Community Events Manager

WHO We Are:

Self-Help started in 1980 with a focus on economic inequality especially in communities that have faced systemic barriers in building wealth. At the core of what Self-Help does is a drive to create and protect ownership and economic opportunity. In other words, we’re committed to economic justice! Economic Justice means that all communities have the basic infrastructure they need to thrive, from high quality schools to grocery stores selling fresh foods resources that support opportunity at a neighborhood level regardless of demographics, income, or wealth. Since our founding, we’ve constantly sought to find new ways to pursue greater economic justice: from providing fair and affordable loans, to working with partners to demand that lawmakers change unjust policies.

We are seeking a Community Events Manager to join our team!

The Community Events Manager has two main responsibilities: 1) coordinating the marketing and use of community meeting spaces Self-Help owns in downtown Durham; and 2) supporting Durham area events for Self-Help staff based in Durham and beyond. The Community Events Manager will report to the Director of Partnerships & Community Engagement on the Real Estate Team given the position is intended to be deeply grounded in Self-Help’s broader community engagement efforts. The position will also collaborate closely with Admin staff in support of Self-Help events.

Meeting Space Coordination
The Community Events Manager will be in charge of promoting and providing community access to Self-Help’s downtown Durham meeting spaces, which currently include multiple meeting rooms at both 302 and 307 West Main Street. The position will work with Self-Help staff across a few teams, primarily on IT and Real Estate, to create and refine processes and procedures for the meeting rooms, to identify organizations looking for meeting space—with an eye toward building partnerships with mission-aligned organizations—and to serve as a single point of contact from initial outreach through meeting completion.

Event Planning
The Community Events Manager will work with colleagues to support planning and coordination of recurring and special events in Durham for Self-Help staff, such as staff socials, team retreats, annual parties, seminars, trainings, in-person board meetings and community service days both on-site and off-site. The Admin team will be a key collaborator for this portion of the role, with the Community Events Manager supporting their events work.

The position requires a community-minded, detail-oriented, well-organized strategic thinker who is an effective communicator and able to work a flexible schedule involving evening and weekend hours.

WHAT You'll DO:

• Proactively market our meeting spaces, including via social media, marketing flyers, design of a new space rental website, and grassroots community engagement.
• Make sure that Self-Help staff are aware that community rooms are available for use by Self-Help teams and community partners and serve as single point of contact for them.
• Create and implement systems and processes for scheduling and hosting events, to ensure good customer service with space users and strong coordination with Self-Help colleagues across teams that support the spaces (IT, Real Estate, et al.).
• Manage contracts, insurance requirements, and related needs for space rentals.
• Expand the existing list of vendors to provide catering, equipment and linen rental, janitorial, and other contracted services needed for successful events.
• Provide oversight of service agreements with contractors and suppliers to ensure that these vendors match our standards for high quality services.
• Keep abreast of local trends in event needs, including monitoring room rental rates, standard amenity packages, and more.
• Work with colleagues, including accounting and property management staff, to develop an integrated process to collect deposits and rents, maintain budgets and other financial records, and generate space utilization reports.
• Monitor the effectiveness of processes and the strength of customer service for partners using our community spaces. For example, collect guest feedback with post-event surveys to drive toward continuous improvement.
• Liaise with IT, facilities and other staff on capital projects, preventative maintenance, and repair needs as they arise to ensure meeting spaces are well-maintained. As part of this role, serve as point of contact for meeting contractors on site to coordinate repairs.
• Create and maintain a comprehensive list of venues around Durham for event rentals when Self-Help’s own facilities are not the right fit.
• Establish close working relationships with Self-Help colleagues in need of event planning services, in order to collaborate effectively with them in support of their events.
• Ensure that all Self-Help event logistics and operations, from idea generation to event clean-up, are executed successfully, on time and within budget.
• Connect with local nonprofits to identify meaningful, engaging volunteer opportunities suitable for team building through at least bi-annual staff community service days. Organize and lead these volunteer workdays for Self-Help staff.
• Act as a change agent to drive Self-Help’s economic inclusion initiatives by integrating supplier diversity and the use of businesses owned by women and people of color in contracting for relevant products and services.
• Occasionally support other Real Estate Team activities, such as organizing tenant appreciation events for its commercial buildings in Durham.
• Perform other duties related to the position as may be deemed necessary.

WHAT You’ll NEED:

• High school diploma plus additional four years of experience.
• Bachelor’s degree preferred.
• 3 years' experience as an event planner, project coordinator, property manager, administrative assistant, or related work.
• Demonstrated interest in supporting our mission of creating and protecting ownership and economic opportunity for all, especially people of color, women, rural residents and low-wealth families and communities.
• Preference for working in organizations with a priority on teamwork and collaboration.
• Previous events or facilities management experience (e.g., conferences, meetings, parties, corporate events).
• Exceptional verbal and written communicator with strong listening skills.
• Strong organizational skills and capable of balancing multiple tasks at once.
• High level of focus, follow-through and attention to detail.
• Self-motivated with experience working independently.
• Experience using social media platforms or willingness to learn.
• Familiarity or demonstrated ability to learn a meeting scheduling software like Skedda.
• Proficiency with the MS Office suite of products, such as Word and PowerPoint, and virtual meeting platforms such as MS Teams and Zoom.
• Ability, willingness to work a flexible schedule including evenings and weekends.
• Commitment to Self-Help's Core Values:
  • Mission Before Self
  • Service With Excellence
  • Embracing & Promoting Change
  • Results, Not Credit
  • Diversity as a Strength
  • Financial Sustainability for Mission Impact

If you are interested in who we are and what we do; have a strong desire to work in an organization that places a high priority on teamwork and collaboration; and are interested in working to help create economic opportunity for all – THIS is the place for you! Click the “apply now” button to apply!

Compensation:

Competitive nonprofit compensation, based on experience, plus a generous benefits package.

Self-Help is committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all persons, regardless of race, religion, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression (including transgender status), age, sexual orientation, military and veteran status, class or family status.