Event Manager

The Autism Society of Minnesota (AuSM) is seeking an Event Manager to plan and execute events that support the organization’s programming and fundraising goals. Successful candidates will be enthusiastic and organized, with experience planning large events, conferences, and fundraisers. Exceptional candidates will also bring project management and people leadership skills. This is a hybrid role with remote work and two days per week collaborating with our neurodiverse team at our St. Paul, MN office.

Position Description

The Event Manager reports to the Advancement Director and is responsible for the development and execution of events, including 4 large annual events and many small events. The Event Manager utilizes project management skills and cultivates relationships with donors and vendors to increase awareness of the organization throughout Minnesota. This position is part of the Advancement Department (fundraising, events, and communications) and works closely with programs, operations, executive leadership, and external partners. You will play a critical role in managing the public perception of the organization as Minnesota’s First Autism Resourceä.

Responsibilities

Essential Functions:

• Event Planning: Plan, develop, and execute a range of small and large events that support the organization’s programming and fundraising goals.
• Large Program Events:
• Minnesota State Autism Conference (April) - The Minnesota State Autism Conference serves 500+ attendees annually and sets a high bar as an inclusive and valuable educational opportunity for professionals serving the autism community and autistic adults. The conference, which has operated for more than 30 years, regularly engages best-selling authors as keynote speakers. This event is typically presented in a hybrid format, with online and in-person components.
• Autistic Community Summit (November) - The Autistic Community Summit is a unique gathering of autistic adults for learning, leadership development, and community building. Hosted in the Twin Cities Metro, autistic adults design all aspects of the event to ensure the experience is inclusive and meaningful. This event is typically presented in a hybrid format, with online and in-person components, and serves 200+ participants annually.
• Large Fundraising Events:
• Steps for Autism (May) - Steps for Autism is a family-friendly fundraising event and resource fair, serving 500+ participants annually, and has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars to sustain the important work of our organization while engaging autistic people and those who love them in peer-to-peer team fundraising.
• AuSM Puzzle Competition (September/October) - The AuSM Puzzle Competition hosts seriously competitive teams of puzzlers who have been known to complete 500–1000-piece puzzles in 20-40 minutes. This highly visible event, hosted at the Mall of America Rotunda, raises support for Minnesota’s autism community and serves 500+ participants annually.
• Other Fundraising Events - Support the planning and implementation of occasional fundraising events and campaigns that do not occur annually, such as Cocktails for a Cause (2023), the AuSM Gala (2019), etc. These events vary in size and scope and typically take more than one calendar year to plan and execute.
• Small Programmatic Events: Support program departments in the planning and execution of small events hosted by the organization, such as workshops and social events. Smaller events are typically planned in partnership with program staff who will come to value your resources and expertise in event planning.
• Small Fundraising Events: Support members of the community to host community fundraising events and campaigns, ensuring proceeds go to AuSM and those we serve while providing the community with opportunities to give back. AuSM typically supports a dozen or more community fundraisers each year but does not plan or execute the details of every event. This role typically serves as a liaison to event planners and attends the events on behalf of the organization to provide guidance, resources, and support to event organizers.
• Project Management: Develop and implement detailed project management plans, goals, budgets, and post-event reports.
• Talent Management: Identify speakers and talent for events, which also includes arranging contracts, travel, logistics, content, audio/visual equipment, and accessibility needs.
• Vendor Management: Negotiate and review contracts with vendors (e.g., venues, speakers/talent, services, AV, etc.). Maintain contact with local venues and vendors to cultivate professional relationships for future events and programs. Arrange catering and other services for on-site events.
• Volunteer Management: Recruit, train, and manage volunteers for events and programs.
• On-Site Logistics: Coordinate with employees, volunteers, and vendors to manage on-site logistics at events.
• Online Sales and Fundraising: Manage event ticket sales, registrations, silent auctions, raffles, and fundraising pages.
• Participant Communications and Customer Service: Coordinate participant registration and communication, responding to customer service requests, questions, etc., with a professional and helpful attitude.

