Associate Director, Market Events

American Cancer Society, Inc.; Nashville (TN); On-site; USD 80,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

American Cancer Society, Inc. in Nashville seeks a dynamic fundraiser to manage a $1.5M+ event portfolio through direct donor relationships, volunteer leadership engagement, and corporate partnerships.

You will drive revenue, lead event strategies, and collaborate across teams to optimize the donor pipeline and organizational impact. The role requires a Bachelor's degree and 3+ years of fundraising experience, with strong relationship-building, project management, and communication skills.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required; 3+ years in fundraising responsibilities.
• Proven success driving revenue through donors, sponsors, and volunteer engagement.
• Strong relationship-building and influencing skills with diverse stakeholders.
• Experience recruiting and leading volunteer leadership (e.g., chairs, committees).
• Excellent project management and organizational abilities.

Responsibilities

• Builds and manages relationships with donors, sponsors, and volunteer leaders to drive retention, growth, and long-term engagement.
• Develops and executes event fundraising strategies, ensuring strong performance, donor experience, and alignment with organizational priorities.
• Aligns event participants and partners to broader donor engagement strategies, supporting movement through the pipeline.
• Monitors performance and financial results, adjusting strategies to meet or exceed revenue goals and optimize ROI.
• Collaborates cross-functionally to ensure coordinated execution and strong market presence.
• Travel for meetings and events in-market, averaging several days per week.

Skills

Donor relationship building

Volunteer leadership

Fundraising strategy

Account management

Stakeholder collaboration

Education

Bachelor's Degree

Tools

CRM systems

Job description

At the American Cancer Society, we're working to end cancer as we know it, for everyone. Our employees and 1.3 million volunteers are raising the bar every single day. We are a culture comprised of diverse backgrounds and experience, to better serve our communities. The people who work at the American Cancer Society focus their diverse talents on our lifesaving mission. It is a calling. And the people who answer it are fulfilled.

Responsible for driving a $1.5M+ event fundraising portfolio through direct relationship management, volunteer leadership engagement, and corporate partnership development. Leads all aspects of event fundraising within the market, while collaborating across teams to align efforts, strengthen the donor pipeline, and advance broader organizational goals.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

Identifies, cultivates, and secures revenue opportunities through corporate partnerships, major gifts, and volunteer leadership engagement.

• 40% Builds and manages relationships with donors, sponsors, and volunteer leaders to drive retention, growth, and long-term engagement.
• 20% Develops and executes event fundraising strategies, ensuring strong performance, donor experience, and alignment with organizational priorities.
• 15% Aligns event participants and partners to broader donor engagement strategies, supporting movement through the pipeline.
• 10% Monitors performance and financial results, adjusting strategies to meet or exceed revenue goals and optimize return on investment.
• 10% Collaborates cross-functionally to ensure coordinated execution and strong market presence.
• 5%

EXPERIENCE/QUALIFICATIONS:

Minimum Degree Required: Bachelor's Degree Years of experience: Three+ years related fundraising responsibilities

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITY:

• Demonstrated success driving revenue through donor, sponsor, and volunteer engagement.
• Strong relationship-building and influencing skills with diverse stakeholders.
• Ability to develop and execute fundraising strategies within a defined market.
• Experience recruiting and leading volunteer leadership (e.g., event chairs, committees).
• Strong project management and organizational skills.
• Ability to analyze performance and adjust strategies to achieve goals.
• Strong understanding of donor pipeline development and engagement.
• Effective communication and presentation skills.
• Ability to collaborate across teams and contribute to broader organizational success.

TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS:

Limited overnight travel to meetings and events Expectation to be external in market, 3 days per week average After hours and weekend work

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:

No specific physical requirements

The starting rate is $80,000 to $90,000. The final candidate's relevant experience/skills will be considered before an offer is extended. Actual starting pay will vary based on non-discriminatory factors including, but not limited to, geographic location, experience, skills, specialty, and education.

ACS provides staff a generous paid time off policy; medical, dental, retirement benefits, wellness programs, and professional development programs to enhance staff skills. Further details on our benefits can be found on our careers site at: jobs.cancer.org/benefits.

We are a proud equal opportunity employer.

As an organization, we adhere to a set of core values that help inform all our decisions. But what really sets us apart is that the work we do has global impact -- and every passionate, dedicated American Cancer Society team member contributes to each groundbreaking achievement we make.