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Senior Director, Global Events
Oceana
Administration, Sales & Business Development
Washington, DC, USA
Posted on Mar 4, 2025
SENIOR DIRECTOR, GLOBAL EVENTS
IMMEDIATE SUPERVISOR: Vice President for Global Development
FLSA: Exempt
MANAGER: Yes
DEPARTMENT: Development
UPDATED: 03/03/25
GENERAL SUMMARY
The Senior Director, Global Events is a senior member of Oceana’s fundraising team. The Senior Director manages a portfolio of event donors and prospects, and leads the fundraising efforts for the event team, including Oceana’s annual SeaChange Summer Party, the New York Gala, and all other events domestically and internationally. The role is responsible for creating a unique and exciting vision for these events and then collaborating closely with donors and other stakeholders to take this vision through to completion. The Senior Director also oversees receptions in conjunction with Oceana’s Board of Directors meetings and several high- touch cultivation events throughout the year. A primary aspect of this role is ongoing donor relations, including planning for events, follow up post event, and ongoing cultivation of strong relationships with our donors. The incumbent manages the Director of Global Events, Manager of Global Events, and Global Events Coordinator who assists on all development initiatives and events.
The Senior Director of Global Events supports the Vice President of Global Development in a busy special events environment. The Senior Director must be able to anticipate project needs, discern work priorities, meet deadlines with little supervision, and be willing to work occasional evenings and weekends. The Senior Director of Global Events should provide outstanding customer service and be an enthusiastic professional who wants to build working relationships internally and externally. As a member of an integrated team with a commitment to excellence, this position involves event leadership and management, donor cultivation and stewardship, excellence in written and oral communications, ability to distill information, and manage and track data through various platforms. This position reports to the Vice President of Global Development and can be based in Southern California, New York, or the Washington, D.C. office.
Principal Duties and Responsibilities:
Provide leadership throughout a large number of highly visible events, manage a high performing team and take on a range of additional duties and projects as assigned.
Events:
- Plan and implement all aspects of Oceana’s SeaChange Summer Party fostering working relationships with and serving as the main point of contact for the event’s Co-Chairs, Vice-Chairs and Executive Committee. Provide leadership and support in the execution of the New York Gala as well as high-touch donor cocktail receptions and house parties.
- Oversee and manage annual receptions in conjunction with Oceana’s Board of Directors meetings.
- Lead the fundraising efforts of the SeaChange Summer Party and support the Director of Global Events with fundraising for the New York Gala.
- Work with the Vice President of Global Development, Senior Vice President for Marketing and Communications, Director of Global Corporate and Celebrity Partnerships and Chief Executive Officer to identify, cultivate and solicit event leadership, donors, prospects, and corporate sponsors.
- Meet or exceed revenue goals for each event by selling tables and tickets, securing corporate sponsorships and donations, and sourcing live and silent auction donations.
- Coordinate all event production and other aspects of events, including soliciting and acquiring items for silent and live auctions and gift bags.
- Serve as main point of contact for event vendors including producers, production, PR firms, creative consultant, etc.
- Ability to evaluate events’ outcomes and prepare recommendations for future events.
- Research and analyze corporate and individual supporters and prospects to develop strategies for engagement.
- Develop and maintain benefit event budgets, including forecasting event revenue and expenses; ensuring the timely collection of pledged gifts for fundraising events; regularly update the Vice President of Global Development, Chief Financial Officer, and Chief Executive Officer on yearly comparison
- Oversee the drafting or draft all event-related correspondence, including solicitation letters, invitation and program text, acknowledgements, talent ask letters and other correspondence.
- Collaborate with Oceana’s Marketing and Communications team on all press releases and related media for public events as well as audio visual program and speaker talking points.
- Oversee all event printing and solicitation materials, work with in-house and outside design professionals to develop electronic and printed materials for save the date, invitations, programs, event websites and other marketing and promotional items.
- Oversee the use of data related to events and manage the Global Events Coordinator in the following activities: pulling mailing lists, tracking RSVPs, processing payments; issuing acknowledgment letters, and maintaining records in accordance with Oceana’s protocols and procedures.
Corporate Sponsorship:
- Identify new sources of corporate support and develop strategies to secure new sponsorships.
- Create pitch decks and proposals for new and existing corporate partners.
- Lead and/or attend pitch meetings with corporate prospects.
