Director, Event Fundraising & Strategic Sponsorships

Join Points of Light and Change the World

As the world’s largest organization dedicated to increasing volunteer service, Points of Light engages more than 3.8 million volunteers across 32 countries.

Cast from the vision of one thousand points of light shared by its founder, President George H.W. Bush, in his 1989 inaugural address, Points of Light was founded in 1990 as an independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit organization to encourage and empower the spirit of service. The organization extends President Bush’s vision that “any definition of a successful life must include serving others.” Today, Points of Light continues to transcend politics and borders to inspire millions of individuals worldwide to take action.

Join Us: Be part of a movement that changes lives and communities. Please read the position description below. For more information, visit pointsoflight.org.

Salary: $82,000 - $110,000

Reports to: Senior Director, Corporate Partnerships

Department: Development

Location: Points of Light is a remote-first organization. Any U.S. location in the Eastern or Central time zone in a market with a major airport. Washington, DC preferred.

Position Summary:

The Director of Event Fundraising & Strategic Sponsorships leads Points of Light’s fundraising strategy across the George H.W. Bush Points of Light Awards, Points of Light Conference, Global Gathering, and other convenings. The Director builds and advances a personal portfolio while equipping colleagues across Philanthropy, Business Development, Fee For Service, and organizational leadership to secure and steward event partnerships through their own relationships. Working with internal teams, the Director will modernize and evolve compelling, mission-aligned sponsorship opportunities that grow event revenue and deepen partner relationships.

This is a frontline fundraising role responsible for executing outreach, managing sponsor relationships, and advancing a pipeline from prospect to commitment, leading the event fundraising strategy and mobilizing colleagues across teams to secure event sponsorships within their own portfolios while directly cultivating and soliciting a priority portfolio of their own.

Success is measured by event revenue growth, qualified pipeline strength, sponsor retention and upgrades, and the creation of compelling, market-responsive sponsorship offerings and packages. The director will lead a shared fundraising effort through clear strategy, coordinated outreach, strong partner relationships, and useful pipeline visibility in Salesforce.

Position Functions and Responsibilities Include:

Event Fundraising and Revenue Development

• Achieve an individual annual new business sponsorship revenue goal of $1.5 million to $3 million, aligned with the organization's overall event revenue goals.
• Develop and execute a prioritized new business strategy for the Awards, Conference, Global Gathering, and associated scholarship and engagement opportunities, with clear annual targets, prospect pools, and conversion plans.
• Build, manage, and advance a robust multiyear sponsorship pipeline, prioritizing new corporate and institutional relationships.
• Close and steward sponsorship commitments while identifying renewal, upgrade, and cross-portfolio opportunities that strengthen long-term partner value.
• Lead outreach, cultivation, solicitation, and disciplined follow-up for a portfolio of priority new business prospects and sponsors, using tailored account strategies and compelling value propositions.
• Use Salesforce and pipeline data to drive disciplined forecasting, identify conversion risks, and make recommendations that improve prospect movement and close rates.
• Coordinate with the Senior Director and senior leadership on select high-value relationships and solicitations.
• Execute personalized stewardship plans for event sponsors and attendees, reinforcing engagement, recognition, and long-term giving potential.

Board Engagement and Event Fundraising Support

• Develop and recommend annual event fundraising priorities, Board participation goals, prospect strategies, solicitation plans, and accountability measures for the Chief Development Officer’s (CDO) review and approval, aligned with event objectives.
• Develop strategies for the CDO to activate, motivate, and retain Board members as effective fundraising ambassadors for organizational events, including their participation in prospect identification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship.
• Develop an individual event fundraising plan for each Board member in partnership with the CDO and CEO’s office. Coordinate with Development, Executive, and program teams to support timely, aligned Board fundraising activity.
• Prepare high-quality event briefing materials, talking points, prospect intelligence, solicitation strategies, decks, reports, and coaching resources for the CDO to use in preparing Board members to engage prospective sponsors, donors, attendees, and table hosts.
• Track Board event fundraising participation, results, and next steps in Salesforce; provide the CDO with data and performance insights to identify gaps and improve results.
• Evaluate Board event fundraising strategies and recommend enhancements to the CDO that strengthen Board leadership, increase event revenue, and support successful future events.

