Job Description

About Smile Farms

Smile Farms is a growing nonprofit creating meaningful employment and training opportunities for people with developmental disabilities. Through our partnerships, our clients develop valuable, transferable job skills while building community and experiencing the pride and dignity of fulfilling work. Individuals are employed or trained on our 14 garden campus locations across Long Island and New York City. Smile Farms is proud to be the signature philanthropic partner of 1-800-Flowers.com, Inc., a relationship that continues to elevate our visibility and impact.

Position

We are seeking an experienced Associate Director of Special Events to lead and grow our signature fundraising events such as our Growing Together Gala and Golf Outing.

Responsibilities

• Leads all aspects of Smile Farms major fundraising events, ensuring early, proactive planning and strict adherence to established timelines and deadlines.
• Solicits sponsorships, recruits new partners, and stewards existing sponsors to deepen engagement.
• Cultivates and manages a personal portfolio of donors engaged through events.
• Works with the Director of Development and other leadership to confirm honorees early and communicate clear expectations regarding fundraising responsibilities and promotional commitments.
• Creates and manages comprehensive project timelines and event calendars for the Golf Outings, Growing Together Gala, cultivation events, and additional fundraising programs.

Event Operations & Communication

• Serves as the administrative and logistical lead for all events and the primary on-site point person.
• Sets and manages event budgets, tracks expenses and revenue throughout the planning cycle.
• Develops structured communication plans to ensure alignment among staff, vendors, committees, honorees, and stakeholders.
• Leads and organizes event committee meetings, preparing agendas, assigning tasks, and ensuring consistent follow-through.
• Oversees the development of all event collateralincluding invitations, signage, journals, and digital promotional materialsensuring quality and on-schedule production.
• Coordinates press and public relations needs with internal leadership.
• Develops run-of-show documents, manages rehearsals, and oversees day?of logistics.
• Recruits, trains, and manages event volunteers.
• Partners with external event management partners when appropriate.
• Conducts post?event evaluations and ensures Lessons Learned are captured and integrated into future planning.

Donor Stewardship & Development Operations

• Works with the Director of Development to design and implement a thoughtful stewardship program to engage donors through small?scale events, personal recognition, and meaningful touchpoints.
• Prepares event?related reports and updates for internal leadership and the Board of Directors.
• Strengthens development operations by refining systems, processes, and tools that support organized, timely event planning and execution.
• Provides clear delegation aligned with project timelines to the Development & Outreach Coordinator.
• Partners with program and marketing staff to craft compelling event messaging and ensure alignment with organizational goals.
• Coordinates event promotion with broader communications calendars to avoid message overlap.
• Supports special projects and cross?team initiatives as needed.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of nonprofit event management experience with a demonstrated record of producing high?quality, revenue?generating events.
• Proven experience soliciting and closing sponsorships.
• At least 1 year of supervisory experience.
• Exceptional organizational and planning skills , including the ability to build and manage complex timelines starting early in the planning cycle.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills; proactive communicator who keeps stakeholders aligned and informed.
• Demonstrated relationship?building skills with donors, honorees, board members, and community partners.
• Experience with CRMs (DonorPerfect preferred) and event fundraising platforms such as Qgiv.
• Strong proficiency in Microsoft Office, especially Excel.
• Familiarity with philanthropic communities across Long Island, NYC, and Westchester.
• Ability to manage remote and onsite staff effectively.
• Highly deadline?driven, solutions?oriented, and calm under pressure.
• Commitment to Smile Farms mission and values.
• Professional integrity and strong collaborative spirit.

Salary and Compensation

The expected salary range for this position is $85,000 - $95,000. The actual compensation will be determined by experience and other factors permitted by the law.

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