Head of Events, Program Performance & Community Engagement

HUMAN APPEAL INC•Fairfax, IA

7d•$120,000 - $180,000•Onsite

About The Position

The Head of Events owns Human Appeal USA’s national event portfolio from planning through post-event review. The portfolio includes fundraising dinners, Grand Iftars, a comedy tour, Quran nights with visiting reciters, entertainment programs, and sports and MMA activities. The role establishes consistent program quality, strong attendance, and an engaged volunteer base that returns, while supporting fundraising goals and reducing reliance on paid labor where trained volunteers can perform suitable functions. The Head of Events develops the annual events calendar, sets goals and budgets, chooses markets and venues, and maintains a standard event playbook. The role leads marketing and community outreach to fill events, builds local volunteer teams and community partnerships, and coordinates staff, talent, vendors, and fundraising activities. It also evaluates event results, manages the events budget, reports performance to the Executive Director, and strengthens donor, volunteer, and community ambassador networks.

Requirements

At least 7 years of experience in event management, program management, or nonprofit fundraising events.
At least 3 years of experience leading teams.
Proven record of planning and running multi-city or large-scale events with measurable attendance and fundraising results.
Experience recruiting and managing volunteers at scale.
Strong relationships with, or deep understanding of, American Muslim communities, mosques, and community organizations.
Experience owning budgets and negotiating vendor contracts.
Comfort using data to set targets, track performance, and make decisions.
Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience.
Ability to manage long on-site days and frequent travel.
Availability for regular evening and weekend work around events, with heavier workloads during Ramadan and year-end campaigns.

Nice To Haves

Experience with gala dinners, live entertainment, or touring programs.
Familiarity with event ticketing, CRM, and volunteer management platforms.
Arabic, Urdu, or another community language.
An existing network across mosques and Muslim organizations in multiple U.S. regions.

Responsibilities

Build and manage the annual national events calendar across program types, aligned with fundraising targets and seasonal giving periods.
Set attendance, fundraising, budget, and cost-per-attendee goals for each event before approval.
Select cities, venues, and dates using community size, past results, competing events, and mosque calendars.
Develop and maintain a standard event playbook covering timelines, run-of-show, staffing, vendors, audiovisual needs, and on-site checklists.
Negotiate and manage venue, catering, talent, and vendor contracts within budget.
Partner with the marketing team on digital, social, email, SMS, and print campaigns for each event.
Lead local outreach, including flyering, booths after Jumu'ah, community announcements, and influencer outreach.
Engage mosques, imams, MSAs, and community organizations in advance to secure promotion, co-hosting, and attendance.
Track ticket sales and registrations against targets and adjust outreach when events are behind.
Build a national volunteer program with local teams in key markets; recruit, train, schedule, and recognize volunteers.
Develop city volunteer leads who can manage day-of operations with minimal paid staff.
Maintain a volunteer database and track hours, retention, and repeat participation.
Reduce paid labor and vendor costs by shifting suitable functions to trained volunteers.
Oversee day-of operations and ensure events meet Human Appeal’s quality standard.
Assign staff, talent, and resources from across Human Appeal divisions to each event.
Coordinate with fundraising staff on appeal segments, pledge collection, and donor follow-up.
Manage logistics for reciters, comedians, speakers, and athletes, including travel and hospitality.
Ensure compliance with venue, safety, insurance, and fundraising regulations in each state.
Conduct a post-event review within two weeks, comparing results with targets.
Maintain an event-performance dashboard and report monthly to the Executive Director.
Identify high-return event formats and markets and recommend what to scale, change, or stop.
Collect attendee, donor, and volunteer feedback and use it to improve the event playbook.
Manage the events budget and report on cost per dollar raised.
Ensure events draw a mix of general attendees, recurring and mid-level donors, major donors, and high-net-worth individuals.
Lead targeted pre-event outreach to high-net-worth donors, including personal invitations, VIP tables, and hosted experiences.
Partner with fundraising staff on donor attendance plans and assign follow-up owners for each event.
Arrange contact capture through registration, sign-in, QR codes, and pledge cards, ensuring consent and accurate CRM data entry.
Grow and track Human Appeal’s donor, volunteer, and community ambassador networks in each market.
Recruit and support community ambassadors who promote events and bring new donors and volunteers into the network.