Committee and Network Activation

• Partner with the Convenings team to identify, recruit, engage and steward event chairs and host committee members.
• Lead qualification and follow-up for the pipeline generated through Conference host committees and other volunteer networks, leveraging introductions to expand new sponsorship opportunities.

Sponsorship Strategy, Product Innovation, and Cross Functional Leadership

• Represent Development in cross-functional event planning, ensuring fundraising strategy, sponsor value, and revenue opportunities shape decisions from the outset.
• Lead event sponsorship strategy and, with Convenings and Marketing and Communications, develop prospectuses, proposals, rights and benefits, recognition, activation, stewardship, sponsor communications, fulfillment standards, and post-event reporting.
• Redesign the revenue model for the Awards, Conference, Global Gathering, and other convenings, creating differentiated, mission-aligned opportunities that reflect current corporate and institutional partner needs.
• Develop and test new sponsor propositions—including year-round and multi-event partnerships, thought leadership and content, mission activations, executive engagement, and other high-value experiences—to grow revenue and strengthen long-term relationships.
• Turn sponsor and prospect insights into compelling event experiences, offers, communications, and fulfillment; coordinate follow-through on commitments and fundraising priorities with clear owners, milestones, decision points, and escalation paths.

Reporting and Performance Tracking

• Own revenue, pipeline, and sponsor performance reporting for the event portfolio, providing clear forecasts, conversion analysis, and recommendations to senior leadership.
• Partner with fundraisers and Revenue Operations to maintain accurate pipeline, outreach, sponsorship, and stewardship data across the event portfolio.
• Regularly brief the Senior Director and leadership on progress against goals, priority opportunities, risks, and actions required to accelerate results.
• Lead structured pre- and post-event revenue reviews that surface sponsor insights, performance against goals, fulfillment outcomes, and practical improvements for future events.

Post-Event Stewardship

• Partner with Revenue Enablement to develop the sponsor fulfillment and stewardship plan for each event, including timely thank-you communications, confirmation of recognition and activation deliverables, and an accurate record of all activity in Salesforce.
• Review sponsor fulfillment against agreed rights and benefits, identify and resolve outstanding items, and ensure a complete post-event sponsor report is prepared in a timely manner after each event.
• Use post-event performance and sponsor feedback to drive timely renewal, upgrade, and re-engagement conversations and to improve the next event's sponsorship strategy and offers.

Core Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Demonstrated success securing institutional sponsorships, corporate partnerships, or comparable new business, preferably for events, convenings, experiences, or mission-driven platforms.
• Exceptional relationship-building and consultative selling skills, with the ability to engage senior corporate and institutional decision-makers and build value-aligned partnerships.
• Strategic and entrepreneurial, with the judgment to prioritize opportunities, shape compelling offers, and move quickly from market insight to action.
• Excellent written, verbal, and presentation skills, including the ability to develop persuasive prospectuses, proposals, executive briefings, and sponsorship narratives.
• Ability to follow through consistently and manage the details required to close revenue.
• Proficiency with CRM and Project Management systems (Salesforce and Asana preferred).
• Collaborative, coachable, and able to take direction in a fast-paced environment. Highly collaborative and influential across functions, with the ability to lead through influence, lead during ambiguity, and align stakeholders around a shared revenue strategy.

Requirements:

• 8+ years of experience in fundraising, sales, events, or related field, with National or Global experience strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated record of originating and closing new sponsorship or partnership revenue; experience building or relaunching sponsor benefits, prospectuses, or event sponsorship models strongly preferred.
• Able to travel up to 35% as needed.
• Ability to create a welcoming work environment for all.

Culture and Values: Points of Light has a 35-year plus history that it seeks to honor, while looking toward the future as an innovative thought leader in the social sector. We have a fast-paced, collaborative environment. Our organization values innovation, dedication, teamwork and respectfulness. We enjoy thinking big but also working hard to deliver our best work. Our team is solution-oriented, looking for someone who is always ready to deliver on ways to solve challenges, internally and with external partners.

What We Offer: Competitive compensation and excellent benefits including a robust PTO program: 18 days of PTO (increases to 20 days after three years of service) and 10 holidays; plus, we are closed December 25-January 1. Medical, dental and vision benefits offered, free life insurance, along with long-term and short-term disability, a 403(b) program with employer match, parental leave and one day of volunteer time off per month.