Associate Director, Individual Giving & Special Events

Brooklyn Botanic Garden

New York, NY

Full-Time

Job Description

Position Title: Associate Director, Individual Giving & Special Events

Department: Development

Reports to: Director, Donor Engagement

FLSA Status: Full-time, Exempt

Grade: 6

Position Description:

The Individual Giving & Special Events (IGSE) associate director (AD) is part of a 15-person department at Brooklyn Botanic Garden (BBG) responsible for raising $7 million+ in annual operating support from various funding sources. This position reports to and works with the director of Donor Engagement to raise approximately $1.3 million annually through fundraising and cultivation events and annual appeals. BBG will create a new strategic plan in 2024 to guide its future, which will provide learning opportunities across the institution in shaping a visionary next chapter for this well-established cultural institution.

This AD is expected to play an active role in growing the Garden’s income and donor base, strengthening the overall donor pipeline, and raising the profile of the Garden through well-planned, innovative fundraising events and appeals. The AD ensures excellent donor stewardship in these areas and has regular contact with staff at all levels throughout the institution and with a wide range of volunteer committee members, businesses, vendors, and donors associated with fundraising events.

The AD provides direct supervision of the Individual Giving and Special Events coordinator, seasonal volunteers, and interns as available and is the primary contact working with the outside event vendors hired to support gala pre-production and production. In coordination with the director, the AD helps oversee Individual Giving for donors up to $1,000, which includes the Year-End Appeal and Spring Appeal and kicking off additional giving initiatives.

Responsibilities:

Lead annual Individual Giving solicitations, including Year-End and Spring Appeal, in letter and digital formats, from concept to design, printing, and mailing. In partnership with the director of Donor Engagement and coordinator of IGSE, develop new multichannel strategies for income generation in Individual Giving (e.g., monthly giving program, additional giving appeals).
Rapidly gain a thorough understanding of the scope, history, current initiatives, and goals of BBG to refine and implement a strategy for building and retaining the organization’s base of philanthropic support.
Plan and produce BBG Development department special benefit and cultivation events such as the Gala, After Party, Harvest Dinner, and Lightscape family fundraiser, and major donor-cultivation events, receptions, tours, and the annual President’s Circle celebration.
- Responsibilities include but are not limited to: selecting event themes; coordinating invitation designs and production; pre-event and post-event mailings; working with internal and outside vendors; overseeing accurate data processing of ticket responses and contributions; overseeing the production of all event-related printed materials and creation of ticketing webpages; ensuring the success of overall event logistics and positive donor relations.
- Manage and train staff teams, event-related staffing, volunteers, and interns as available.
- Provide a front-facing role with event committees, trustees, and honorees, representing the institution’s key aspect of cultivating new leadership donors directly and through their networks, exemplary relationship and experience management for them, etc.
- Work with the director on budget development and income/expense monitoring. Ensure efficient use of resources by staff, volunteers, and vendors/consultants and that income and expense goals are met. Develop cost-efficient, creative, and effective ways of increasing net revenue. Monitor progress toward projected goals; provide regular assessment/analysis and troubleshooting as needed. Ensure a high degree of accuracy and accountability.
- Conceive and execute income-generating strategies for fundraising events, including sponsorship and underwriting solicitation, peer-to-peer solicitations, ticket sale strategies, and ancillary fundraising activities such as gift bags, online auctions, raffle/auctions, and other event-related in-kind donations.
Work with other Development colleagues to prepare trustees, director, and key staff to effectively work the event and communicate BBG’s message through the drafting of speeches, preparation of annotated guest lists, and assignments of trustees and staff to accomplish specific development goals during each event.
Develop and monitor mailings, invitations, cultivation events, and publications reports and tracking systems and ensure maintenance of clear, complete, and up-to-date records and reports for donors, events, and prospects utilizing Raiser’s Edge queries and exports, Excel spreadsheets, and Crystal Reports. Provide support to the team as a power user of these software.
Manage and mentor Individual Giving & Special Event coordinator (direct report) and Development associate (indirect report) and oversee their workflow, including:
- Project and time management
- Ensuring a high degree of accountability and accuracy in gift processing, donor records, and financial reports. Supervise gift tracking, renewal, appeal and acquisition initiatives, acknowledgments, correspondence, preparation of materials, and all other activities of the IGSE coordinator. Support similar areas for the Development associate in conjunction with the associate director of Donor Engagement.
- Train coordinator, associate, interns, and volunteers.
Sustain a team-oriented, supportive environment that maintains high standards and encourages creativity, collaboration, and professional growth. Motivate and guide direct staff reports to further institutional funding work; set goals and review results; mentor their professional development.
Effectively execute gift processing, including gift data entry, gift coding, donor notification, and gift source research, and ensure gifts are accounted for correctly and reconciled with the business office.
Maintain confidentiality of donor information and further BBG’s efforts to establish strong, long-term donor relationships.
Maintain strong relationships with departments institution-wide to ensure the success of shared projects and goals, in particular: Communications, Design, Operations, Finance, Horticulture, Visitor Services, Volunteers, Security, and other key program areas. Maintain exemplary relationships with the Garden’s on-site caterer and outside vendors.
Play an active role as part of the larger Development team to support donor cultivation, special events, and on-site membership sales, and strategize new ways to increase revenue.
Perform other related duties or special projects as directed.

