Coordinate with the Office of Communications and Marketing on all event collateral, branding, website content, and other program elements within established deadlines. Ensure all sponsor benefits are fulfilled in accordance with sponsorship packages. Develop and implement a strategic communication timeline for each event, including solicitations and follow‑up on payments, guest communications, acknowledgements, and thank‑you notes.
- Cultivate and maintain relationships with donors, sponsors, and volunteer committee members. Ensure outstanding guest experiences through proactive, high‑touch communication and service. Fully participate in event‑day execution, serving as the main point of contact for committee members, sponsors, and guests. Maintain positive and professional demeanor during all interactions with attendees, honorees, staff, and volunteers during event execution.
- Ensure successful execution of each event. In collaboration with the Special Events Manager, assist in the creation, communication, and execution of event timelines, schedules, budgets, run‑of‑show, and logistics. Prepare and share updates to leadership and committees on event milestones and goals. Maintain up‑to‑date and accurate database of fundraising activity and sponsor details.
• Prepare post‑event reports, conduct internal and committee debriefs and analyze event performance to inform future strategy and improve outcomes.
Peer‑to‑Peer Fundraising (15%)
- Serve as the main contact and fundraising coach for KidneyNation individual and corporate fundraising participants. Identify, recruit, and cultivate prospective peer‑to‑peer and community fundraisers who are motivated or inclined to support the work of AKF through fundraising, and steward them to achieve revenue goals.
- In partnership with our contracted vendor oversee our Facebook Birthday Fundraising program, including the management of the advertising budget and any fundraiser follow‑up that may be needed.
- Ensure fundraisers have the resources to be successful, assess their mission connection and maximize their fundraising potential, while providing excellent customer service and support.
- Develop expertise using the GoFundMePro (formerly Classy) and Pledge It platforms to support and guide fundraisers in customizing their online fundraising pages.
- Under the direction of the Senior Director of Special Events, enhance and provide new KidneyNation resources.
- Implement and develop strategies to recruit, engage, and retain fundraisers through the different peer‑to‑peer programs.
- Lead the annual 37 Mile Challenge social media fundraising campaign.
- In collaboration with Director of Digital Fundraising, Social Media Managers and contracted vendors, ensure key metrics for recruitment and revenue are achieved.
- In partnership with the Office of Communications and Marketing, create campaign assets, communications timeline, and fundraising incentives.
- Lead the identification and solicitation of existing and new sponsors. Ensure benefits are fulfilled and provide support for employee participation and engagement.
- Serve as main point of contact for participants and sponsors, including personalized outreach, troubleshooting, and fundraising guidance.
Administrative and Team Support
- Support the Senior Director of Special Events in budget creation and management, as well as strategic planning for all fundraising activities and events.
- Maintain regular performance reporting and revenue analysis.
- Complete other assigned tasks, as requested.
Must have a minimum of 6‑8 years of demonstrated experience and success in building partnerships, prospecting and fundraising specifically relating to events, as well as working with volunteer committees and chairs. Demonstrated success in fundraising and major corporate and foundation gift solicitation, closing gifts of $25,000 or more. Demonstrated success in negotiation, cultivation, benefits management and stewardship of contributors. Experience in peer‑to‑peer fundraising is preferred.
The ideal candidate is:
- Highly organized, detailed‑oriented, and able to handle multiple projects simultaneously.
- Goal‑oriented with an innate sense of pace and urgency, and a strong sense of initiative.
- Able to develop and manage budgets and has strong data analysis skills.
- Excellent in decision‑making and judgement and possess strong written and verbal communication and interpersonal skills.
- Able to anticipate, plan, prioritize and react to changing needs and situations with professionalism, integrity and diplomacy.
- A self‑starter with the ability to work in a collaborative, team environment, while proactively pursuing an individual portfolio, with a high regard for accountability and outcomes.
- Proficient in MS Office Suite (Excel, Word, Outlook, and PowerPoint) and fundraising database software (Raisers Edge, Convio, or similar software) and has knowledge of peer‑to‑peer fundraising platforms including GoFundMePro.
- Able to work some weekends and evenings and travel domestically, as required.
- Able to lift up to 30 pounds, as required.
The salary range displayed is for a successful candidate hired in the DMV area. The salary range may be adjusted to reflect cost of living factors for candidates living outside of this location.
Employee benefits:
In addition to your competitive salary, paid holidays, vacation, sick and personal days; health, dental, and vision coverage; life insurance and disability coverages; and a generous matching 403(b) retirement plan, we’ll shower you with perks, including:
- Culture: We ensure our team knows how much they are valued, as demonstrated by our Quality Work Environment (QWE) Task Force and employee‑led recognition and social events throughout the year.
- Compressed work week: Start the weekend early with shorter workdays on Fridays—closing at 3 p.m. from Labor Day to Memorial Day and 2 p.m. in the summer.
- Flexibility: Employees work from home most of the time with 1‑4 days a month in the office.
- Clear expectations: You’ll know what you need to do to succeed; annual raises and bonuses for all employees are based on your performance.
- Location: Convenient location and a short walk to the popular Pike and Rose shopping center.
- Parking: Arrive and leave work comfortably, thanks to an underground parking garage whose monthly cost is paid for by AKF. Metro subsidies are provided for those who do not drive.
- Dress code: Business casual through the week and casual on Fridays.
AKF offers a hybrid work schedule with employees working in the office 1‑4 days per month and telework the rest of the time.
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