What are the responsibilities and job description for the Director, Special Events position at The Greater Boston Food?

Position Summary

The Director of Special Events is responsible for the planning and execution of a variety of high-profile, impactful events and special programs ranging from small, intimate dinners to large-scale revenue producing gatherings, designed to encourage consistent and generous philanthropic support of and advance the awareness, appreciation and understanding for the mission and goals of the Greater Boston Food Bank (GBFB).

The director will establish goals and outcomes of an agreed-upon portfolio of events and provide ongoing and longitudinal evaluation of performance and progress toward goals. The director will ensure that events maximize impact to achieve the desired results while enriching relationships with key audiences. The director maintains strong working relationships with key stakeholders across the GBFB community including members of the Board of Directors, Council of Advisors, the Executive and Senior leadership teams, the Communications, Marketing, and Public Affairs team, and other internal stakeholders. The incumbent must possess strong interpersonal skills, high emotional intelligence, first-in-class customer service, knowledge of current event trends and landscape, and superior communication skills.

Role & Responsibilities

Under the leadership of the Vice President of Philanthropic Partnerships, responsible for planning and implementing a yearly calendar of both in-person and virtual Advancement events, and for ensuring events meet desired outcomes and fulfill the identified strategic needs and goals. Core portfolio events include : signature events such as Taste of the Food Bank, Women Fighting Hunger, Food is Health, and Chain of Giving; regional potential donor cultivation dinners, donor recognition receptions; and ceremonial events such as dedications and campaign events.
Manage all aspects of assigned events from inception to debrief. Assess and secure venues and vendor partners such as caterers; convene event teams including facilitating meetings and providing regular, proactive communications to stakeholders; coordinate the production of event materials (print and / or digital invitations, briefings, research, nametags, programs, signage etc.); conduct site visits; manage event budgets including regular reporting to leadership; monitor event production timelines and ensure internal and external deliverables are met; secure staffing and provide training; arrange post-event clean-up and follow-up; and continually evaluate all of the above for maximum efficacy.
Collaborate with the Vice President of Communications, Marketing, and Public Affairs or their designate, the Vice President of Board Relations, the Director of Donor Relations, and relationship managers on Advancement-focused events related to or impacting their areas of work. Provide meal and logistical support for in-person Board and board committee meetings.
Work directly with the President and CEO, Chair of the Board of Directors, Executive Vice President of Advancement, Vice President of Philanthropic Partnerships, and volunteer hosts (and / or their surrogates) to plan and execute cultivation and recognition events. These events may include working directly with venues, hosts and / or their surrogates, negotiating contracts, virtual tours of spaces, and selecting menus in partnership with volunteer leaders.
Interact directly with donors, advocates and volunteers, as part of the donor cultivation process, to conduct site visits to assess homes, offices, studios, etc. for events. As an event attendee, may engage directly with gift officers in the cultivation of potential donors.
Work in partnership with the Vice President of Philanthropic Partnerships, the Vice President of Communications, Marketing and Public Affairs and relevant MarCommPA team members, and volunteer speakers to ensure preparation for events, appropriateness of remarks or presentations, and to develop the event program.
Develop and document procedures and protocols for all Advancement events and programs to ensure fulfillment of event goals and track event data for strategic review and decision making over time, including conducting post event debriefs and guest surveys. Lead, engaging Executive and Senior Leadership Team members, the implementation of an internal staff policy guiding staff involvement in GBFB events.
Utilize Salesforce to develop invitation lists and to track RSVPs, attendance, and event-related communications with constituents. Submit constituent data updates to Advancement Operations and to Prospect Research and relationship managers where applicable. Leverage technology, where possible, to enhance events and to track pre- and post-event follow-up and results.
Assess and communicate risks associated with events including attendance, speaking program, protocol breaches, scheduling conflicts, weather, and volunteer management, among others.

Skills & Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree required; master’s degree preferred.

Minimum of 10 years of event planning and management experience required.

Experience managing and supervising professional staff, interns and leadership volunteers.

Must possess strong interpersonal skills, high emotional intelligence, superb first-in-class customer service, and superior communications skills.

Proficiency in Microsoft Office suite and CRM databases (Salesforce a plus), project management, and collaboration tools.

Proven success in the planning, designing, managing and executing of complex large-scale (250 attendees) revenue generating events with multiple internal and external stakeholders.

Superlative diplomatic and communication skills, including an ability to work and communicate effectively with a broad spectrum of constituents (individual donors, business leaders, public figures, and staff), within a broad range of cultural environments.

Ability to build and manage relationships with vendors and to interact with a variety of constituents across all levels of organization.

Ability to anticipate unexpected issues and needs and to react quickly, calmly, and confidently so as to instill trust and confidence.

Extraordinary attention to detail to successfully manage multiple simultaneous projects, priorities and deadlines of varying scale.

Capable of working independently and collaboratively with moderate supervision.

Demonstrates the required digital competencies that result in the effective usage of the full range of digital technologies at GBFB.

Frequent evening, travel and some weekend work required. Ability and willingness to travel within Massachusetts, including having a valid drivers license.

Physical Demands

Ability to work in an office environment.

Ability to sit for up to 3 hours at a time.

Ability to lift up to 25 lbs with or without assistance.

Work Environment

This role follows a hybrid schedule working in accordance with GBFB’s hybrid work policy. Our in-office time is used primarily for team meetings and formal and informal collaboration necessary to foster and support a positive work culture. This schedule is subject to change based on the organization’s needs.

The job is performed indoors in a traditional office setting.

Several hours a week may be spent traveling for event preparation and execution.

Special events may take place in evening / weekend hours.

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