We seek a Manager of Events & Stewardship to lead and manage all donor-facing events, including major fundraising galas, school visits, and cultivation opportunities. In this role, you will contribute to the coalition of civic and community leaders who advocate and support our work for educational equity in Indianapolis. You will also develop a sustainable stewardship plan that is scalable and results in renewed funding over time. Individuals who have supported our work in the past will deepen their investment as a direct result of your efforts.
Leading candidates for the Manager, Events & Stewardship role must have an intrinsic attention to detail, organizational proficiency, knack for learning and building new systems, as well as a keen desire to explore more efficient ways to work within the Development team, with the Executive Director, and the broader regional team. You will be driven to create events that deepen funder commitment to TFA Indy’s mission and strategy and reach or exceed revenue goals. You will be able to optimize the use of our Salesforce.com constituent relationship management tool (TFACT), Bizboo (event management software), Classy (giving platform) and other technologies. Finally, you are able to thrive in a fast-paced environment and easily navigate multiple projects while maintaining an unwavering eye for accuracy and quality.
This role will report directly to the Managing Director, Development (Head of Development).
Event Planning and Execution (40%)
- Design the strategy and manage execution of all donor-facing events occurring in region, including but not limited to galas, school visits, small group gatherings, etc.
- Identify avenues for staff, board members, and community volunteers to assist with events, all while ensuring a high bar of excellence is held for donor experience and event outcomes
- Set and achieve revenue and attendance goals for each event
- Work cross functionally with other teammates who plan alumni and corps member-facing events.
- Diligently manage against the budgeted allotment for each event to ensure organizational resource stewardship
Donor Strategy, Research, and Stewardship (25%)
- Conduct research on new and existing donors within the Individual Giving portfolio to identify motivations and barriers to contributing to our organization and potential levers to deepen their connection to and support of our work
- Prepare and compile meeting materials to be used in external meetings
- Develop annual meeting and renewal goals for the Individual Giving portfolio and then drive outcomes through the Executive Director and HOD to ensure that these goals are achieved
- Create a scalable stewardship campaign that connects donors with TFA corps members and alumni such that strategic relationships are created and sustained financial commitment is achieved
- Coordinate donor mailings and produce high-quality written and visual communications such as follow-up correspondence, gift acknowledgements, grant reports, newsletters, one-pagers, thank you letters etc.
Gift Processing and Development Operations (25%)
- Manage team systems and operations, including maintaining the team calendar, tracking actions related to donors or prospects, collecting donor commitments, and processing gifts
- Track, review, and process all revenue received in our region, and act as a regional liaison with our national teams to ensure efficiency and compliance
- Maintain accurate data in Teach For America’s internal constituent management database (TFACT) and communicate with portfolio managers to gather and share the most up-to-date information
- Utilize the Systems Diagnostics tool and resources from the National Development team, and serve as process owner for all things TFACT-related
- Manage up to HOD and ED for weekly actions that will be tracked within TFACT
- Develop efficient system to collect and organize Teach For America - Indianapolis content and collateral to be used for external audiences
- Work with the HOD to manage the annual team budget, drive the monthly forecasting processes, and help to promote the team’s fiscal responsibility
Fulfill our Mission through Organizational and Regional Priorities (10%)
- Participate in our region’s corps member selection, matriculation, induction, and ongoing engagement initiatives
- Attend regional meetings and retreats held throughout the year, biweekly staff meetings, and occasional conferences and trainings
Your key goal areas are:
- Attendance, Experience, and Revenue at Donor-Facing Events
- Number of stewardship touchpoints per donor
- Renewal rate of past Individual Donors
- Gift Processing and Acknowledgement
- TFACT Data Accuracy
The Manager, Events and Stewardship must be:
- Able to clearly see the big picture but obsessive about the details. You are skilled at managing complex projects and adjust course easily and quickly when things fall off track. You prepare for the worst case scenario, but anticipate the best possible outcome.
- Driven to reach goals. You have an incredibly strong past record of results of achieving ambitious goals, specifically in project management and operations, despite obstacles and have experience doing so in complex situations with diverse teams. Your decisions are data-driven, and you stay laser-focused on your goals regardless of any day-to-day chaos or distractions.
- A learner and iterator. You are hungry to learn and regularly seek out opportunities to engage with new audiences and new work streams. You enjoy taking a work product through multiple drafts and engaging multiple stakeholders in rounds of feedback. You see feedback as a path to strengthening your work, actively seek it out, and respond positively to it. You are infinitely flexible and are motivated by a work environment with shifting priorities and changing plans; in these settings, you are motivated to re-prioritize and engage in the work that is going to add the most value at any given time.
- A conscious leader. You are always oriented towards education justice, equity, and inclusivity. You lead, and believe others must lead, through a culturally responsive lens and in a way that empowers others. You constantly reflect, learn, and improve.
Prior Experience
- Teach For America alum or former staff member preferred
- Experience within the Indianapolis education landscape preferred
- Record of achieving ambitious results and possessing a strong results orientation
- Demonstrated conviction to the constituents Teach For America serves and/or Indianapolis region
- Experience with Salesforce a plus
- Superb organization, detail orientation, and project management skills
- Strong ability to interpret and synthesize data and information from multiple sources to develop insights and recommendations
- Ability to think critically and strategically while making timely decisions and demonstrating good judgment
- Excited by challenges and opportunities for problem solving
- Strong verbal and written communicator: can speak compellingly about our organization, mission, and goals
Work Demands
- Ability to work evenings and weekends when necessary
- Minimal travel required – approx. 2-3 times per year