Manager, Donor Events & Experiences

Towson University (TU) has earned distinction as both a top-100 public university and one of the nation's great colleges to work for. Located north of Baltimore, TU currently enrolls over 19,000 students and is the second-largest university in the prestigious University System of Maryland.  Towson University fosters a climate that is grounded in respect to cultivating the intellectual and personal growth of the entire university community.

Reporting to the Senior Director, Marketing and Communications, the Manager of Donor Events & Experiences plays a key role in advancing the mission of University Advancement by planning, managing, and executing high-impact events designed to strengthen donor relationships, increase philanthropic engagement, and elevate the visibility of Towson University and the Towson University Foundation.

This position plays a pivotal role in all fundraising and donor recognition/stewardship events and communication support, including, but not limited to, the TU Foundation's annual signature donor event—the Celebration of Donors & Scholars; select donor dinners; giving society events; fundraising events (Wainio and Ziolkowski in collaboration with Department of Sponsorships & Partnerships); suite events to support college donor development/stewardship; naming dedications; pledge signings; campaign-related celebrations and events; and professorship installations.

In addition to the event responsibilities, this role will work in tandem with the Manager of Stewardship & Gift Adminstration to complete the donor recognition continuum--the strategic acknowledgement of donors, based on commitment level and gift size, spanning from initial, leadership-level acknowledgement to deeply personalized stewardship communication, including milestone/anniversary recognition deliverables like videos, picture books and reports. 

The position partners closely with University Advancement (the Department of Sponsorships & Partnerships, Advancement Services, Major Gift Officers, Marketing & Communications) Presidential Events, Catering and Conference Services, Technical Operations, Faculty/Staff and university volunteers to deliver exceptional experiences for donors, student scholarship recipients, and University leadership.

Event Planning, Communication & Execution:

• Lead the development, coordination, and execution of all Foundation-sponsored fundraising and donor recognition events from concept through delivery.

• Serve as primary manager for the annual Celebration of Donors & Scholars signature event.

• Develop comprehensive event plans and timelines, ensuring flawless execution and superior guest experiences.

• Partner with Advancement Services to manage data requests, identify segmentation strategies to increase attendance, deepen donor connections, generate invitation lists (print/html), track event RSVPs and prepare pre-event research and donor profiles.

• Staff event planning committees, including meeting coordination, agendas, documentation, and follow-through on action items.

• Ensure all events support strategic donor cultivation, stewardship, and fundraising objectives.

• Manage and share data to ensure transparency of outcomes, ie. engagement/RSVPs/final attendance reports

• Prepare event briefings documents for Advancement team and, when appropriate, for the president. 

Budget & Sponsorship Management:

• Develop and manage event budgets, track expenditures, and ensure financial accountability and compliance.

• Partner with UA sponsorship team-member to secure and steward event sponsorships and in-kind support, when appropriate.

• Event Marketing & Audience Engagement:

• Create and implement marketing and communication plans for all Advancement events in collaboration with the Senior Director, UA