Special Events Manager

Position Title: Special Events Manager

Position Status: Full Time, Exempt

Annual Salary: $46,000 benefits

Target Incentive Opportunity (contingent on meeting team performance and individual goals): 5% of salary

Reports To: Director of Special Events

This position is based in our headquarters in Chicago's West Loop. We provide options for remote and flexible scheduling. We offer a 37.5 hour work week; hours are 8:30am – 5:00pm.

Headquarters Location: 651 W. Washington Blvd., Chicago, IL 60661

Company Summary:

Junior Achievement is the world's largest and fastest-growing non-profit economics education organization. Started in Chicago in 1940, Junior Achievement of Chicago office served over 363,000 students last school year. We are passionate people dedicated to educating students about workforce readiness, entrepreneurship and financial literacy through experiential, hands-on programs. See the JA website at https://chicago.ja.org for more information.

Position Purpose: This position involves planning and executing a variety of fundraising events, such as division board, signature, and peer-to-peer events, to achieve the organization’s annual special events goal of raising $1.73M. This role is key in increasing visibility, building relationships, and driving financial support. The Special Events Manager ensures each event delivers a high- quality experience that advances the organization’s mission.

• Assist in planning and implementing area-wide events, including signature fundraisers, to surpass budgeted financial goals. Manage and maintain company accounts. Assist in developing awareness pieces to promote the events.
• Recruit new participants for peer-to-peer fundraising events and provide training to company coordinators, team captains, and other participants.
• Develop ideas to raise new funds for the campaign.
• Designated roles in our annual fundraising events: The Golf Outing, Chicago Business Hall of Fame, Wine Tasting, and Division Board Events.
• Work with the team to create efficient tracking of data, effective customer service, accurate financial reports, program books, and timely receipts/acknowledgments for donors.
• Manage and coordinate relationships with vendors to ensure logistics and event details are handled smoothly and efficiently.
• Support the Area Board’s Golf Committee to carry out their specific functions, including soliciting items and donations for silent auctions.
• Assist with the logistics of the area board and annual meetings, including scripts, agenda, minutes, and overall planning.
• Meet requests from donors and external customers for special events on a timely basis.
• Support the overall development team with duties including gift entry, mailings, pulling reports, and document editing.

Education/Experience: Bachelor’s degree or equivalent. Experience with fundraising accomplishments and/or resource development preferred.

• Ability to manage multiple priorities and strong attention to detail.
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Self-starter with the ability to host virtual and online events, as well as in-person events.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Experience and comfort in public speaking.
• Strong interpersonal skills.
• Experience with Canva.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office; especially in Excel, PowerPoint and Word.

• The candidate must have a valid Driver’s License and vehicle transportation required to meet the responsibilities of the position, as this position requires travel within our 12- county franchise.
• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to: sit, walk, occasionally required to reach with hands and arms, continually required to talk or hear, occasionally required to bend, lift or climb, occasionally required to lift and carry light weights (25-50 pounds). Specific vision abilities include close vision, distance vision, ability to adjust or focus.

The physical demands described above are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Generic EEOC Statement

Junior Achievement of Chicago is an Equal Opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, protected veteran status or any other characteristic protected by law.

JAC Customized DE&I Statement from policy

Junior Achievement of Chicago is committed to fostering, cultivating, and preserving a culture of diversity and inclusion. We embrace and encourage our employees’ differences in age, color, disability, ethnicity, family or marital status, gender identity or expression, language, national origin, physical and mental ability, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, veteran status, and other characteristics that make our employees unique.

Our diversity, equity & inclusion initiatives are applicable—but not limited—to our practices and policies on recruitment and selection; compensation and benefits; professional development and training; promotions; transfers; social and recreational programs; and the ongoing development of a work environment built on the premise of diversity equity that encourages and enforces Respect, Teamwork, Inclusion, and Dedication to Community.