Impactful Donor Events & Awards Manager

Science History Institute; Philadelphia (Philadelphia County); On-site; USD 72,000 - 88,000; Full time

Job summary

The Science History Institute is seeking a Philanthropy Events and Awards Manager to plan and execute donor-centric events, including award ceremonies and lectures. You will manage budgets, venues, vendors, invitations, registration, and on-site execution to advance fundraising and relationship-building goals.

Located at 315 Chestnut Street in Philadelphia, this exempt role requires in-office attendance three days per week.

Qualifications

• Minimum of five years of professional experience in event planning, awards, or program administration, or comparable relationship-driven coordination work.
• Demonstrated experience managing budgets and negotiating with venues, caterers, and production vendors
• Experience managing a recurring cycle of deadlines and external committees, or coordinating multiple stakeholder groups on a fixed calendar
• Exceptional project-management skills, including the ability to manage multiple simultaneous events and deadlines
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with strong attention to detail
• Poise, discretion, and hospitality in working with donors, honorees, committee members, board members, and senior leadership
• A commitment to our mission to tell the stories behind the science
• Proven ability to work with confidentiality and sound judgment
• Ability to work independently and as part of a collaborative team
• Proven ability to understand and use relationship-management databases
• Strong knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite, Zoom, and project-management software
• Schedule flexibility to work occasional weeknights and weekends as required

Responsibilities

• Plan and execute the annual calendar of Philanthropy events including regional dinners, award ceremonies and dinners, lectures, donor components of exhibition openings, and donor cultivation events
• Develop and manage event budgets; track expenses against budget and report variances to the Director of Philanthropy
• Identify and secure venues, caterers, and vendors; review contracts and flag terms, minimums, and deadlines requiring negotiation or approval
• Build and manage detailed production timelines, run-of-show documents, and staffing plans; maintain all events with dates, to-dos, and responsibilities in the Institute’s project-management system.
• Manage invitation production and mailing with the Institute’s print vendor, and electronic invitations and reminders through the Institute’s email platform
• Manage registration, RSVP tracking, seating, and name badges; produce accurate day-of guest materials and briefing documents
• Serve as on-site lead for event execution, including vendor supervision, load-in and load-out, and troubleshooting
• Coordinate audiovisual, production, and video needs with internal staff and external vendors
• Manage travel and accommodation arrangements, as well as hospitality for honorees, speakers, and VIP guests
• Coordinate post-event acknowledgments, follow-up correspondence, and debriefs; document lessons learned for future events
• Provide logistical support for board, committee, and Office of the President meetings and events as requested

Skills

Event planning

Budget management

Vendor negotiations

Project management

Communication skills

Donor relations

MS Office

Zoom

CRM databases

Tools

Microsoft Office Suite

Zoom

Project-management software

Job description

The Science History Institute is seeking a Philanthropy Events and Awards Manager to plan and execute donor-centric events, including award ceremonies and lectures. You will manage budgets, venues, vendors, invitations, registration, and on-site execution to advance fundraising and relationship-building goals.

Located at 315 Chestnut Street in Philadelphia, this exempt role requires in-office attendance three days per week.