Special Events Coordinator en African Wildlife Foundation

 Title: Special Events Coordinator                               

Division: External Affairs / Individual Giving                         

Reports to: Vice President, Individual Giving                        

Matrix Management: N/A
Supervises: N/A               
Location: Hybrid – Washington, DC

Salary Range: $55,000 - $65,000

Job Summary

The African Wildlife Foundation (AWF) is an African-based conservation organization that protects wildlife and their habitats as essential to a modern and prosperous Africa. We articulate a unique vision of African-led conservation, focusing on solutions that create opportunity for people, not at the expense of wildlife and their habitats, but because of them.

The Special Events Coordinator will play a pivotal role in designing, planning, and executing high-impact engagement events that elevate our mission, engage stakeholders, and drive fundraising and awareness. This role will blend creativity, logistics, and cultural sensitivity.

Reporting to the Vice President, Individual Giving, and working across multiple departments, this position handles a wide range of administrative tasks. This person will be expected to interact with all levels of management, staff, volunteers, and donors. 

The ideal candidate should have exceptional project management, communication, and collaboration skills, and experience providing administrative support to a director or multiple directors. This is an exciting opportunity to contribute to AWF’s significant fundraising campaign.

Responsibilities

• Event Strategy & Planning
  • Develop and implement an annual calendar of events aligned with organizational goals.
  • Collaborate with leadership and the brand team when an event has thought leadership or public audiences to define event concepts, objectives, target audiences, and success metrics.
  • Prepare briefing materials for key staff and stakeholders.

• Execution & Logistics
  • Manage all aspects of event production and logistics, including venue selection, vendor coordination, permits, catering, and audiovisual needs.
  • Oversee event budgets, timelines, run of show, and staffing plans.
  • Potentially travel to event sites across the United States, as well as internationally (e.g., UK, Canada, and other locations) as required.
• Stakeholder Engagement
  • Coordinate with internal teams, volunteers, and external partners to ensure seamless execution of donor engagement strategies.
  • Work closely with multiple departments, including Institutional Giving donor account managers, to coordinate invitations and manage related communications.
  • Cultivate relationships with donors, sponsors, and volunteer leadership.

• Marketing & Communications
  • Work with the Brand team division to develop promotional materials, event assets, press releases, and social media campaigns.
  • Collaborate with the Brand division to ensure consistent branding and messaging across all event touchpoints.

• Post-Event Reporting
  • Conduct evaluations, gather feedback, and prepare debrief/impact reports.
  • Maintain records and databases for future planning and donor stewardship appropriately in the CRM system (Blackbaud NXT).
  • Determine goals and KPIs associated with each event and report on the results.
• Other duties as assigned.

Requirements and skills

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent; two years of experience in coordinating events, preferably in a nonprofit or international context for fundraising, development, or a related field
• Excellent communication, interpersonal, and presentation skills
• Strong project management and organizational skills
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite and using CRM systems, experience with Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge/NXT is a bonus
• Ability to travel and work flexible hours as needed
• Capable of working independently and as part of a team, and a familiarity with working across time zones and cultures.
• Understanding of fundraising principles and practices
• Passion for the AWF mission
• Physical Demands: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential job responsibilities. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential job responsibilities. Ability to remain in a stationary position, often standing or sitting, for prolonged periods.