Senior Director for Development Events, University Events & Experience

University of Texas at Austin • UT MAIN CAMPUS, UT

3d • Onsite

About The Position

The Senior Director for Development Events leads strategy, planning, and execution for high-impact fundraising events and donor experiences that support The University of Texas at Austin’s philanthropic priorities. Reporting to the CXO, University Events & Experience, the role partners with Texas Development leaders and fundraising teams to turn donor strategy into purposeful board, cultivation, solicitation, recognition, and stewardship experiences.

This senior event-planning position applies knowledge of fundraising, relationship management, and the donor journey. It works with development leadership, donor relations professionals, executive leaders, boards and councils, academic and campus partners, and external vendors to create experiences that deepen engagement, demonstrate the impact of philanthropy, advance donor relationships, and support long-term giving objectives. The role manages a complex event portfolio from concept through follow-up and supervises one to two event-planning staff.

The position is based on the UT Austin main campus in Austin, Texas. It is on-site, scheduled for 40 hours per week, with variable hours that may include evenings, weekends, travel, and additional hours during peak periods and special events. The position has an end date of December 31, 2027, and may be renewable depending on funding, performance, and progress toward goals; funding is expected to continue. The salary is $110,000 or more, depending on qualifications.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree and at least eight years of progressively responsible experience in complex event planning and production, including significant experience in higher education advancement, nonprofit fundraising, donor relations, or a closely related environment. Relevant education and experience may be substituted as appropriate.
• Demonstrated success leading high-touch cultivation, stewardship, recognition, board, volunteer leadership, campaign, or fundraising events for donors, prospects, senior leaders, and other VIP audiences.
• Working knowledge of fundraising principles, the donor lifecycle, moves management, donor segmentation, stewardship, and how events support relationship progression and philanthropic outcomes.
• Ability to translate fundraising goals and donor intelligence into audience strategy, event concepts, program design, personalized engagement, and disciplined follow-up.
• Creative and experiential judgment, including the ability to develop an event concept from a strategic objective and carry it through design, production, and execution.
• Advanced command of event operations, hospitality, protocol, production, vendor management, budgeting, contracts, timelines, risk mitigation, and live execution.
• Experience partnering with fundraisers, donor relations and stewardship teams, executive offices, communications and creative teams, campus partners, and external vendors in a matrixed organization.
• Exceptional judgment, discretion, service orientation, and written, verbal, interpersonal, and presentation skills, including the ability to advise senior leaders and manage sensitive donor and institutional information.
• Ability to manage multiple complex events simultaneously, make timely decisions, maintain accuracy under pressure, and meet demanding deadlines and budgets.
• Ability to travel and work evenings and weekends as required for planning, donor engagement, rehearsals, and event execution.
• Ability to work on-site in Austin, Texas; applicants must be authorized to work in the United States. The University Development Office does not sponsor work visas for this position.

Nice To Haves

• Ten or more years of relevant experience, with a substantial portfolio of major-gift, principal-gift, campaign, presidential, board, giving-society, or donor-stewardship events.
• Experience in a complex research university, large advancement organization, academic medical center, cultural institution, or national nonprofit.
• Experience working directly with principal and major gift officers, donor relations and stewardship leaders, university executives, deans, faculty, board or council members, and volunteer leaders.
• Experience using advancement or constituent relationship management data to inform guest strategy, personalization, engagement tracking, and post-event follow-up.
• Demonstrated success evaluating and improving event portfolios based on fundraising priorities, donor outcomes, audience insights, resource use, and return on engagement.
• Established knowledge of premier creative, production, hospitality, entertainment, and specialty vendor resources in Austin, Texas, and nationally.
• Experience delivering highly personalized donor experiences requiring diplomacy, confidentiality, cultural awareness, executive presence, and exceptional service standards.

Responsibilities

• Lead concept development and annual planning for fundraising and donor-engagement events aligned with Texas Development priorities and university fundraising goals.
• Partner with advancement leaders to define event audiences, objectives, desired donor actions, key messages, and success measures, and develop appropriate experiences for each audience.
• Design board and council meetings, cultivation gatherings, campaign and principal-gift experiences, giving-society programs, donor recognition and stewardship experiences, and regional or international engagements as assigned.
• Apply donor-journey and moves-management knowledge to support identification, qualification, cultivation, solicitation, stewardship, retention, and renewed or increased giving.
• Serve as the senior events partner for assigned boards and councils, volunteer leadership groups, giving societies, campaign initiatives, and priority donor constituencies.
• Collaborate with fundraisers and teams across donor relations, stewardship, annual giving, principal and major gifts, planned giving, corporate and foundation relations, communications, prospect development, and executive offices.
• Develop integrated event briefs documenting audiences, relationship context, leadership roles, engagement objectives, program strategy, briefing needs, follow-up ownership, budget, timeline, and success measures.
• Guide executive and volunteer participation through agendas, talking points, donor briefings, seating and interaction strategy, recognition, protocol, and engagement pathways.
• Manage a complex event portfolio, set priorities, balance resources, identify risks, and maintain alignment with fundraising strategy, institutional standards, and donor expectations.
• Supervise one to two direct reports; set expectations and priorities, assign work, monitor progress, conduct check-ins and evaluations, provide feedback and coaching, and support professional development.
• Build team capacity through cross-training, documented processes, delegation, and shared standards for donor-centered event strategy, planning, and execution.
• Direct end-to-end event planning and on-site execution, including venues, budgets, contracts, catering, travel and hospitality, accessibility, technical production, staffing, security, transportation, gifts, recognition, and contingency planning.
• Create donor-centered guest journeys from invitation through post-event follow-up, ensuring touchpoints are personalized, mission-aligned, and appropriate to the donor relationship.
• Develop distinctive event concepts and experiential approaches that translate fundraising objectives, donor audiences, institutional priorities, and brand into memorable experiences.
• Lead site visits, production meetings, rehearsals, run-of-show development, speaker and executive preparation, live event operations, and post-event debriefs.
• Select, contract, and direct external partners while meeting university procurement, risk, accessibility, brand, and financial stewardship requirements.
• Coordinate timely follow-up with fundraising partners, sharing attendance and engagement information, donor feedback, next steps, audience and relationship outcomes, budget results, and other agreed measures; use findings to inform future strategy.
• Research trends and best practices in higher education advancement, philanthropy, board and volunteer engagement, donor relations, hospitality, and experiential events.
• Perform additional duties as assigned.

Benefits

• Competitive benefits package including insurance and retirement benefits, as well as other programs and services.
• Professional development opportunities.

What This Job Offers

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