Donor Experience Manger, Stewardship & Events

Scottsdale Arts • Scottsdale, AZ

4d • $58,000 - $65,000 • Hybrid

About The Position

Scottsdale Arts is seeking a Donor Experience Manager, Stewardship & Events, who believes that generosity should be celebrated and that every supporter deserves a meaningful and joyful experience with Scottsdale Arts. This role focuses on ensuring donors, sponsors, members, and community partners feel valued, appreciated, and connected to the heart of our mission. You will oversee benefit fulfillment, recognition, memorable donor, member, and sponsor experiences, and thoughtful engagement moments that surprise and delight. You will also help cultivate meaningful partnerships, support membership programming, and contribute to stewardship strategies that strengthen loyalty and long-term philanthropy, including our annual gala. Your work will help build lasting relationships that enrich our community and advance our mission. This role will also serve as a key staff lead for the annual gala, supporting the strategy, execution, and revenue performance of the event, with an annual revenue responsibility and a related portfolio of donors to support and cultivate.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in a related field of study or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• A minimum of 3 years’ experience in donor relations, stewardship, fundraising, community partnerships, events, or related work.
• Strong written skills with a talent for expressing gratitude in a warm, genuine, and impactful way.
• Experience stewarding donors, sponsors, giving circles, or membership programs, with experience managing donor relationships or portfolios preferred.
• Familiarity with CRM systems, plus other project management and communication interfaces.
• Warmth, high energy, creativity, and curiosity to your work, with a hospitality mindset that makes people feel welcomed, valued, and celebrated.
• Highly organized, proactive, and attentive to detail, especially when coordinating events, managing benefits, or balancing multiple stewardship priorities.
• Natural relationship builder who can develop meaningful connections with donors, sponsors, members, and community partners and translate those relationships into meaningful engagement and philanthropic opportunities.
• Communicate with clarity, kindness, and strategic insight and are comfortable taking ownership, managing across teams, and keeping complex plans aligned and moving forward.
• Comfortable balancing exceptional donor service with organizational goals, revenue objectives, and measurable outcomes.
• Thrive in a collaborative, mission-driven environment and take pride in building community and strengthening philanthropic engagement.
• Possess a genuine interest in the arts.
• Must possess a valid driver’s license and a driving record that is acceptable to the organization’s insurance carrier.

Responsibilities

• Deliver Exceptional Stewardship: Maintain and manage a stewardship calendar aligned with organizational campaigns, donor journeys, and fundraising priorities. Develop and manage a stewardship plan that ensures timely, accurate, and heartfelt acknowledgment of gifts across all levels of giving. Oversee the delivery of donor and sponsor benefits, recognition moments, impact updates, and personalized communications. Identify opportunities to exceed expectations by creating warm, memorable, and creative “surprise and delight” experiences, ensuring each touchpoint feels personal and meaningful. Keep donor, member, and partner needs at the center of every interaction. Manage an assigned portfolio of gala donors and supporters, developing and executing individualized stewardship and engagement strategies that strengthen relationships, encourage continued support, and contribute to annual gala revenue goals.
• Lead Annual Gala Strategy, Experience, and Revenue: Serve as a key staff lead for the annual gala, supporting strategy, planning, execution, and the overall donor and guest experience. Partner with development leadership and colleagues to develop and execute strategies that support annual gala revenue goals, including sponsorship, ticketing, guest engagement, and other revenue-generating opportunities. Coordinate gala sponsorship and benefit fulfillment, donor recognition, guest communications, logistics, and post-event stewardship to deliver an exceptional experience and strengthen long-term donor engagement.
• Manage Donor Experiences and Events: Lead the planning and execution of donor- and sponsor-focused events such as appreciation gatherings, behind-the-scenes opportunities, VIP experiences, and other mission-driven moments. Coordinate logistics, guest lists, communications, materials, and on-site needs to ensure each event reflects our values and delivers exceptional hospitality. Support thoughtful event follow-up, including thank-yous, impact reports, and personalized outreach that reinforces donor and sponsor appreciation.
• Support Donor Insights and Continuous Improvement: Maintain accurate and timely records of benefit fulfillment, event participation, sponsor touchpoints, and stewardship activities in the CRM. Surface insights, metrics, and trends that inform cultivation strategies and strengthen donor, sponsor, and partner satisfaction. Seek new ideas, creative approaches, and community-informed strategies to enhance the donor experience each year.
• Design Thoughtful Recognition and Engagement: Produce high-quality acknowledgments, recognition pieces, impact reports, and updates that clearly demonstrate the difference supporters make. Collaborate with programming and marketing teams to gather stories, visuals, and highlights that bring our mission to life for donors, sponsors, and partners. Coordinate recognition activities—including listings, signage, digital features, and sponsor visibility opportunities—that honor generosity with creativity and care. Support meaningful stewardship moments for membership groups and community partners that foster connection and joy.
• Partner Across the Organization: Collaborate closely with development team colleagues to create a cohesive donor, sponsor, and member journey that aligns with organizational fundraising goals. Coordinate across departments to ensure benefit delivery, event execution, sponsorship fulfillment, and communication accuracy. Encourage a culture of gratitude across the organization by modeling and supporting stewardship best practices. Additionally, you will be required to support other duties and activities as needed.

Benefits

• Flexible schedules
• Hybrid work opportunities
• Employee recognition program
• PTO program
• 9 paid holidays
• 5 floating holidays
• Medical and dental plans (90% employee premium coverage, 70% dependent premium coverage)
• Vision coverage
• Disability insurance
• Life Insurance
• FSA Account
• 401K with employer match
• Pet Healthcare
• Gym Membership
• Reciprocal membership with NARM and Local arts and culture organizations
• One membership to share
• Exclusive discounts on tickets to events and performances

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level