- Negotiate corporate sponsorship agreements to ensure mutually beneficial partnerships.
- Steward relationships with corporate contacts to maintain and grow partnerships.
- Solicit auction items for the SeaChange Summer Party and New York Gala coordinating with the Global and Celebrity Partnerships team.
Major Gifts:
Support the Vice President of Global Development and Director of Development as needed with cultivation events within US or globally in person or virtually as needed.
Institutional:
- Serve as a member of Oceana’s senior leadership Global Development team.
- Work in conjunction with the Vice President of Global Development in coordinating team workflow and priorities.
- Work cooperatively with Oceana staff across the institution.
- Ensure that briefings, event talking points and collateral, proposals and stewardship reports reflect programmatic priorities and organizational messaging, and lead to unrestricted funds or restricted support for budgeted projects.
- Develop metrics to monitor team performance against goals. Ensure that fundraising actions are tracked and recorded in Oceana’s fundraising database.
- Represent Oceana at organizational and external events as appropriate. This includes donor and prospect meetings, cultivation events, dinners and galas, professional industry gatherings, and speaking engagements.
JOB REQUIREMENTS
Education and Work Experience:
- Bachelor’s degree and a minimum of 15 years of experience in special event planning and execution and donor relations.
- Previous experience working closely with board members.
- Extensive experience producing high level events with $1M+ net fundraising goals.
- Extensive experience managing a team located across the US.
Skills and Knowledge:
- Must possess excellent organizational, written, and verbal communication skills.
- Rigorous attention to detail, well-organized, comfortable managing multiple deadlines simultaneously under pressure.
- Excellent computer skills, including the use of Microsoft Office Suite. Experience with Salesforce, Canva and Prismm a plus.
- Experience working with luxury brands, entertainment community and public relations firms desired.
- Social media experience is a plus.
- Ability to manage sensitive information in a confidential manner.
- Comfort working with celebrities and high net worth individuals.
- Ability to work with diplomacy and tact at all times.
- Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
- Excellent donor/prospect relationship skills.
- Must be willing to accept varied workload, including domestic and international travel and working outside of normal work week hours.
- Ability to lift 20-25 pounds (materials).
- Must have strong financial management experience.
- Ability to take initiative, multi-task, and work graciously in a fast-paced environment.
- Knowledge of environmental issues and the non-profit community preferred. Policy experience a plus.
CORE COMPETENCIES:
- Action Oriented: Makes things happen. Takes on new opportunities and tough challenges with a sense of urgency, high energy, and enthusiasm.
- Effective Communication: Understands the value of effective communication. Can deliver messages in a clear, compelling, and concise manner. Actively listens, checks for understanding and adjusts content and style to meet the needs of different stakeholders.
- Customer Focus: Is skilled at anticipating customer/donor needs (internal and external) and providing services that are beyond customer/donor expectations. Establishes and maintains effective customer relationships.
- Directs Work: Provides direction, delegates and removes obstacles so work can get done. Sets clear expectations, tracks progress and communicates information that people need to do their jobs.
- Builds Networks: Has a history of building formal and informal relationships inside and outside their organization. Is open to connecting and focused on forging relationships that can bring value to the work.
- Plans & Aligns: Skilled at creating plans that are aligned with Oceana’s priorities and that enable individuals and teams to get organized, remain focused and proceed with confidence.
- Develops Talent: Help people who are ready and willing to take on new challenges and set up when needed. Develop others through coaching, feedback, exposure and stretch assignments.
- Global Perspective: Takes a broad view of issues and challenges and can see them in a global context. Build relationships with people from different cultures and countries. Draws on global knowledge and perspective when tackling complex issues or looking for opportunities.
- Situational Adaptability: Recognizes the need to be flexible and act differently in different situations – bring empathy in times of stress and change, firm direction in times of uncertainty, or diplomacy in times of conflict.
- Instills Trust: Can gain the confidence and trust of others by demonstrating honesty and authenticity, acting with integrity, being consistent and credible.
The hiring range for this position is $160-185K.
Oceana values a diverse workforce and welcomes people different from each other in many ways, including characteristics such as race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, and national origin. Oceana considers all qualified candidates and seeks to recruit from a diverse candidate pool.
Oceana's US offices have operated on a hybrid schedule and staff have been required to work from their assigned office on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. With agreement between the employee and their supervisor, the employee may work from home on Monday and Friday.