Associate Director of Development Events

Museum Of The Bible; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid time off

Six paid holidays

Four floating holidays

401(k) plan 100% vested after 1,000 h

Health, dental, and vision insurance

STD, LTD, and life insurance paid by M

Job summary

Museum of the Bible seeks an Associate Director of Development Events to advance philanthropic priorities in Washington, D.C., and priority markets. You will lead fundraising events, cultivate donor relationships, and manage end-to-end event execution with a focus on measurable results.

The role requires exceptional relationship-building, strategic planning, and the ability to work evenings and weekends, with travel up to 25%.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Five or more years of progressive experience in development events or donor relations.
• Strong written, verbal, presentation, and organizational skills.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute a comprehensive annual strategy for fundraising and donor events in Washington, D.C. and priority markets.
• Lead planning and execution teams for galas, dinners, receptions, briefings, and special events.
• Set objectives, audiences, revenue goals, and follow-up plans for each event.
• Collaborate with leadership to support donor acquisition, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship.
• Identify host committees, sponsors, and volunteer leaders; recruit and manage them.
• Create event sponsorship packages and secure corporate and individual support.
• Oversee budgets, timelines, vendors, venues, and on-site execution.
• Coordinate cross-team messaging for cohesive guest experiences.
• Track performance: revenue, expenses, attendance, and donor engagement.

Skills

Event planning

Donor relations

Relationship building

Negotiation

Organizational skills

Communication

Travel readiness

Evenings/weekends work

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Tools

Salesforce

Wrike

Momentus

Cvent

Microsoft Office

Job description

Museum of the Bible offers a competitive salary and benefits package, including:

• Paid time off
• Six paid holidays
• Four floating holidays of employee's choice
• 401(k) plan that is 100% vested after 1,000 hours of service
• Health, dental, and vision insurance
• STD, LTD, and life insurance that is paid by Museum of the Bible

Our driving mission is to invite all people to engage with the Bible through our collections, exhibits, and research and educational initiatives, as well as media, publications, and performances in our World Stage Theater. In 2017, Museum of the Bible opened its 430,000-square-foot non-profit museum in the heart of our nation's capital. In addition, our traveling exhibits have appeared nationwide and around the globe. Furthermore, we support education at all levels through children's programs, high school and college curricula, and adult education, as well as scholarship and academic research (including field archaeology) through our Scholars Initiative.

Our Culture

Museum of the Bible offers a highly challenging and profoundly meaningful work environment where every team member is unified around our unique and global mission. Our museum bridges the ancient and the modern—from a Babylonian brick dating to around 580 BC to the latest technology in our immersive surround-sound theater. Our team also spans a wide range of careers, from those with decades of extensive professional experience to new graduates and interns.

With new leadership in place, it's an exciting time to work at the museum as we plan for the future. As the museum grows, we provide employees the opportunity to develop their expertise and careers, along with friendships and fun. We all hope to move our lives from success to significance—and we do that daily at Museum of the Bible.

Our Work

We offer a wide variety of career opportunities, ranging from highly specialized curators and scholars to cutting-edge technology and media experts. You may work with global dignitaries and VIPs in Hospitality, or with curious children in Education. Or take your career in all these directions over time.

The museum is located in Southwest DC, on the Federal Center SW Metro stop. Our official headquarters is in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (on the Hobby Lobby campus). Most of our positions are in these two locations, but some may be remote.

Museum of the Bible supports the professional development of college and university students by playing an integral role in experiential learning. We offer internships to students from various academic backgrounds, giving them the opportunity to gain hands-on experience.

Position:Associate Director of Development Events

Location: Washington, DC

Job Id:535

# of Openings:1

Date: 9/14/2026

Job Title:Associate Director of Development Events

Division / Department:Development

Location: Washington DC or Oklahoma City

FLSA: Exempt

Reporting Manager:Chief Development Officer

Schedule: Full-Time, to include evenings and weekends as required*

Travel: Up to 25%

POSITION SUMMARY

The Associate Director of Development Events plays a key role in advancing Museum of the Bible's philanthropic priorities by developing and executing high-impact fundraising and stewardship events integrated with donor-cultivation and partnership management in Washington, D.C., and other priority markets.

This position is responsible for supporting and overseeing exceptional experiences that deepen relationships with current and prospective donors and move them toward greater engagement and philanthropic support. The Associate Director will manage events from initial strategy through execution and follow-up, ensuring that each gathering has clear fundraising, cultivation, or stewardship objectives.

The ideal candidate is an accomplished relationship builder and event strategist who understands how to seamlessly execute event operations that create meaningful connections to the museum, while balancing strong representation of Museum of the Bible to our VIP partners as well as nurturing donor relationships to generate measurable philanthropic results.