Qualifications:

Bachelor’s degree preferred
4–6 years’ development experience; prior event planning and/or major gifts experience highly desired
Management experience with direct full-time reports and ability to set benchmarks and goals for a team; ability to strategically manage up to support the effectiveness of senior staff and other leadership
Excellent organizational and donor-relations skills, professional writing ability, supervisory experience, and attentiveness to detail while meeting multiple deadlines
Proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Raiser’s Edge software or similar database system, plus an affinity for technological advances and the creation and maintenance of systems
Experience or ability to become a power user in gift/records management and list development using Raiser’s Edge, Excel, and other software
Background or strong interest in cultural institutions, environment, education, and/or science preferred
Enthusiastic, energetic team player able to work independently behind the scenes, as well as interact closely with trustees, donors, staff, and guests at all levels, as well as multiple vendors and consultants, and represent the institution well; a creative writer and strategic thinker
Ability to work evenings and occasional weekends to help meet pressing deadlines and support events during the Garden’s peak seasons (September–October; March–June)
Ability to lift and carry event materials as needed

Compensation and Benefits:

Salary Range – $72,000 - $90,000

Brooklyn Botanic Garden considers several factors when determining the appropriate salary to offer a candidate within the listed salary range. These factors include (but are not limited to) the scope and responsibilities of the position, a candidate’s relevant work experience and education/training, prior union/ DC37 experience (for union positions), job skills, equity across the institution, and market and organizational considerations.

BBG offers a comprehensive benefits package including:
- Health Insurance that begins the date of hire; employees are offered coverage through the City of New York’s Office of Labor Relations and can choose from a variety of plans, some at no cost to the employee.
- Dental/Vision/Prescription Benefits
- Pre-Tax Benefits including flexible spending, dependent care, transit/parking accounts
- CIRS Pension/401K/Life Insurance: BBG is a member of the Cultural Institutions Retirement System (CIRS) and offers a pension and 401K plan for eligible employees. Life insurance is provided through CIRS as well.
- Life Insurance and Long-Term Disability Insurance
- Generous Paid Time Off including sick time, vacation time, and 13 annual holidays
- As a 501(c)3, BBG is a Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Eligible Employer.
- Museum Pass, which provides employees the opportunity to enter many museums in New York City for free

How to Apply:

To be considered for this position, please submit an application by clicking Apply below. Applications submitted without a résumé and cover letter will not be considered.

No telephone calls for position inquiries, please. Applicants with disabilities who need assistance with the online system, or who may require a reasonable accommodation during the application process, should contact Human Resources at hr@bbg.org.

Brooklyn Botanic Garden is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer.