Development Specialist, Events & Partnerships

Wings for Life USA funds the most promising spinal cord injury research in the United States and around the world. A significant portion of its funding is generated through charitable live events, digital initiatives, and corporate partnerships. The Social Outreach team at Red Bull Media House North America, Inc. primarily provides operational support to Wings for Life USA and is responsible for disciplined planning, execution, and performance tracking to help achieve annual fundraising targets. This includes coordinating cross-functional stakeholders, maintaining accurate data and reporting, and ensuring that programs are delivered efficiently and in line with approved budgets.

As a key member of Red Bull Media House’s Social Outreach team, the Development Specialist, Events & Partnerships is responsible for the day-to-day execution of Wings for Life USA fundraising initiatives and manages critical workstreams that directly contribute to annual revenue goals. This role collaborates across teams to translate fundraising strategy into detailed plans, timelines, budgets, and measurable outcomes across events, digital campaigns, donor stewardship, and corporate partnerships. The ideal candidate is hands-on and highly organized, with strong analytical skills, confidence in managing budgets and vendors, and a proactive approach to identifying and cultivating new partners that drive year-over-year fundraising growth.

Areas that play to your strengths

All the responsibilities we'll trust you with:

• Take ownership of project plans and workback schedules for assigned fundraising campaigns and events, partnering with the Director and Senior Development Manager to build and maintain detailed checklists and milestones in Monday.com, Airtable, GiveSmart, Salesforce, and related tools.

  Provide clear status updates, identify and escalate risks early, and ensure follow-through to keep all deliverables on track; maintain timely and accurate updates across campaigns and events within the CRM.

  Maintain and analyze a pipeline of current and prospective corporate partners, including contact strategies, stage tracking, next steps, and revenue/benefit projections aligned with annual fundraising targets.

  Build, quality-check, and manage GiveSmart campaign and event sites, assuming responsibility for platform readiness, data accuracy, and the donor experience; monitor performance metrics and recommend improvements.

  Coordinate campaign content, sponsorship logos and links, and guest list oversight, ensuring that sponsor benefit delivery requirements are tracked and fulfilled on time.

  Manage creative asset workflows and coordinate invoicing with internal stakeholders; track purchase orders and invoices, maintain visibility into spending, and support timely budget reconciliation.

• Collect, record, and route incoming mail and checks with a focus on accuracy, proper documentation, and timely deposit and processing, in accordance with internal controls.

  Manage the day-to-day operation of the Taulia vendor payment system, ensuring accurate submissions, complete documentation, and appropriate follow-up to guarantee timely processing.

  Register and maintain vendor profiles; coordinate with the finance team to ensure timely payments; and track vendor deliverables, service levels, and costs to support adherence to the budget.

• Take ownership of donor acknowledgement processes (thank-you letters, receipts, and stewardship touchpoints), ensuring they are timely, high-quality, and properly documented in the CRM.

  Coordinate the ordering, inventory management, and delivery of donor appreciation gifts, while tracking costs, approvals, and fulfillment status.

  Draft and send targeted communications to donors and sponsors (such as event invitations, renewal notices, and upgrade appeals), using segmentation and tracking to support measurable conversion and retention goals.

  Manage follow-ups and next steps to deepen relationships, record outcomes, and provide donors and sponsors with a warm, consistent, and reliable experience.

• Support and, for assigned programs, lead parts of the full event lifecycle—planning, execution, and post-event closeout—ensuring that timelines, run-of-show, and deliverables align with fundraising objectives.

  Collaborate with the Director and Senior Development Manager to manage event logistics, vendor sourcing and coordination, and documentation; track expenditures against the budget and support approvals and financial reconciliation.

  Research and benchmark innovative event and fundraising trends; develop data-informed recommendations and concise business cases to improve revenue, audience reach, and cost efficiency.

  Assist in developing event-related communications and promotional materials, ensuring sponsor visibility, clear and accurate calls to action, and alignment with campaign KPIs.

  Support volunteer staffing plans and on-site leadership (before, during, and after events) in partnership with the Development Manager to ensure adequate coverage, accountability, and a high-quality guest experience.

  Take ownership of assembling and distributing gift bags, including coordination of sourcing, quantity control, and timely delivery to all stakeholders.

  Prepare post-event reports and analysis, including revenue and expense reconciliation, KPI results, lessons learned, and recommendations to improve future performance.

  Identify, research, and recommend new event and campaign partners (both in-kind and monetary), supporting outreach and pitch material development that advances annual fundraising goals.

• Maintain and organize branded inventory at designated storage locations, ensuring proper controls, accurate counts, and readiness for fundraising events and partner orders.

  Conduct regular inventory audits, forecast inventory needs, and coordinate reorders with the appropriate approvals to support adherence to budget requirements.

  Ship merchandise to donors, volunteers, and partners as needed, tracking order status and shipping costs to maintain service quality and cost efficiency.

EXPERIENCE

Your areas of knowledge and expertise

that matter most for this role:

• A bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Management, or a related field, or relevant work experience.
• 2+ years of experience in nonprofit development, event planning, donor relations, or a related field.
• Experience taking new ideas from initial concept through to successful completion.
• Strong organizational and project management skills, with proven responsibility for timelines, budgets, and cross-functional deliverables.
• Experience with platforms such as GiveSmart, Airtable, Monday.com, or similar tools is a plus.
• High attention to detail and the ability to manage multiple deadlines simultaneously.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Comfort working both independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced environment.
• A strong passion for nonprofit, mission-driven work.
• Proficiency with the Microsoft Office Suite.
• Familiarity with CRM tools such as Salesforce and Account Engagement.
• A results-driven mindset, with a demonstrated ability to meet targets using data, performance tracking, and continuous improvement.

• Travel 10-20%
• Permanent
• Benefits eligible