Special Events Officer

Rising Ground; New York (NY); Hybrid; USD 65,000 - 95,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, dental, and vision insurance

401(k) with company match

PTO & holidays

Remote / flexible work options

Job summary

Rising Ground in New York City is seeking a Special Events Officer to lead the development and execution of fundraising events for the Development Department. You will oversee the Rising Ground Gala, manage donor relationships, and drive revenue through compelling event programs and cultivation activities.

The role requires hands-on event planning, strong budgeting skills, and proficiency with CRM platforms.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree and 6–8 years of fundraising experience, preferably in special events.
• Strong event planning, organizational, and project management skills, with exceptional attention to detail, budgeting acumen.
• Excellent written and verbal communication, relationship-building, and collaboration abilities.
• Commitment to Rising Ground’s mission and values.

Responsibilities

• Oversee the annual Rising Ground Gala from start to finish, including theme, program, and day-of logistics.
• Collaborate with VP of Development, Board of Directors, and Senior Leadership to meet revenue goals.
• Coordinate with program teams to create storytelling moments, in-person and digital.
• Develop marketing and communications strategies for all departmental events.
• Manage donor management, prospecting, and cultivation activities.
• Prepare budgets, track expenses and revenue, and report financial outcomes.

Skills

Fundraising

Event planning

Project management

CRM (Salesforce)

Budgeting

Communication

Donor cultivation

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Tools

Salesforce

Excel

Job description

About Us

Founded as an orphanage in 1831, Rising Ground has been at the forefront of evolving community needs. Driven by the belief that each of us can thrive when life has hope and opportunity, Rising Ground provides caring support and proven paths to positive change, helping children, adults, and families rise above adversity, and each year, Rising Ground is a positive force in the lives of more than 72,000 individuals annually. We do this through 101 programs across 138 sites, throughout New York City and Westchester. Our strong belief and commitment to diversity is shown not just through our work with supported persons but is integral to the building of a strong staff that reflects the communities we serve. Rising Ground is headquartered in New York City.

Department

Development

Reports To

VP of Development

Location

New York

Employment Type

Full Time

Start Date

Immediate

Role Overview

The Special Events Officer leads the development and execution of all fundraising events and cultivation events for Rising Ground’s Development Department. They are responsible for overseeing the execution of the Rising Ground Gala, generating event revenue, planning cultivation events, donor management and prospecting, event marketing and communications, and financial reporting and operations. They should have a strong familiarity with fundraising best practices and event planning. This position reports to the Vice President of Development and is expected to be in the office a minimum of three days a week.

Key Responsibilities

The primary duties of the Special Events Officer will include, but are not limited to, the following activities:

Rising Ground Gala

• Oversee the annual Rising Ground Gala from start to finish, including theme, program, and day-of logistics.
• Work with the Vice President of Development, the Board of Directors, and Senior Leadership to ensure the Gala achieves its annual revenue goal.
• Collaborate with Program teams to create compelling storytelling moments, both in-person and digitally.
• Coordinate with vendors, staff, and volunteers to ensure all logistics are handled effectively.

Generate Event Revenue

• In collaboration with the Vice President of Development, develop new opportunities for the organization to generate event revenue.
• Ensure that each event reaches its revenue goal.
• Prepare Board of Directors and Senior Leadership to solicit partners on behalf of the organization.

Cultivation Events

• Create multiple touchpoints for Rising Ground to engage with its donors regularly.
• Partner with the Vice President of Development to curate invitation lists for each event.
• Evaluate the success of cultivation events through attendance, engagement, and revenue metrics.

Donor Management and Prospecting

• Cultivate and steward relationships with current donors, sponsors, and partners.
• Identify new potential donors, solicit gifts to support events, and conduct donor/sponsor research.

Marketing and Communications

• Develop marketing and communications strategies for all departmental events.
• Create post-event outreach, including follow-up communication, donor stewardship, and converting event attendees into ongoing supporters.
• In collaboration with the Vice President of Development and the Marketing team, create person-centered communications to inspire event attendance.
• Drive brand awareness through marketing events, in partnership with the Marketing team

Cost Management, Financial Reporting, and Operations

• Oversee all financial elements and cost management of fundraising and cultivation events.
• Create and manage event budgets, track expenses and revenue, and ensure events are financially successful.
• Analyze event revenues compared to expenses and report on financial outcomes.
• Manage the recording and acknowledgement of all event gifts received.
• Other related duties as assigned by supervisor.

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree and 6–8 years of fundraising experience, preferably in special events, with a proven track record of managing multiple priorities, meeting deadlines, and achieving revenue goals.
• Strong event planning, organizational, and project management skills, with exceptional attention to detail, financial acumen (including budgeting and analysis), and proficiency in CRM fundraising platforms (Salesforce preferred) and Microsoft Office Suite.
• Excellent written and verbal communication, relationship-building, and collaboration skills, with a proactive, self-directed approach, strong problem-solving abilities, and creativity in donor cultivation and engagement strategies.
• Commitment to and passion for the mission and values of Rising Ground.

Work Environment

Corporate Office

Position Type/Expected Hours of Work

This is a full-time position. Monday through Friday. Work hours options are 9:00 am - 5:00 pm, 9:30 am - 5:30pm

Benefits & Compensation

• Competitive salary structure
• Health, dental, and vision insurance
• 401(k) with company match
• PTO policy (11 Paid Holidays, Paid Sick Time, Paid Vacation & Paid Personal Days)
• Remote / flexible work options (If applicable)

Additional Requirements

• Authorized to work in the U.S.
• Ability to work in-person in New York City (NYC)
• Ability to travel to other Rising Ground Sites (if required)

Equal Employment Opportunity

It is the policy of Rising Ground that the Agency wholly complies with equal treatment of all employees and applicants for employment without unlawful discrimination as to an individual’s perceived or actual race, creed, color, national origin, alienate, citizenship status, gender, age, disability, marital status, partnership status, sexual orientation, ethnicity, religion, or veteran status in all employment decisions, including but not limited to recruitment, hiring, compensation, training and apprenticeship, promotion, upgrading, demotion, downgrading, transfer, layoff and termination and all other terms and conditions of employment.