Events Activation Manager

Chinese American Service League•Chicago, IL

56d•$60,000 - $70,000•Onsite

About The Position

Join CASL as an Events Activation Manager and help strengthen connections between CASL and the communities we serve through impactful events, volunteer engagement, and strategic partnerships. As the Events Activation Manager for CASL Connect, you will lead CASL's community engagement efforts by developing and strengthening connections between the organization and the communities it serves. This role serves as a key bridge between CASL and community members, volunteers, partners, and supporters, increasing visibility and fostering engagement through strategic partnerships, volunteerism, and community-centered activations. Through this work, you will help advance CASL's mission and expand its impact across the communities we serve.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in nonprofit management, communications, public administration, community development, marketing, or a related field; equivalent combinations of education and experience will be considered.
Five (5) or more years of progressive experience in community engagement, nonprofit event management, partnership development, sponsorship development, or a related field.
Demonstrated experience leading events from planning through execution, including logistics coordination, vendor management, budgeting, staffing, and post-event evaluation.
Experience developing partnerships, sponsorships, volunteer programs, or community engagement initiatives.
Experience utilizing CRM, fundraising, event management, or stakeholder relationship management platforms (e.g., Salesforce, GiveSmart, OneCause, or similar).
Proficiency with project management and collaboration tools (e.g., Asana, SharePoint, or similar).
Strong project management and organizational skills, with the ability to manage multiple concurrent events, partnerships, and competing priorities while maintaining attention to detail.
Strong financial acumen, including budget management, expenditure tracking, and evaluation of performance against established goals.
Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills, with the ability to effectively engage community members, sponsors, partners, volunteers, and internal stakeholders.
Ability to lead and coordinate cross-functional teams, volunteers, vendors, and partners while building collaborative relationships across diverse stakeholder groups.

Nice To Haves

Experience working in or with AANHPI, immigrant, or other culturally specific communities
Bilingual in Chinese (Mandarin or Cantonese) and English
Experience managing live or silent auction logistics, including item procurement and mobile bidding platforms
Experience developing sponsorship packages and driving revenue growth from a portfolio of corporate sponsors
Familiarity with agile or scrum frameworks — or genuine openness to adopting CASL’s Way of Working (WOW), CASL’s structured agile methodology for cross-functional collaboration
Experience with social media content capture and amplification during events

Responsibilities

Lead and operate the CASL Connect platform, including ownership of the SharePoint site, centralized intake workflow, and overall system for coordinating events, partnerships, and volunteer engagement.
Develop and manage the annual activation calendar in collaboration with Programs, Advancement, Marketing & Communications, and Operations to ensure alignment and visibility across the organization.
Build and continuously improve execution tools and processes, including Event Kits (SOPs, templates, checklists) and agile-based coordination (WOW), to drive efficient and consistent delivery.
Lead planning and execution of major community events, including the Summer Fair, Mid-Autumn Festival, Dragon Boat Race, Lunar New Year Parade, and CYS Block Party.
Develop event timelines, budgets, logistics plans, staffing models, and operational requirements to support successful event delivery.
Coordinate vendors, venues, permits, equipment, volunteers, and internal stakeholders to ensure seamless event execution.
Manage day-of-event operations and resolve issues in real time to deliver a positive experience for attendees, volunteers, sponsors, and partners.
Develop and manage corporate sponsorship programs in partnership with Advancement, including sponsorship packages, activation plans, and stewardship strategies to support sponsor acquisition, retention, and growth.
Cultivate and maintain relationships with corporate sponsors, community partners, and external stakeholders to advance engagement and revenue goals.
Identify and support sponsorship and earned-revenue opportunities associated with events and community activations, while tracking and reporting performance to leadership.
Establish and manage CASL's volunteer program, including recruitment, onboarding, scheduling, recognition, retention, and engagement efforts.
Ensure volunteers complete all required onboarding, compliance, confidentiality, and screening requirements while maintaining accurate volunteer records and rosters.
Build and sustain a strong volunteer pipeline, track volunteer participation and impact, and provide regular reporting and recommendations for program growth.
Capture stories, photos, and activation content in partnership with the Marketing & Communications team to support social media, website, newsletter, and community engagement efforts.
Develop and maintain KPI dashboards and performance reporting related to events, partnerships, volunteers, sponsorships, and community engagement activities.
Deliver insights and recommendations to leadership by analyzing trends, outcomes, and opportunities for continuous improvement.
Serve as the primary liaison for CASL Connect, partnering with Programs, Advancement, HR, IT, Operations, and the Culture Committee to ensure aligned planning and execution across the organization.
Support ONE CASL initiatives by fostering collaboration, promoting consistent brand representation, and ensuring community activations reflect CASL's mission, values, and organizational identity.