Events & Development Manager

Hands On Children's Museum•Olympia, WA

1d•Onsite

About The Position

The Hands On Children’s Museum is located on the picturesque East Bay waterfront in downtown Olympia. We are a nationally known family learning destination and the most visited children’s museum in the Pacific Northwest hosting about 300,000 visitors each year. Our mission is to stimulate curiosity, creativity, and critical thinking skills through rich, interactive learning experiences. We believe that all children deserve respect and the opportunity to learn, regardless of their ability to pay, which is why the Museum works hard to serve more than one-third of its annual visitation through the Inspired Learning for All initiative. The Museum is recognized as a national Museum for All and won a Noyce Foundation Bright Lights Award for bringing art and science education to underserved populations. Voted a “Best Place for Kids” for more than a decade, the Museum offers a state-of-the-art LEED Gold facility with 150 indoor exhibits, a half-acre Outdoor Discovery Center, Art Studio, a MakeSpace for tinkering and inventing, café and gift shop, and award-winning education programs including camps, workshops, preschool, parenting classes, field trips, community outreach and family support programs. Work for an award-winning Children’s Museum, voted a “Best Place for Kids” for more than a decade! Do you love event planning and fundraising as well as exciting, hands-on learning? If so, this position could be yours! The Museum is seeking an experienced full-time Events and Development Manager to manage a range of special events designed for visitors, donors, and the community.

Requirements

3+ years managing a variety of events
Previous experience working in non-profit fundraising
Excellent oral and written communications skills
Ability to work with a wide range of stakeholders
Accomplished project manager who enjoys bringing complex projects to life
Ability to balance multiple deadlines, anticipate challenges, and be an excellent problem solver under pressure
Ability to keep projects moving forward while maintaining a high level of organization and attention to detail
Experienced in effectively managing budgets with strong analytical skills while maintaining accuracy
Ability to maintain strict confidentiality when handling sensitive donor, financial, and organizational information
Demonstrated ability to work both independently and collaboratively in a team environment
Prior experience supervising staff and volunteers
Comfortable working with technology, including donor databases, CRM systems, Microsoft Office, and project management software
Ability to work a core Monday-Friday schedule, with the ability to flex your schedule to work evenings and weekends a few times each month for events

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree
Sales experience
A strong interest in early education, and interactive learning for children and families

Responsibilities

Partner closely with the Development Director to develop and execute the annual fundraising plan and strategy.
Develop and implement strategies to retain and grow sponsorship support from businesses and individuals.
Coordinate with the Database Manager to ensure donor gifts and sponsorships are properly recorded.
Coordinate with multiple Museum departments, educators, partners, and stakeholders to manage multiple museum events such as the Summer Splash! Gala, Fire Rescue Spectacular, and other seasonal events.
Manage all phases of event planning, from concept through evaluation, including interdepartmental coordination, budgeting, logistics, communications, staffing, committees, volunteers, and on-site management.
Work with Development leadership to prepare and monitor budgets and provide post-event financial analysis including, live and silent auction performance, raise the paddle contributions, sponsorship revenue, etc.
Align event strategies with the Museum’s overall fundraising objectives to maximize sponsorship, donor engagement, and revenue opportunities.
In coordination with the Development team and board, manage the procurement, tracking, promotion, and display of auction items.
Steward event sponsors in conjunction with the Development Director.
Negotiate contracts, discounts and in-kind contributions with event vendors including catering, food service, entertainment, AV, videographers, and other similar support companies.
Work with the Communications team to develop promotional materials, PowerPoints, videos, branding, advertising, and digital strategy for events.
Prepare detailed advance sheets identifying responsibilities for each department and various contractors.
Work cooperatively with facilities and operations for set-up, tear-down and staffing logistics.
Serve as on-site point of contact during museum events and provide training to staff and volunteers as needed.
Complete post-event wrap-up, including evaluation of all event elements, recommendations for improvement, donor reports and acknowledgements, and reconciliation of budget and vendor payments.
Work with development staff to ensure accurate financial coding and gift acknowledgment throughout the year.