Sr. Manager, Events - Little Rock, Arkansas

American Cancer Society, Inc.; Arkansas; Hybrid; USD 65,000 - 80,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid time off

Medical and dental benefits

Retirement benefits

Job summary

American Cancer Society, Inc. is seeking a dynamic events fundraising leader in the Little Rock, Arkansas region to drive a $400,000+ portfolio. You will cultivate donor relationships, engage sponsors and volunteers, and guide the end-to-end execution of high-impact events that advance our mission.

The role emphasizes relationship-building, strategic planning, and cross-functional collaboration to maximize revenue and long-term engagement, with evening/weekend availability as needed.

Qualifications

• 2 years successful experience in fundraising and relationship development.
• Bachelor's degree required.
• Strong project management and event execution skills.

Responsibilities

• Builds and maintains relationships with donors, sponsors, volunteers, and partners to achieve revenue goals and engagement.
• Leads planning and execution of event fundraising activities—logistics, budgets, vendor coordination, and experience delivery.
• Develops strategies to grow revenue, participation, and the donor pipeline within the portfolio.
• Aligns event participants and partners with broader engagement opportunities to deepen long-term impact.
• Monitors performance against goals and adjusts strategies to optimize revenue.
• Coordinates cross-functional partners to ensure successful event delivery and brand alignment.

Skills

Donor relations

Volunteer engagement

Project management

Event planning

Communication

Budgeting

Stakeholder engagement

Education

Bachelor's Degree

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. This is a home base position; candidates must reside in the Little Rock, Arkansas region.

Responsible for leading the strategy, planning, and execution of a $400,000+ event fundraising portfolio.

Drives revenue through donor, sponsor, and volunteer leadership engagement while delivering high-quality event experiences.

Actively manages relationships and moves constituents through the donor pipeline to increase long-term engagement and impact.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Builds and manages relationships with donors, sponsors, volunteers, and community partners to achieve revenue goals and grow engagement.
• 40% Leads planning and execution of event fundraising activities, including logistics, budgets, vendor coordination, and experience delivery.
• 20% Develops and executes strategies to grow revenue, participation, and donor pipeline within assigned portfolio.
• 15% Aligns event participants and partners to broader organizational engagement opportunities to deepen long-term impact.
• 10% Monitors performance against goals, adjusting strategies to optimize revenue and return on investment.
• 10% Coordinates cross-functional partners to ensure successful event delivery and brand alignment.

5% EXPERIENCE/QUALIFICATIONS:

• Minimum Degree Required: Bachelor's Degree
• Preferred Degree: Bachelor's Degree
• Certificate(s) or License(s):
• Years of experience: 2 years successful experience in fundraising and relationship development

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITY:

• Demonstrated success driving revenue through relationship building and volunteer engagement.
• Strong project management and event execution skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and deliver results in a fast-paced environment.
• Effective relationship-building, influencing, and communication skills.
• Strong customer and donor experience orientation.
• Ability to analyze performance and adjust strategies to meet goals.
• Strong knowledge of community and constituent engagement.
• Ability to collaborate across teams and work through others to achieve outcomes.

TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS:

• Travel varies depending on the portfolio assignment and event staffing model Must be able to attend evening and weekend meetings, events and programs either remotely or in-person depending on the portfolio assignment.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Some lifting may be needed as part of event set up activities.

The starting rate is $65,000 to $80,000. 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.

• 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.

At the American Cancer Society, our employees are the soul of our lifesaving mission to save lives.

Our employment opportunities are as diverse as our people and include every discipline found in other business enterprises.

As an organization, we adhere to a set of core values that help inform all our decisions. But what really sets us apart is that the work we do has global impact -- and every passionate, dedicated American Cancer Society team member contributes to each groundbreaking achievement we make.