Events Manager

Aspen Center for Environmental Studies Events Manager

Aspen Center for Environmental Studies (ACES) is a non-profit environmental science education organization with three locations in the Roaring Fork Valley: Hallam Lake, Rock Bottom Ranch, and the Catto Center at Toklat. Since 1968, ACES has been meeting its mission of educating for environmental responsibility. Making more than 125,000 educational contacts in 2024, ACES reaches Colorado residents and visitors through guided hikes, environmental science lessons in schools and in the field, kids camps and adult classes, public lectures, and community events. Our programs focus on ecological literacy, regenerative agriculture, forest and ecosystem health, land restoration, and environmental civic leadership.

Position Summary

Aspen Center for Environmental Studies (ACES) is seeking an Events Manager. This position coordinates events of varying sizes and purposes, and provides general fundraising support, including event sponsorship solicitation. A successful candidate must be highly organized and able to work closely with different departments within ACES. This position will require the ability to work flexible shifts, carry large and heavy items up to 25 lbs without assistance, meet tight deadlines, and travel to other valley-wide job sites.

Along with event coordination and providing general fundraising support, the Events Manager’s duties include meeting stakeholder needs, managing budgets and negotiations, overseeing communication with sponsors, aligning program and marketing needs, and overseeing sponsorship strategy. This position serves as the primary writer on all sponsorship proposals and oversees ACES’ partnerships. Partnership management is the way ACES oversees its sponsorship activities, including relationship building, monitoring, and assessment. It is imperative for this individual to be able to integrate with the entire ACES team by providing program, event, community partnership, and fundraising support as needed.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities: Responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following:

1) Event Management

• Plan event details, budgets, and logistics, including creating registration forms for website, designing invitations (when needed), managing guest lists, seating, speakers, staffing, and volunteers; as well as post-event reports and donor follow up;

• Secure corporate underwriters, sponsors, and in-kind donations for events and campaigns; create sponsorship decks, solicit event sponsorships, track sponsorships and in-kind donations for events;

• Establish meaningful donor relationships with corporate sponsors, vendors, venues, and corporate sponsors;

• Manage staff, speakers, and volunteers for events; Knowledge of the complex needs of a wide variety of events, including virtual events;

• Work with the Marketing Director to ensure effective marketing of events to the target audience through social media, email, newspaper, media appearances, etc;

2) Partnership and Sponsorship Management

• Create proposals for business and partner solicitations, coordinate and track partner cultivation and solicitations, and meet all deadlines for events, grants, reports, and data analysis;

• Complete all aspects of organizational partnership and sponsorship proposals (including research, writing, and budgets); including monitoring relationships for compliance in terms of both budgeting and reporting.

• Manage ACES sponsors and partners in ACES donor database; record and store data for accurate communications, correspondence, and donor records, including timely gift acknowledgments, payment reminders, etc.

3) Development Coordination

• Assist with setting up board meetings, board retreats, and donor meetings when needed;

• Support all aspects of annual fundraising programs.

Required Qualifications

• 2-5 years of experience in nonprofit development, event coordination, sponsorship experience, or related field;

• Proficiency in written communication, including letters, grants, proposals, and emails;

• Passion for creating and developing creative community and educational events;

• Experience developing relations with community and corporate sponsors;

• Strong computer skills, including MS Office programs, G-suites, spreadsheets, email, use of cloud-based functions; calendar/collaboration operations, PowerPoint, Mailchimp or other email marketing platforms, and use of cloud-based functions;

• Ability and willingness to work a full-time weekly schedule. Must have some flexibility and willingness to work outside a typical work schedule in order to accommodate deadlines, events, and presentations;

• A go-getter, someone who loves to tackle a to-do list.

• Excellent communication skills and transparency, especiialy when it comes to working with multiple departments pre and post events.

Desired Qualifications

• Knowledge of relational databases and building reports;
• Experience fundraising on social platforms;
• Spanish proficiency.

Reporting Relationship

This position reports to ACES’ Communications Director and consults with the Development Director.

Location

This is a full-time position headquartered at ACES’ Hallam Lake site in Aspen, Colorado, but will operate throughout the Roaring Fork Valley per our three locations and event spaces. Housing is not provided. Applicants that do not already have housing in the Roaring Fork Valley should be aware that securing housing here during the summer can be extremely difficult.

Benefits and Compensation

Compensation based on qualifications and experience. As described within, this position is eligible for the ACES benefits package which includes health insurance, paid time off and holidays, and retirement plan. Some evenings and weekends are required. This position is based out of ACES’ Hallam Lake site. Salary Range starting at $55,000 based on experience.

The deadline to apply is February 30, 2025. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

Aspen Center for Environmental Studies (ACES) is an Equal Opportunity Employer. ACES does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, non-disqualifying physical or mental disability, national origin, genetic information, veteran status, or any other basis covered by appropriate law. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, merit, and organizational need. Please apply, even if you do not meet 100% of the qualifications (at least 70%).