Marginal Functions:

• Budget Management: Propose budgets for events and fundraising, monitor expenditures, and prevent variances.
• Strategy: Lead and implement strategic decisions that support continuous quality improvements and strengthen the organization’s brand, elevate its public image, and foster meaningful engagement with community partners, funders, and volunteers.
• Data-Driven Reporting: Analyze completed events to identify opportunities for improvement and financial sustainability.
• Evaluation: Implement participant surveys and continuous quality improvement processes, including data-driven reflection and goal setting.
• Collaboration: Work closely with the program, executive, marketing, and communications teams to ensure deadlines are met for all events.
• Accessibility and Inclusion: Ensure all events meet the highest accessibility standards and incorporate the voices and needs of the organization’s stakeholders.
• Database Management: Maintain stakeholder data in Salesforce, leveraging automations and manual data entry to ensure accurate records.
• Website Updates: Write event-related copy and update content for the organization’s website.
• Advertising: Ensure advertising partnerships with external organizations, vendors, and Premier Partners are consistently included in email newsletters, print materials, and events.
• Other duties as assigned.

Required Skills

• Experience: 5+ years of comparable professional experience.
• Communication: Strong verbal and/or written communication skills, including the ability to negotiate details.
• Multitasking: Ability to multitask and adapt to changes across multiple priorities and projects.
• Cultural Humility: Ability to exercise good judgment and show cultural competence to support communicating with a diverse range of individuals.
• Project Management: Strong organizational skills, including attention to detail, project planning, time management, and analysis.
• Collaboration: Demonstrated success working independently and collaboratively.
• Computer Skills: Excellent Mac computer skills, including Microsoft applications (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint), and design tools (Canva, Photoshop).
• Collaboration: Demonstrated success working independently and collaboratively.
• Accessibility: Knowledge of accessibility best practices for digital communications.
• Fraud and Waste Prevention: Candidate must not be included in the List of Excluded Individuals/Entities (LEIE) or the Minnesota Excluded Providers List.
• Compliance: Adhere to data privacy and protection laws such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).
• Clear Background Screening: Upon receiving an offer for this position, the candidate will undergo a criminal background check because during their employment, they may access financial data or personally identifiable health information and may interact with vulnerable individuals.

Preferred Skills

• Education: A bachelor’s degree or comparable experience is strongly preferred.
• Relevant Experience: Experience working in the nonprofit sector, community-based organizations, or autism organizations.
• Shared Values: Neurodiversity-affirming mindset and values, including a commitment to accessibility, diversity, equity, inclusion, and disability justice.
• Communication: Ability to establish a strong rapport with various stakeholders.
• Software Expertise: Experience with web-based fundraising tools (WordPress, Give Butter, MailChimp), customer relationship management databases (Salesforce), and project management software (Asana).

Position Details

• Full-time, exempt
• St. Paul, MN - Hybrid position with remote work and two in-person days per week
• Flexible schedule with occasional evenings and weekends
• Comprehensive benefits include:
• Health, dental, and vision insurance options
• Optional health savings account (HSA), or flexible spending accounts (FSA) for health or childcare costs
• Basic term life insurance
• Short- and Long-term disability insurance
• 401 (k) retirement plan
• Up to 35 days off per year (15 vacation days, 6 sick days, 12 holidays, and 2 personal days)
• Opportunities for advancement
• Inclusive and accessible work environment
• $50,000-55,000 per year

About the Autism Society of Minnesota

Established in 1971, the Autism Society of Minnesota (AuSM) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to create connections, empowering everyone in the Autism community with the resources needed to live fully. AuSM seeks to enhance the lives of all who are a part of the Minnesota autism community, with a fundamental commitment to advocacy, education, support, collaboration, and community building.

At AuSM, equity and inclusion are central to our mission. Bringing diverse perspectives together supports strategic creativity for meeting challenges and focusing on growth. We strive to develop a workplace that reflects the communities we serve – in age, gender identity, race, sexual orientation, physical ability, neurodiversity, and ethnicity. We value our team members and want everyone to feel confident in bringing their full, authentic selves to work.

AuSM employs many people with disabilities and understands that qualified applicants may require reasonable accommodations to be successful. If you have a disability that requires accommodation for the interview process, please request accommodations by contacting us at hr@ausm.org.