Senior Director, VIP Engagement & Events

Founded in 1936, the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) has grown into America's largest and most trusted grassroots conservation organization with 52 state and territorial affiliates and seven million members and supporters, including hunters, anglers, gardeners, birders, hikers, campers, paddlers, and outdoor enthusiasts of all ages and stripes. The mission of NWF is to unite all Americans to ensure wildlife thrive in our rapidly changing world. We advance this mission through programming focused on conserving wildlife, restoring habitats and waterways, expanding outdoor opportunities, connecting children with nature, advancing environmental justice, and addressing the causes and consequences of climate change.

To advance our mission, the Federations seeks a Senior Director, VIP Engagement & Events to lead the design, planning, and execution of a range of special events, excursions, and supporter engagement initiatives aimed at raising the profile of the Federation’s important work and further building relationships with the Federation’s most loyal supporters and volunteer leaders.

Although the role excludes responsibility for governance functions (such as managing governance processes, staffing committees, or producing meeting materials), the Senior Director will be responsible for executing NWF Board of Directors meetings and related events, and they will serve as a relationship manager for select Board members. Partnering closely with the Chief Development Officer and the Senior Vice President for Philanthropy and Supporter Engagement, the Senior Director will foster strong working relationships with the executive office, governance team, finance, and with colleagues across Development toward the goal of ensuring volunteer leadership opportunities at NWF are productive and engaging, and that involvement is sustainable even after service concludes.

PRINCIPLE DUTIES

Events & Program Development:

• Supports the Chief Development Officer in further building and managing relationships with a range of VIPs, including some of the Federation’s most generous supporters and influential friends
• Collaborates with the Donor Relations, Gift Planning, Individual Giving and Membership teams in the development of key themes, messaging, and desired outcomes, ensuring all communications, related collaterals, and production content complement stated purposes
• Designs, plans, and executes online and live event strategies, managing all aspects of logistics; leads staff, volunteers and contractors in event planning, execution and follow-up; oversees production; administers panel/presenter selection and management; and takes the lead in developing the run of show
• Manages relationships with vendors and service providers for both online and offline events, from requests for proposals to vetting, selection and contracting; develops scopes of work and service deliverables; serves as the primary point of contact between vendors and NWF; reviews invoices for accuracy, ensuring adherence to contractual obligations; and processes invoices for payment
• Develops and maintains budgets; provides periodic updates to leadership and other key staff; and handles event “close out”, ensuring the processing of invoices and the development of final reports in a timely manner
• Oversees production of meeting materials, agendas, and other collaterals (including nametags, binders, and takeaways) for select engagement opportunities and events; coordinates transportation, lodging, and catering as necessary; and supports participant engagement as needed
• Administers the Supporter Engagement budget; provides monthly reporting and reprojecting of forecasts; develops annual operating budgets and long-term plans and strategies for Supporter Engagement
• In coordination with Development leadership, helps facilitate team retreats; oversees related logistics and production; contributes to agenda planning and content development
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Board Liaison & Engagement:

• With a focus on engagement, the Senior Director is one of two primary liaisons to the Board of Directors, working collaboratively with the Governance team, and the Chief Development Officer to help directors connect and engage effectively
• Develops engagement plans informed by affinity and interest and offers regular communications about Federation staff, activities, programs and focus areas, oftentimes leveraging other communications and collaterals and simply sharing them as appropriate
• Conducts field outreach and responds to inquiries surrounding meetings, events, or programs, maintaining a sufficient orientation to matters until they are resolved. This often requires directing inquiries to others, and it often involves serving as a liaison between directors and NWF executives