Events Officer

Reporting to: Events Manager

Location: Hybrid. Home working with 40% of contracted hours at our office in Welwyn Garden City

Contract: Full-time; 37.5 hours per week

The Willow Major Events Team hosts a range of events to engage Willow s key supporters. These range in large-scale events such as the Willow Ball and London Football Awards, to smaller more intimate events such as Golf and Shoot Days.

Job purpose

• This role will support the delivery of Willow s programme of Major Events, as well as supporting third party events, ensuring that these promote and present Willow in a professional and compelling manner, maximising opportunities for donor cultivation, fundraising and maximising income generation.
• To work with the Events Manager on delivering events to an exceptional standard.
• To lead on auction procurement and fulfilment to maximise fundraising revenue.

Key responsibilities

Core Events

• To support the events strategy through delivery of high-quality events, designed to attract current and new supporters.
• To support the Events Fundraising Manager in ensuring that each event plan is actioned in a timely and efficient manner, as well as working with external suppliers, ensuring all suppliers work to agreed terms and conditions
• To assist in the research, development and planning of potential new event opportunities, ensuring that the events programme evolves in response to new fundraising requirements, opportunities and sector trends.
• With support from Event Manager, lead on events within the portfolio, working with key stakeholders and suppliers, ensuring delivery of a high-quality event.

Auction

• Lead on securing auction prizes for relevant events, developing relationships with key supporters and external businesses to secure exclusive and desirable auction items.
• Manage the auction fulfilment process, ensuring all auction winners are thanked post event and that lots are fulfilled in a timely manner.
• Oversee online auction platform, ensuring accurate listings, engaging descriptions and looking for ways to maximise income.

Event Supporter Stewardship

• Provide support on guest management, ensuring a smooth process for guests during the lead up to and on the day of the event.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with major donors, guests and stakeholders ensuring excellent stewardship and recognition
• To identify opportunities to engage or recruit new event supporters to existing or new events in the Willow calendar.

General

• To support the Events Manager with financial management of each event, supporting on areas such as: budgeting, planning, controlling and monitoring expenditure as appropriate and managing income against targets, KPI s and provide regular revised projections as required.
• To maintain good practice in the use of database system (Raiser s Edge), including the events module, ensuring that information is recorded accurately to allow for excellent supporter care, stewardship and accurate analysis of event performance.
• To keep up to date with current competitor activity, potential new opportunities for events and improved ways of managing and developing events.
• To keep up to date and comply with fundraising, data protection and other relevant legislation and codes of practice and good standards.
• To undertake any other tasks reasonably required.

Person Specification

Qualifications, Knowledge and Experience

Essential

• Proven experience of supporting on a number of events and delivering to budget and within tight timeframes.
• Can demonstrate effective implementation and management of work plans, projects and resources to ensure proactive completion of tasks.
• Proven experience of developing and managing budgets.
• Ability to work as part of a small, flexible and hardworking team.
• Delivering high quality supporter and donor care through ongoing contact and communication.
• Experience of working on administration within a fundraising, events or marketing environment.

Desirable

• Experience of working with senior stakeholders in order to meet income targets.
• Experience of working with celebrities.
• Experience of working with sponsors.
• Experience of working in the sports sector.
• Experience of working in the charity / fundraising sector.

Skills and Abilities

Essential

• Organised, pro-active self-starter, capable of taking initiative.
• Confident and articulate, able to build successful, mutually beneficial relationships with internal and external audiences.
• Strong ability to prioritise tasks under pressure and solve problems quickly and effectively.
• Ability to work on different projects simultaneously.
• Excellent written and verbal communicator, with exemplary grammar and spelling, who places high value on attention to detail.
• Good influencing and negotiation skills.
• Respect for and ability to maintain confidentiality at all times.
• Self-reliant and confident IT user including internet, email, design, databases, spreadsheets and MS Office.

Desirable

• Creative thinker, able to innovate to meet audience needs.
• Experience or knowledge of Raisers Edge database.
• Sports sector knowledge.

Other

Essential

• Positive, energetic and able to enthuse.
• Flexible and proactive problem solver.
• Takes personal responsibility for and remains focused on delivering results and achieving objectives, overcoming problems and frustrations.
• Genuine commitment to the work and services of Willow.

Desirable

• Empathy with the cause and knowledge of issues faced by young adults facing serious illness.

Special Conditions

Essential

• Able to work irregular (unsociable) hours and weekends where necessary.
• Own car and current driving license

General

We offer the following competitive benefits package:

• 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays
• Holiday purchase scheme
• Life Assurance and Group Pension Fund
• Season ticket loan
• Cycle to work scheme
• Flexible Working policy
• Employee discounts
• Employee Assistance Programme