Associate Director, Premier Event

American Cancer Society; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 85,000 - 95,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid time off

Benefits package (medical, dental, and

Job summary

The American Cancer Society is seeking a seasoned fundraising professional to lead strategy, planning, execution, and growth of a premier large-scale fundraising event with accountability for $1M+ in annual revenue.

You will drive revenue through donor cultivation, corporate partnerships, volunteer leadership engagement, and strategic relationship management, collaborating across functions to deliver a best-in-class event experience.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in related field or equivalent experience.
• 5+ years of fundraising, corporate engagement, and relationship development.

Responsibilities

• Builds and advances donor, sponsor, volunteer, and community relationships to drive revenue growth and engagement.
• Develops fundraising strategies for a premier large-scale event, including sponsorship and donor cultivation.
• Recruits and mobilizes executive volunteers and leadership teams to support fundraising success.
• Leads planning, logistics, budgets, vendor relationships, and brand execution for events.
• Collaborates across teams to align event efforts with donor strategies and revenue goals.
• Monitors financial performance and adjusts strategies to optimize ROI and impact.

Skills

Fundraising

Donor cultivation

Relationship management

Strategic planning

Project management

Communication

Cross-functional collaboration

Volunteer engagement

Education

Bachelor's degree in related field

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 leading the strategy, planning, execution, and growth of a premier large-scale fundraising event with accountability for $1M+ in annual revenue. Drives revenue through strategic relationship management, corporate partnerships, volunteer leadership engagement, and donor cultivation. Collaborates across functions to deliver a best-in-class event experience, strengthen the donor pipeline, and advance broader organizational fundraising goals.

Essential Duties:

• Builds, sustains, and advances high-impact relationships with donors, sponsors, volunteer leaders, and community partners to drive revenue growth and long-term engagement.30%
• Develops and executes fundraising strategies for a premier large-scale event, including sponsorship acquisition, donor cultivation, pipeline development, and participant engagement.20%
• Recruits, engages, and mobilizes executive volunteers, event chairs, ambassadors, and leadership teams to support fundraising success and community visibility.15%
• Oversees delivery of a best-in-class event experience through leadership of planning,logistics, budgets, vendor relationships, and brand execution.15%
• Collaborates cross-functionallyto align event efforts with broader organizational priorities, donor strategies, and revenue goals.10%
• Monitors financial performance, evaluates results, and adjusts strategies tooptimizerevenue growth, return on investment, and overall event impact.10%

EXPERIENCE/QUALIFICATIONS:

• Minimum Degree Required: Bachelors in related field and/or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Preferred Degree: Bachelor's Degree
• Years of experience: 5+ years successful experience in fundraising, corporate engagement, volunteer partnership, and relationship development

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES:

• Demonstrated success driving revenue growth throughdonor,sponsor, and volunteer engagement.
• Strong relationship-building and influencing skills with high-impact stakeholders and community leaders.
• Experience leading complex, high-profile fundraising events with a focus on growth, donor experience, and return on investment.
• Ability to recruit, engage, and develop volunteer leadership and executive-level partners.
• Strong strategic planning, project management, and organizational skills.
• Ability to analyze performance and adjust strategies to achieve revenue goals.
• Strong collaboration and communication skills, with the ability to work effectively across teams and functions.
• Ability to lead through influence, manage competing priorities, and adapt in a fast-paced environment.

TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS:

• Limited travel to meetings,training& events.
• Expectation of being external in the market an average of 3 days per week
• Must be able to attend evening and weekend meetings,eventsand programs.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:

• No specific physical requirements.

The starting rate is $85,000 to $95,000. 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.

Benefits & Perks:

• 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.