Donor Experiences Manager

We are seeking a strategic, detail-oriented, and relationship-driven Donor Experiences Manager to elevate our fundraising, stewardship, and venue utilization efforts. Reporting directly to the Vice President of Development, this manager plays a critical role in the end-to-end planning, execution, and evaluation of organizational development events.

Crucially, we are looking for a candidate who understands that events are not just about creating beautiful experiences; they are vital, strategic tools used specifically for fundraising, cultivating prospective supporters, and sustaining long-term donor retention.

In addition to driving internal events and managing our private rental program, this position operates in a highly collaborative development environment. While reporting to the VP, this manager will take programmatic direction to seamlessly integrate event execution with our donor stewardship cycles and corporate sponsorship activations. They will also provide vital logistical and execution support to the Membership Manager for member-exclusive events and initiatives.

The ideal candidate will blend flawless event logistics and business acumen with a deep understanding of fundraising mechanics. We are seeking an innovative thinker who can look at our current event portfolio with a fresh eye, bringing creative, scalable ideas for new events and experiences that can capture new audiences and expand our donor base

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Strategic Event Execution: Lead the planning, production, and day-of management for fundraising events and support the execution of donor appreciation gatherings, membership events, and cultivation activities.

• Creative Portfolio Innovation: Proactively pitch, design, and pilot new, creative event concepts and donor experiences that diversify our current portfolio, reach next-generation donors, and generate fresh revenue streams.

• Stewardship & Sponsorship Integration: Take direct guidance to ensure event timelines, scripting, guest lists, and logistics serve active donor stewardship plans and fulfill all corporate sponsorship benefits and deliverables.

• Membership Event Support: Partner with the Membership Manager to provide operational, logistical, and on-site execution support for member-focused events, ensuring a seamless experience that drives member retention and acquisition.

• Private Rental Program Management: Serve as the primary point of contact for external clients looking to rent our space; oversee inquiries, conduct venue tours, manage contracts/invoicing, and coordinate day-of logistics and staffing for private rentals to maximize earned income.

• VP of Development Alignment: Partner closely with the Vice President of Development to design high-level event strategies that explicitly align with major gift strategies and overall organizational fundraising priorities.

• Intentional Experience Design: Curate unique, meaningful, and mission-aligned event experiences specifically designed to move donors through the pipeline—from initial cultivation to sustained, multi-year giving.

• Logistics & Vendor Management: Source and manage relationships with venues, caterers, AV production crews, and other third-party vendors; negotiate contracts to maximize budget efficiency and event ROI for both internal events and private rentals.

• Budget & Revenue Tracking: Oversee internal event budgets and track private rental revenue pipelines; work alongside development leadership to meet or exceed event-related fundraising and earned-income benchmarks.

• Volunteer & Staff Management: Recruit, train, and manage event committees, volunteers, and operational staff working on-site during development events and private bookings.

Required Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with a high comfort level interacting with guests, high-net-worth donors, board members, and corporate partners.
• Deep understanding of the donor lifecycle and how events serve as touchpoints for fundraising, donor cultivation, and long-term retention.
• Demonstrated ability to benchmark event impact and use KPIs to analyze opportunities and growth.
• A creative and entrepreneurial mindset, with a proven ability to take a new event concept from an abstract idea to a successful, revenue-generating reality.
• Comfort working in a collaborative, matrixed team structure, with proven experience prioritizing tasks from various stakeholders.
• Exceptional project management skills with the ability to balance internal development calendars with external private rental bookings.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s or Associate degree in nonprofit management, hospitality, business, marketing, communications, or a related field preferred. Relevant experience may substitute for a degree.
• 3–5 years of professional event planning experience, with a heavy preference for individuals coming from a nonprofit development, private events, community planning, or museum/venue management environment.
• Experience managing facility rentals, private venue bookings, client contracts, or earned-income programs is highly preferred.
• Proven track record of managing large-scale, revenue-generating events (e.g., galas, auctions, corporate functions) and smaller, high-touch VIP experiences.
• Proficiency with event management software, venue scheduling tools, ticketing platforms, and fundraising CRMs (e.g., Salesforce, Humanitru, Bloomerang, or similar).

Supervisory Responsibilities:

• No direct supervisory responsibilities.

Work Environment:

• Most work in a normal office environment.
• Some events may take place at the Museum or outside in various types of weather.
• Some holiday and after-hours work required.
• High noise level on Museum floor.

Physical Requirements:

• Must be able to remain in a stationary position for extended periods of time, including at a desk.
• Move throughout the Museum and 401 Offices.
• Must be able to lift a minimum of 35 pounds on an occasional basis to move supplies, decorations, etc.
• Ability to perform the essential functions of the position, with or without reasonable accommodation.

This posting is open until Friday, December 11, 2026, at 5:00 pm

Salary is commensurate with experience and qualifications.