Events Planner, Advancement at the Children’s Museum

Job Details

Description

OVERVIEW: 

The Events Planner is responsible for overseeing the management of the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis’ fundraising, stewardship, community, and neighborhood events functions. As a member of the Advancement team, the incumbent manages events by planning, producing and executing successful donor cultivation events, stewardship events, grand openings, galas, awards programs, annual fundraisers, community celebrations, reduced admission events, and other important advancement-related events. The planner works in concert with museum colleagues to execute their vision for events and is the Advancement liaison with the museum’s exclusive caterer.

The Children’s Museum is fiercely devoted to our Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion (DEAI) efforts. Together we are building and sustaining an inclusive culture that encourages, supports, and celebrates differences. 

REPORTS TO:  Associate Vice President of Advancement

ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES:

1. Strategy: In consultation with the division leadership, and in concert with internal colleagues across the museum, plans, creates and implements comprehensive advancement events plans that support the achievement of the fundraising and annual strategic plans. This includes providing alternative solutions and plans should unprecedented events occur (i.e. global pandemic, inclement weather, etc.).
2. Planning: Manages the Advancement division’s event functions, including internal calendar bookings, requesting and scheduling staffing from other departments, providing feedback and/or appropriate level of approval on special equipment deliveries or installation of special event lighting or other staging, working with volunteer committees or honorary event chairs, coordinating invitation production and mailing lists, and coordinating private event schedules with the President’s Office, as appropriate.
3. Logistics: Manages the planning and production of the museum’s fundraising galas as well as the museum’s signature annual fundraising event(s). In congress with department colleagues and leadership, develops and executes event strategic plans that generate net revenues equal to or greater than budgeted goals for said events. Ensures proper and timely communication with internal constituents. Develops and communicates detailed logistics documents including event timelines, layouts, runs of show, staffing plans, and load-in/load-out schedules, in accordance with deadlines set by the AVP of Advancement.
4. Partner & Vendor Management: In collaboration with advancement team members, secures and/or coordinates event partners and vendors (i.e., in-kind vendors, nonprofit partners) for fundraising, stewardship, community, and neighborhood events.
5. Internal Event Communication & Collaboration: Manages internal event communications throughout the division and with other areas of the museum. Produces event summaries and RSVP lists; supports the community initiatives team in coordinating nonprofit partner sign-up and background checks for reduced admission events; communicates with the President’s Office; ensures proper follow-up and follow-through on event execution; provides talking points and other preparation for formal remarks; and coordinates keynote speakers or other special guests’ participation as appropriate. For community events that require broad collaboration with other divisions, coordinate input from museum leadership and relevant staff and volunteers to execute their vision for the event; collaborate with other teams and subject-matter experts on relevant programming, entertainment, speakers, and décor when necessary.
6. Constituent Communication: Manages the electronic communications for advancement events (i.e. evites, enewsletters, surveys, know-before-you go’s, etc.). Utilizes appropriate procedures and systems to coordinate communication design and execution, including Robohead and Tessitura.
7. Event Collateral: Coordinates with colleagues in marketing and communications to develop collateral materials (e.g. event invitations, event programs) that are congruent with the tone and intention of the associated event. Drafts copy for collateral materials, event invitations, and related items.
8. Mailing Lists: Ensures mailing lists and RSVP lists for advancement events are accurate and inclusive of the appropriate audiences. For cross-divisional events (e.g. grand openings, press announcements, awards programs), coordinates multiple invitation lists from divisions across the museum.
9. Budget Management: Prepares the advancement event budgets; monitors revenue and expenses and provides financial oversight of the events budget throughout the year; supports reconciliation of events expenses with the museum’s financial records; for revenue-generating events, provides wrap-up reports assessing revenue, expenses, and attendance against event goals and previous years’ benchmarks. Ensures compliance with museum standards on procurement, contracting, and vendor payments.
10. Professional Growth: Continue personal professional growth through participation in community organizations, event professional associations, and professional conferences.

REQUIREMENTS:

1. Bachelor’s degree preferred or equivalent work experience.
2. Five (5) years of demonstrated successful event logistics planning, operations and implementation experience, preferably in a non-profit, fundraising or development setting. Experience in an arts or cultural setting is preferred.
3. Comprehensive knowledge of event production, hospitality, and catering operations, paired with exceptional project management and team coordination skills.
4. Strong analytical problem-solving and negotiation skills, with a proactive approach to identifying solutions.
5. Superior organizational skills with a demonstrated ability to set priorities, communicate and coordinate details proactively, develop and adhere to timelines, and keep team members on track to achieve goals.
6. Calm under pressure and able to make real-time decisions to address unexpected challenges during events.
7. Intelligent and articulate professional who highly values diversity, equity, accessibility & inclusion who can relate in a collegial manner with individuals from across the community and institution, with appreciation and respect for the confidentiality of highly personal information.
8. Proficiency in Microsoft Office, particularly in Excel, and with the ability to quickly learn and utilize other types of software (Caterease, Tessitura, Robohead, etc.)
9. Driven self-starter who can work with minimal oversight and consistently achieve team goals.
10. Must be available to work evening and weekend events to fulfill job responsibilities.

ADA REQUIREMENTS:

1. Must be able to observe museum physical plant, view activities and use computer.
2. Must be able to communicate face-to-face and through telephone conversations with staff, youth and public.
3. Must have dexterity for keyboarding, viewing collateral materials, navigating through the museum.
4. Must be able to stand, walk and sit for extended periods; bend, kneel, climb and reach. Requires ability to lift 50 pounds.  Must be able to tolerate dust in the environment.

Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities

The contractor will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor’s legal duty to furnish information. 41 CFR 60-1.35(c)