Whether your nonprofit is putting together fundraising galas, corporate functions, walks, golf outings, and conferences, nonprofit events involve many moving pieces. To execute an event successfully, someone needs to be in charge. That someone is a special events manager.
Now, a special events manager owns a wide range of responsibilities that include: seeking & securing sponsorships, event theme building, creating event programs, communicating with event attendees & corporate donors, marketing, contracting vendors, coordinating event logistics, timelines, and tasks as necessary for event production.
Yes, that was a mouthful. Being a special events manager is not an easy role. However, there are ways to make the role less daunting and increase positive outcomes. Set your special events manager up for success with the right tools to support them.
Nonprofit Special Events Manager Role
Before we dive into the tools, let’s first cover what a nonprofit special events manager does. A nonprofit special events manager is concerned with before, during, and after an event. They own everything from the number of full-time staff and volunteers that will be at an event to seat assignments to staying within the constraints of the event budget.
For example, a special events manager job description at a nonprofit organization might include:
Nonprofit Special Events Manager Role Description:
- Plans and executes special events, functions, and meetings for multiple departments
- Manage multiple large and small events simultaneously
- Develops and recommends event operating procedures
- Determines fiscal requirements for events
- Oversees and facilitates event briefings and coordination of speakers
- Works with designers to create promotional tools for the event as well as collateral for the day of the event
A special events manager must be in tune with every detail. And a successful special events manager must know how to pull the right people and resources together to execute their event. There’s a long list of to-dos, and some nonprofit event managers may opt to do these tasks manually. However, time and accuracy are two very important factors to consider. And so, there is a better way– this is where technology comes in.
Giveffect, for example, equips special events managers with the support needed to execute events more effectively. Giveffect is an all-in-one nonprofit management software powered by smart automation. Giveffect includes a CRM (constituent relationship management), volunteer management, donor management (including wealth screening), email marketing, the ability to create campaigns (including ticketed events and auctions), and more! Plus, the entire system is integrated, making it really easy for teams to work together and for folks who wear many hats to do more. In a nutshell, Giveffect provides a 360-degree view of the people and activities of the organization.
Some of the systems in Giveffect that a Special Events Manager would utilize include:
- Contact & Relationship Management System (Nonprofit CRM Software)
- Email Marketing & Direct Mail System
- Volunteer Management System
Contact & Relationship Management System (Nonprofit CRM Software)
Relationships are everything for nonprofits. Like many of the roles in a nonprofit, the special events manager relies on relationships to help them make the organization’s events reputable and sought after. Within Giveffect, the manager can use the contact & relationship management system to connect with individuals and businesses and simplify communication. Giveffect reduces the amount of manual data entry. Simultaneously, the CRM gives a special events manager full access to important information for donors, such as their contact information, giving history, and preferences. By clicking any name found under the Contacts tab, the manager can get a general overview of anyone they are trying to target to get to attend an event or donate money to it. And these are just a few of the features and tools found in the CRM system.
Email Marketing & Direct Mail System in Giveffect
Any special events manager worth their salt knows how important it is to spread the word about their event at the right time and to the right people. Giveffect provides a fully-integrated email marketing system with options for personalization. For one thing, using Giveffect, email campaigns are easy and seamless to create using our drag-and-drop technology. You don’t have to be an HTML or a coding wiz to create stunning, engaging invitations or newsletters. And email campaign analytics are tracked by clicking on the activity icon on the Email Campaign page. So the email marketing system can make an email marketing expert out of your special event manager.
Volunteer Management in Giveffect
Next up, we have the volunteer management system. This system helps a special events manager track volunteers while they work at an event. Additionally, some nonprofits may also have a volunteer manager or volunteer coordinator who manages volunteers. However, at many nonprofits, the special events manager also manages the volunteers. Either way, Giveffect’s Volunteer Management system helps folks in both roles manage volunteers as well as makes it easy to work together.
A special events manager will likely work with the volunteer manager and coordinator to staff an event with volunteer help. Recruiting and communicating with volunteers, creating roles, and assigning shifts can be a lot of work. Volunteer jobs, shifts, and assignments are easily created in Giveffect’s volunteer system. The special events manager can keep track of which volunteers are in attendance and which roles are filled. And with Event Buddy, the Giveffect free mobile and web app, volunteers track attendees, and managers and event coordinators track volunteers. Event Buddy turns your device — phone, laptop, or tablet — into a portable volunteer check-in kiosk.
Smart Automation
A special events manager is able to do much more with a system that is fully integrated and connected. Giveffect is run on our proprietary smart automation, including integrated and automated data entry, email automation, integrated reports & queries, and an overall connected system. And because of this, a special events manager can significantly reduce and even eliminate the need for manual data entry.
The job of the special events manager is a big one. Learn more about how Giveffect and Smart Automation can empower your nonprofit organization to execute better special events. Schedule a demo with us today.