Senior Manager, Events

American Cancer Society•Chicago, WI

About The Position

At the American Cancer Society, employees and volunteers focus their talents on the organization’s mission to end cancer as we know it, for everyone. The Senior Manager, Events leads the strategy, planning, and execution of a fundraising event portfolio of $400,000 or more. The role drives revenue through engagement with donors, sponsors, and volunteer leaders while delivering high-quality event experiences. It also manages relationships and moves constituents through the donor pipeline to support long-term engagement and impact. The position builds and manages relationships with donors, sponsors, volunteers, and community partners; leads event fundraising planning and execution; and develops strategies to grow revenue, participation, and the donor pipeline. The Senior Manager aligns event participants and partners with broader organizational engagement opportunities, monitors performance against goals, and coordinates cross-functional partners to support successful, brand-aligned events. Travel varies by portfolio assignment and event staffing model. The role requires attendance at evening and weekend meetings, events, and programs, remotely or in person depending on the assignment. Some lifting may be needed during event setup.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree required.
At least 2 years of successful experience in fundraising and relationship development.
Demonstrated success driving revenue through relationship building and volunteer engagement.
Strong project management and event execution skills.
Ability to manage multiple priorities and deliver results in a fast-paced environment.
Effective relationship-building, influencing, and communication skills.
Strong customer and donor experience orientation.
Ability to analyze performance and adjust strategies to meet goals.
Strong knowledge of community and constituent engagement.
Ability to collaborate across teams and work through others to achieve outcomes.
Must be able to attend evening and weekend meetings, events, and programs, remotely or in person depending on the portfolio assignment.

Nice To Haves

Responsibilities

Build and manage relationships with donors, sponsors, volunteers, and community partners to achieve revenue goals and grow engagement.
Lead planning and execution of event fundraising activities, including logistics, budgets, vendor coordination, and experience delivery.
Develop and execute strategies to grow revenue, participation, and the donor pipeline within the assigned portfolio.
Align event participants and partners with broader organizational engagement opportunities to deepen long-term impact.
Monitor performance against goals and adjust strategies to optimize revenue and return on investment.
Coordinate cross-functional partners to ensure successful event delivery and brand alignment.