Director of Events

October 2025 | Hybrid / New York, NY
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Children’s Aid seeks a strategic, dynamic, and highly organized Director of Events to lead the planning and execution of its fundraising and stewardship events, ensuring exceptional experiences that inspire and engage supporters.

About Children’s Aid

Children’s Aid works to end generational poverty. Since their founding in 1853, they have been anchored in the knowledge that poverty cannot be overcome with a single service delivered at a single point in time. Reaching nearly 50,000 children and families each year, Children’s Aid provides comprehensive support to those living in the most under-resourced neighborhoods in New York City. The issues are complex, but as one of New York City’s largest and most innovative child-focused nonprofits, Children’s Aid mission is simple: to help children living in poverty succeed and thrive.

Children’s Aid is a professional powerhouse of solutions for young people. They are teachers and social workers, coaches and health care providers. They know what it takes to ensure children grow up strong and healthy, and ready to thrive in school and life: excellent education and health care, social-emotional support, and strong, stable families. Thus, the myriad of programs offered by Children’s Aid focus on these areas.

• Academic and Social-Emotional Learning – Education neither begins nor ends within the walls of a classroom. Young people have the best chance to rise above the barriers of poverty when they succeed academically. Children’s Aid has built a foundation of supports designed to position children and youth to achieve in school. Programs in this area include early childhood programs; school-day, after-school, and summer programs; initiatives that combat chronic absenteeism; and college and career readiness programs.
• Health and Nutrition – Strong, healthy children and youth thrive—in school and life. For children and youth to focus on their education, they need to grow up strong and healthy. All of the health and nutrition programs offered by Children’s Aid are designed to permeate family life and are tailored to address the whole body and all aspects of behavioral wellness. Programs in this area include medical, behavioral, and dental healthcare; teen pregnancy prevention; fitness and recreation; and nutrition programs.
• Family and Community – Young people excel with strong families and communities behind them. Not only does Children’s Aid offer children the chance to succeed in school and in life, but they also provide parents and guardians with the tools that they need to strengthen their families and advocate for themselves and their communities. Programs in this area include youth leadership and advocacy programs; family supports; foster care and prevention services; and community building.

Children’s Aid is in the midst of a multi-year strategic plan with the goal areas of Integration, Community, and Team and is investing in staff, strengthening community partnerships, and ensuring seamless access to critical services for children and families. The plan illustrates Children’s Aid’s continued dedication to building brighter futures, ensuring Children’s Aid youth outpace the peers on academic milestones, have consistent quality access to health care, and grow up in safe and stable homes.

For more information about Children’s Aid, please visit www.childrensaidnyc.org

About The Position

Reporting to the Director of Development, the Director of Events will be responsible for designing and delivering high-impact experiences that advance the organization’s fundraising goals, deepen donor engagement, and elevate the Children’s Aid brand. The ideal candidate is a strategic leader who thrives in a fast-paced environment, has exceptional project management skills, and is adept at working independently and in collaboration with internal and external stakeholders.

Key Responsibilities

Event Strategy and Execution

• Lead the strategy, planning, and execution of all fundraising and donor stewardship events, including the annual Children’s Aid Benefit, annual Golf Classic, New York City Marathon and Half Marathon teams, and donor cultivation and stewardship events.
• Meet individual event fundraising goals (varying from $50,000 – $2 million+ per event).
• Develop and manage event timelines, budgets, vendor relationships, and logistics.
• Create and implement marketing materials and campaigns, utilizing various internal and external channels to promote each event.
• Recruit and lead event planning committees, comprised of trustees, donors, and prospects, to meet development and event goals.
• Ensure events are mission-aligned, well-branded, and optimized for revenue generation and donor engagement.
• Track and evaluate event ROI, attendee experience, and fundraising outcomes to inform future strategy.
• Develop and drive a multi-year event strategy to maximize long-term revenue by scaling current events and identifying future opportunities in a shifting fundraising landscape.
• Attend all fundraising and stewardship events to cultivate, solicit, and steward donors.

Fundraising and Donor Engagement

• Manage a personal portfolio of donors through moves management to meet annual fundraising goals.
• Cultivate, solicit, and steward event-related donors, sponsors, and partners, including individuals, foundations, and corporations.
• Secure event sponsorships, journal ads, and auction items, as appropriate.
• Collaborate with Major Gifts, Corporate, Foundations, and Executive teams to align fundraising strategies and ensure coordinated donor outreach.
• Prepare briefing documents and talking points for senior leaders and board members attending events.
• Maintain fundraising database records and track all donor activity in Raiser’s Edge.

Team and Cross-Functional Leadership

• Manage a team of two, Associate Director of Events and Events Associate, fostering professional growth and team effectiveness.
• Serve as the primary liaison to internal teams (program, communications, finance, senior leadership) on event-related matters.
• Engage board members, volunteers, and event committees to maximize impact and reach.
• Work in partnership with entire Development team to accomplish departmental goals.
• Develop and maintain relationships with various program staff to ensure authentic representation of Children’s Aid’s work and those served.
• Perform additional responsibilities to support the goals of the Development team and the broader mission of Children’s Aid, as assigned.

Key Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience planning and executing high-profile, revenue-generating events.
• Proven track record of meeting or exceeding ambitious fundraising goals through events.
• Deep commitment to the mission of Children’s Aid and to advancing equity through inclusive and mission-aligned event experiences.
• Exceptional project management skills, with the ability to develop and manage complex timelines, budgets, logistics, and vendor relationships.
• Demonstrated success managing and mentoring staff.
• Comfort and experience with CRM/database tools, preferably Raiser’s Edge.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
• Flexibility to work evenings and occasional weekends as required for events.
• Bachelor’s degree preferred.

It is the policy of Children’s Aid to provide equal employment opportunity to all employees and applicants for employment and is dedicated to maintaining a work environment that is free from harassment and discrimination. Children’s Aid will not tolerate discrimination, harassment or retaliation on any basis, including race, creed, color, national origin, ethnicity, alienage or citizenship status, gender/sex (including pregnancy), disability, religion, source of income, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, familial status, caregiver status, military status, marital or partnership status, status as a victim of domestic violence, sexual violence or stalking, predisposing genetic characteristics, arrest or conviction record, credit history, unemployment status or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law. Children’s Aid is committed to complying with applicable state and local laws governing non-discrimination in employment. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including, but not limited to, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.

The salary range for this position is $115,000 – $125,000 annually with benefits, commensurate with experience.

To express interest, please submit your cover letter and resume in confidence below. 

Tracy Marshall, Development Guild