Events & Philanthropic Engagement Manager

United Way of Greater Charlotte • Charlotte, NC

6d • $64,500 - $68,200

About The Position

United Way of Greater Charlotte uses collective giving to build pathways to economic opportunity, primarily through neighborhood-based, grassroots and responsive solutions. Within our community, we break down barriers to create uniquely impactful programs that help lift people out of poverty. Collaborating with local government agencies, businesses, faith communities, donors and volunteers to mobilize resources quickly and efficiently and advance lasting solutions, United Way is ensuring the most vulnerable populations have access to economic opportunities. The Events & Philanthropic Engagement Manager is a results-driven leader responsible for the strategy, planning, and execution of the organization's signature annual fundraiser - with the goal of establishing it as the most anticipated philanthropic event in the city - as well as a portfolio of year-round donor, volunteer, and community engagement initiatives. Reporting to the Senior Manager, Donor Prospecting and Stewardship, the role requires a superior project manager with advanced event production skills, strong financial acumen, and a deep understanding of the current fundraising and sponsorship landscape. The Events & Philanthropic Engagement Manager plays a critical role in driving contributed revenue, expanding corporate and community partnerships, and elevating the organization's public profile.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience.
• 5+ years of experience in event management, nonprofit fundraising, sponsorship sales, or engagement, with increasing responsibility.
• Demonstrated success securing event sponsorships and managing sponsor relationships.
• Proven ability to manage large-scale, high-profile fundraising events with ambitious revenue goals.
• Strong project management, organizational, and budgeting skills.
• Deep understanding of donor behavior, corporate philanthropy, and sponsorship trends.
• Excellent communication and relationship-building skills.
• Ability to work evenings and weekends as required.

Nice To Haves

• Experience positioning events as marquee or destination experiences in competitive markets.
• Experience working with board members, executive leadership, and high-net-worth donors.
• Familiarity with CRM systems, event technology platforms, and data-driven fundraising strategies.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end event management including concept, timelines, budgets, vendors, and execution
• Partner with communications to refine strategic positioning, audience mix, and donor journey
• Create mission-forward, donor-centric experiences balancing inspiration and revenue
• Manage revenue goals (ticket sales, sponsorships, underwriting, giving opportunities)
• Lead post-event evaluation and year-over-year improvement analysis
• Develop and execute comprehensive sponsorship strategy aligned with fundraising goals
• Identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward corporate sponsors with leadership partners
• Design compelling sponsorship packages delivering sponsor value and advancing mission
• Manage full sponsor lifecycle from prospecting through fulfillment and stewardship
• Track sponsorship revenue, pipeline, ROI, and contribute to forecasting
• Plan year-round cultivation, volunteer engagement, and community events
• Partner with Philanthropy team colleagues to advance donor acquisition, retention, and upgrades
• Design mission-aligned volunteer experiences reflecting organizational values
• Develop detailed project plans, timelines, and workbacks for all events
• Coordinate cross-functionally with internal/external stakeholders
• Establish scalable systems, templates, and processes
• Proactively identify risks and resolve challenges
• Build and manage comprehensive event budgets with revenue projections and expense controls
• Negotiate contracts to maximize value and mitigate risk
• Ensure timely reconciliation, reporting, and financial performance analysis
• Collaborate with marketing staff on consistent messaging and compelling storytelling
• Leverage events and sponsorships to expand visibility, media exposure, and partnerships
• Recruiting sponsorships with leads and support from the philanthropy team
• Coordinating engagement with existing sponsors
• Developing timelines, event budgets and communication plans
• Coordinating registration tools and processes with a focus on collecting key demographic data for targeted follow-up
• Creating registration and revenue reports for each event, ensuring all participant and revenue data is recorded accurately in the database
• Coordinating all event resources for successful "day of" execution
• Managing events according to revenue and data acquisition objectives
• Working collaboratively with all United Way departments to achieve organizational engagement goals
• Events vary in size and scope with 2-4 large scale community-based volunteer day long events, 1-2 donor engagement events and multiple on-site corporate volunteer engagement projects

Benefits

• Comprehensive benefits include Health, Dental, Vision, a 401 (k) defined contribution plan, Paid Holidays, and Paid Time off. Medical Life Insurance, Short and Long-Term Disability Accident and Critical Illness, and Pet Insurance

What This Job Offers

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