Impactful Events Marketing Specialist

United Way of Metropolitan Chicago; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 48,000 - 52,000; Full time

Job summary

United Way of Metro Chicago is seeking a Marketing Specialist, Events & Programs to manage logistics for public events and civic programs in Chicago. The role partners with cross‑functional teams to ensure events align with brand, budget, and goals.

You will coordinate registrations, collateral, venues, speakers, and vendor relationships while supporting donor engagement and program communications. Flexibility to work evenings/weekends is required.

Qualifications

• 1–2 years of relevant experience in event planning, project coordination, marketing, or related work; nonprofit or fundraising experience a plus.
• Proven experience in event planning and logistics execution.
• Experience working with creative teams (copywriter, designer, web developer).
• Budget management experience.
• Strong project management skills with the ability to prioritize workload and diligently follow through on all projects.
• High degree of flexibility (with projects and schedule) and the ability to change course.
• Excellent interpersonal, organizational, verbal, and written communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead level 1 / Signature Event Logistics and coordinate cross‑departmental status meetings.
• Create and update event briefs and manage registrations, RSVPs, and attendance (CRM/registration platform).
• Coordinate event collateral and email communications with Marcom team.
• Monitor timelines and budgets; process contracts and payments when needed.
• Plan venue layouts, menus, and catering; coordinate speakers and vendors.
• Attend events to ensure smooth execution and postmortems.
• Support Civic Programs logistics, fundraising and donor engagement activities.
• Build and manage event registrations and surveys; upload event information to systems.
• Draft mass emails (invites, reminders, thank you) with Marcom partners.
• Assist with signage, materials, and coordination with the larger Marcom team.

Skills

Event planning

Budget management

Cross-functional collaboration

Vendor coordination

CRM experience

Tools

Microsoft Office

Microsoft Teams

Zoom Webinar

Trello

SmartSheets

Salesforce

Job description

United Way of Metro Chicago is seeking a Marketing Specialist, Events & Programs to manage logistics for public events and civic programs in Chicago. The role partners with cross‑functional teams to ensure events align with brand, budget, and goals.

You will coordinate registrations, collateral, venues, speakers, and vendor relationships while supporting donor engagement and program communications. Flexibility to work evenings/weekends is required.