Job Description
Job Description
Department:
Development/External Affairs
Title:
Development Special Events Manager
Status:
Full Time/Non-overtime eligible (Exempt)
Work Schedule:
Generally comprises ten eight hour days in a two week period. Some evening hours or weekend days may be required in addition to event coverage in order to meet job requirements. Remote work is permitted up to 75%.
Travel:
0 – 10%
Job Summary:
The special events manager oversees and executes high quality fundraising events in support of Hillwood’s mission and strategic goals, working with the development team to identify prospects and build a community of Hillwood supporters.
Key Job Elements:
- Oversees and implements all aspects of Hillwood’s two annual fundraising events, meeting established net revenue and attendance goals.
- Appoints and works with volunteer event co-chairs to build strong and engaged event committees who promote event attendance to a diverse audience.
- Coordinates events, lunches, and tours requested by donors as part of their event sponsorships.
- Develops and manages an annual expense budget while looking for opportunities to reduce expenses and maximize revenue as appropriate.
- Knowledgeable of applicable governmental regulations including neighborhood agreement, tent, and special event licenses and permits, and ensures compliance.
- Develops and cultivates preferred vendor relationships.
- Working in concert with executive administrator, negotiates contracts.
- Communicates event details to all pertinent staff.
- Interacts with constituents with an engaging personality and timely follow-up.
- Utilizing the Tessitura database, maintains accurate and complete records of contacts and communications and analyzes donor and prospect data to identify and qualify targets for participation and financial support.
- Attend and support other development events, including exhibition openings, donor benefit and cultivation events, annual volunteer recognition party.
- Performs other tasks as needed and is available to work weekends and evenings when necessary.
Organizational Relationships
- Reports to director of external affairs.
- Supervises assigned volunteers and outside vendors.
- Interacts with various levels of staff, visitors, members, and volunteers.
Requirements:
Knowledge
- Minimum of five years of successful experience in event management/planning or hospitality, preferably in a museum or arts environment.
Skills
- Strong analytical and interpersonal skills, as well as consensus-building skills for working with volunteer committees.
- Excellent written communication skills with a keen sense of attention to detail.
- Proficiency in donor management software.
- Excellent verbal communications with an emphasis on persuasion and generating action.
- Demonstrated time management skills including multi-tasking.
- Access and employ job related computer software (i.e. Microsoft Office, Tessitura) at an effective proficiency level.
Abilities
- Ability to work under pressure; confidence in ability to convey information to major internal and external players; flexibility.
- Understands that mistakes, errors and/or poor judgment may result in poor colleague or customer relations and/or diminishment of the museum’s reputation, all of which can have negative financial implications
- Works independently with limited supervision.
- Adept at correspondence and other required materials in support of development activities.
- Well organized with a penchant for action.
- Must understand and respect confidential nature of development work.
- Customer service orientation and mindset.
Work Environment:
The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of the job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. The term “qualified individual with a disability” means an individual who with or without reasonable accommodation can perform the essential functions of the position. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to communicate professionally in person, over the telephone, through email and other electronic means, move about their work area, between buildings and the campus grounds, handle various types of media and equipment, and visually or otherwise identify, observe and assess. The employee is occasionally required to lift up to 25 pounds.
Notice:
The preceding job description has been designed to indicate the general nature and essential duties and responsibilities of work performed by employees within this classification. It may not contain a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, and qualifications required of employees to do this job.