Responsibilities:

Fundraising and Donor Events

• Develop and execute a comprehensive annual strategy for fundraising, cultivation, and stewardship events in Washington, D.C., and selected priority markets.
• Lead the planning and execution teams of major fundraising events, including galas, dinners, receptions, briefings, unique donor experiences, and other special events.
• Establish clear objectives, audiences, revenue goals, sponsorship opportunities, engagement strategies, and follow-up plans for each event.
• Partner with development leadership and Development Officers to ensure events support donor acquisition, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship strategies.
• Identify and recruit host committees, sponsors, table hosts, and other volunteer leaders.
• Collaborate with Institutional Gift Officer to create event sponsorship packages and secure corporate and individual event support.
• Coordinate event-related solicitations and ensure timely, personalized follow-up with attendees, hosts, sponsors, and prospective donors.
• Serve as lead manager and guide and direct the events team for things such as: event budgets, contract execution and fulfillment, project timelines, vendors, venues, production partners, guest lists, invitations, registration, seating, all collateral production, and on-site execution.
• Collaborate with Communications, Marketing, Hospitality, Operations, Finance, and other internal teams to ensure cohesive messaging and exceptional guest experiences.
• Track event performance, including revenue, expenses, attendance, donor engagement, new prospects, sponsorships, and post-event fundraising results.
• Ensure all events consistently reflect the museum's mission, brand standards, and commitment to excellence and hospitality.

Donor Cultivation and Relationship Management

• Work with development leadership and Development Officers to identify the donors and prospective donors who should be strategically engaged through each event.
• Conduct meetings as needed with event leaders, sponsors, and other key stakeholders.
• Build relationships with influential individuals throughout the Washington, D.C. region who can help expand the museum's philanthropic reach.
• Serve as the Relationship Manager with VIP Talent (musical artists, keynote speakers, agents, etc.), inviting them to museum events and delivering exceptional white glove service during their experience.
• Represent Museum of the Bible at external events, conferences, networking opportunities, and community gatherings as needed.
• Prepare briefing materials, talking points, proposals, sponsorship materials, and follow-up communications for museum leaders and volunteer ambassadors.
• Work with development colleagues to create individualized engagement and follow-up strategies for priority event attendees.
• Maintain accurate and timely records of donor contacts, event participation, strategies, next steps, and fundraising activity.
• Perform other duties and special projects that advance the museum’s fundraising objectives.
• Other duties as assigned
• Ensure compliance with company guidelines, deadlines, and design standards.
• Champion the Museum of the Bible's mission to invite all people to engage with the transformative power of the Bible.
• As required, inclusion in official or incidental photographs and videos for MOTB and/or guests.
• Other Duties as Assigned.

Performance Expectations

• Success in this role will be measured by:
• Fundraising and sponsorship revenue generated through events; target 3:1 ROI for year one, reaching toward 10:1 ROI.
• Achievement of event attendance, revenue, expense, and donor engagement goals.
• Growth in the number of qualified donors and prospective donors engaged through events.
• Demonstrated movement of relationships from initial engagement to solicitation and long-term support.
• Quality of event execution and the experience provided to donors and guests as demonstrated in post-event guest survey.
• Timely follow-up and accurate database management.
• Strong and timely collaboration with colleagues across museum teams.

QUALIFICATIONS & REQUIREMENTS

Knowledge:

• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and constituent relationship management systems; experience with fundraising databases (SalesForce, Wrike, Momentus, Cvent) is preferred.
• Bachelor's degree or an equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.
• Five or more years of progressively responsible experience in development events, donor relations, or a related event planning field.

Skills:

• Excellent written, verbal, presentation, negotiation, and organizational skills including the ability to manage multiple complex projects, competing priorities, and detailed timelines.
• Highly organized and detail-oriented with the ability to prioritize and meet multiple concurrent deadlines
• Provide outstanding customer service to internal and external customers
• Self-driven and the ability to work individually or in a team with little supervision
• Previous successful planning and executing high-level fundraising events, while balancing collaboration alongside multiple executive team members.
• Proven financial ability and experience developing and managing event budgets.
• Strong professional relationship-building skills.
• Availability to work evenings and weekends and to travel as required.

Preferred Attributes:

• Detail, details, details. Love the details!
• Highly relational both internally and externally and possess a strong emotional intelligence to serve partners and guests with excellence.
• Organizes strong post-event follow-up and manages subsequent wrap up details with the team. (The event isn't over when the "curtain goes down.")
• A genuine appreciation for the Bible's history, narrative, and impact and an ability to represent the mission of Museum of the Bible with authenticity and enthusiasm.

Abilities:

• Ability to stoop, stand, climb, and occasionally lift a minimum of 20 lbs. as required
• Ability to work collaboratively across departments while also taking initiative and working independently.
• Must be able to adapt and pivot to different duties, work schedules, or events as assigned, in accordance with operational needs and applicable wage and hour requirements.