Events Specialist

Mirkin Solutions - Your People Operations People•New York, NY

3d•$65,000 - $75,000

About The Position

WhyHunger is a nonprofit organization working to end hunger and advance the human right to nutritious food in the U.S. and around the world. It supports grassroots movements and community solutions rooted in social, environmental, racial, and economic justice. As a member of the Development team, the Events Specialist coordinates the planning, project management, and execution of fundraising and cultivation events. Reporting to the head of Institutional Giving, the role will grow into the day-to-day planning lead for the Chapin Awards Gala, Hungerthon Hustle, and Amplified concert, as well as donor site visits, cultivation events, and smaller artist activations and concerts. The role may also provide planning and logistical support for other events as organizational needs evolve. The Specialist translates event strategies into detailed plans, manages event consultants, coordinates logistics and vendors, and keeps colleagues aligned on responsibilities and deadlines. Event strategy, fundraising goals, overall budgets, and programming remain with the respective Development team leads. The Specialist partners with Development and Communications colleagues on themes, materials, messaging, and promotion, and with Program colleagues to integrate WhyHunger’s mission and community partners into event experiences. This is an early-career role with guidance from Development team leads and opportunities to build experience and take on increasing responsibility. The position requires occasional evening and weekend event availability and event-related travel.

Requirements

Approximately 2–3 years of relevant experience in event planning, project coordination, or related work.
Bachelor’s degree in a related field or an equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.
Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail, including experience managing timelines, coordinating logistics, and following through on multiple priorities.
Experience working with vendors, comparing proposals, and supporting contract review or negotiation.
Experience coordinating consultants, contractors, volunteers, or interns, including setting clear expectations and providing constructive feedback.
Ability to track expenses and work within established budgets and approval processes.
Strong written and verbal communication skills, including drafting event communications and documenting meeting decisions and next steps.
Comfort using project management tools such as Asana, spreadsheets, and shared documents.
Ability to work well across teams, balance competing deadlines, and respond calmly and resourcefully when plans change.
Availability for occasional evening and weekend events and event-related travel.
Passion for WhyHunger’s mission to end hunger and advance the human right to nutritious food.
Demonstrated commitment to racial, social, economic, and environmental justice and a desire to be part of an anti-racist organizational culture.

Nice To Haves

Experience with nonprofit fundraising events, live music, or donor cultivation events.
Familiarity with registration, ticketing, email, or CRM platforms such as EveryAction.

Responsibilities

Coordinate event planning, on-site execution, and post-event follow-up.
Work with team leads to execute the vision, strategy, and programming for the Chapin Awards Gala, Amplified Concert, and Hungerthon Hustle 5K within approved budgets.
Develop and maintain event timelines, work plans, checklists, and run-of-show documents.
Manage event consultants and external production partners, coordinating scopes of work, deliverables, timelines, and day-to-day execution in alignment with event strategy and approved budgets.
Research venues and vendors, compare proposals, and negotiate pricing and contract terms within approved budgets and parameters; coordinate review and approval by appropriate staff.
Manage event logistics, including venues, catering, rentals, registration, ticketing, seating, signage, hospitality, and production needs.
Coordinate donor site visits with Development and Program colleagues, including schedules, travel arrangements, hosts, and participant communications.
Plan and coordinate donor cultivation and engagement events, including dinners, receptions, and gatherings, working with Development colleagues on goals, guest lists, logistics, and follow-up.
Work with the Artists Against Hunger & Poverty team to coordinate logistics for artist activations, concerts, and talent participation.
Coordinate community partner participation and mission integration with the Program team, including speakers, storytelling, partner logistics, and hospitality.
Organize event-day roles for staff and volunteers, share schedules and instructions, and serve as the main point of contact for event logistics.
Anticipate logistical needs, troubleshoot issues, and incorporate accessibility and a welcoming participant experience into event planning.
Organize and facilitate internal event planning meetings, including agendas, notes, decisions, and action-item follow-up.
Maintain event projects in Asana, keeping task owners, deadlines, dependencies, and status updates clear and current.
Coordinate contributions and deadlines across Development, Programs, Communications, and Finance, and flag delays or conflicts.
Track event expenses, vendor commitments, invoices, and payment schedules against approved budgets.
Maintain organized event files, vendor records, contracts, and planning templates.
Compile event results and participant feedback, lead post-event debriefs, and recommend improvements.
Partner with Development and Communications colleagues on event themes, messaging, promotion, and timelines for invitations, event pages, email campaigns, programs, signage, and other materials.
Draft and coordinate pre-event reminders, participant instructions, and post-event thank-you communications, working with colleagues on content and approvals.
Coordinate sponsor recognition, event benefits, and donor and VIP arrangements, ensuring agreed commitments are included in event plans.
Help maintain accurate registration and attendance records and support timely donor and participant follow-up.