Senior Director of Corporate & Donor Development for the American Heart Association’s Paul Bear Bryant Awards in our Houston, TX office.
About the AHA’s Paul Bear Bryant Awards:
Following the death of legendary football Coach Paul “Bear” Bryant after an unexpected heart attack in 1983, the Bryant family sought to honor his legacy of excellence on and off the field in a significant way. In 1986 with the support of the Bryant family, the American Heart Association adopted the “Coach of the Year Award” from the Houston Touchdown Club and named it in Coach Bryant’s honor. The Paul “Bear” Bryant Coach of the Year Award is voted on annually by the National Sports Writers Association after the completion of all post-season college football games. Each year, the finalists are recognized, and the winner of the Paul “Bear” Bryant Coach of the Year is announced at the annual dinner and awards presentation, which is televised/streamed nationally on Fox Sports. Surrounding the award itself is a robust, year-round marketing and fundraising campaign supporting the lifesaving mission of the American Heart Association.
The role of the Sr. Director for the Bryant Awards campaign presents a unique opportunity for an individual who has both a solid understanding and passion for college football and proven leadership and fundraising development skills. The selected candidate will supervise two team members and will have fundraising responsibilities for the Houston Bear Bryant campaign of $2.5m+. The Sr. Director will work closely with AHA leadership and key volunteers to identify, recruit and engage new corporate sponsors and individual donors who will invest in the wellness of their employees and community through their support of the Bryant Awards. The Sr. Director will also be responsible for prospecting, developing and recruiting C-suite and senior level executives from across Greater Houston who have an interest in college football and the mission of the AHA to join the Houston Bear Bryant Executive Leadership Team. The AHA’s 33 rd annual Paul “Bear” Bryant Awards were held on January 9, 2019 and raised more than $1.5m.
- Campaign chair recruitment and management.
- Revenue generation and volunteer management and sponsorships.
- Mobilizing CEOs, Presidents and upper level executives in the Houston Metro area to build an effective Executive Leadership Team to raise funds for the Bear Bryant campaign.
- Developing pipelines of top businesses within the assigned geographic area to ensure revenue generation through corporate sponsorship for the Bear Bryant Campaign.
- Conducting sales calls to generate new business and manage existing corporate sponsors.
- Developing and monitoring an annual working plan with dollar and volunteer recruitment goals, budget and timelines for the events. Develop contingency plans as need to successfully meet fundraising goals.
- Leading cultivation opportunities to strengthen relationships with volunteers, sponsors & key corporate & community leaders to advance our mission.
- Managing 2 team members to ensure that event management and logistics for the Bear Bryant Campaign and Awards Dinner are completed and recognize top donors and volunteers.
- Networking within the local area and recruiting and retaining our valued volunteers.
- All other duties as assigned.
- Related experience may be substituted as follows: 1 ½ years ’ experience equates to 1 full time year of higher education.
- Must have at least 4 years of experience in fundraising, outside sales or in a non-profit organization in a similar capacity. This experience may also count towards satisfying this position ’ s educational.
- Ability to accomplish results through strong volunteer recruitment and management, proven track record in meeting sales/fundraising goals.
- Organization, communication, negotiation, and interpersonal skills are a must.
- Demonstrated skills in written and oral communication.
- Ability to work outside standard hours as needed including occasional evenings and weekends.
- Candidate s must be results driven with the ability to multi task and must also be willing and able to travel (no overnight) within Houston up to approximately 75% of the time.
- Must have the ability to lift at least 20 lbs. from the ground to waist level with or without reasonable accommodation.
- Must have at least basic knowledge and skill with Microsoft Office 2010 used for word processing, email, presentations, and spreadsheets.
If you have:
- a strong fundraising and/or sales background
- a proven track record prospecting and closing 6-figure sponsorships and gifts
- a proven track record identifying, cultivating, recruiting and managing high-level volunteer relationships
- understanding and passion for college football