Successful events are a shared responsibility of the Board, Executive Director, staff, and volunteers. The Event Committee Lead does not carry sole responsibility for planning or executing events. Instead, this role focuses on coordination, clarity, and alignment—helping ensure events are well-scoped, well-supported, and realistic given organizational capacity.
Key Responsibilities
Event Strategy & Oversight
- Support the Board and Executive Director in advancing board-approved event goals (e.g., fundraising, community engagement, visibility)
- Translate annual event goals into clear, achievable committee priorities and timelines
- Maintain visibility into upcoming events to identify capacity constraints, risks, or opportunities early
Event Committee Leadership
Lead and facilitate a small Event Committee, ensuring members:
- Have clear roles and responsibilities
- Understand event purpose, scope, and success measures
- Have manageable, well-defined tasks
- Contribute based on interest, strengths, and availability
- Foster a collaborative, positive culture focused on shared ownership and realistic execution
- Recruit additional committee members or short-term event volunteers as needed
Partnership with the Executive Director
Hold regular check-ins with the Executive Director to:
- Review upcoming events, timelines, and resourcing needs
- Surface risks, dependencies, or capacity challenges
- Align on decisions related to scope, sequencing, or prioritization
- Serve as a thought partner and connector
Coordination & Course Correction
- Help ensure event plans stay aligned with organizational capacity, budget, and priorities
- Elevate concerns early when timelines, volunteer capacity, or assumptions shift
- Support timely adjustments to event scope, format, or expectations to avoid last-minute strain
Board Communication
Provide brief, periodic updates to the Board focused on:
- Upcoming events and readiness
- Key needs, risks, or decisions required
- Learnings from recent events
- Reinforce that event success depends on shared effort, not a single role or committee
- Ensure key event information and learnings are documented in any shared systems or files
What Success Looks Like
- Events are planned with clear purpose and realistic scope
- Volunteer roles are well-defined and supported
- Risks and constraints are identified early, not at the last minute
- The Executive Director and Board feel informed and aligned
- Events feel energizing and sustainable, not burdensome or chaotic
Time Commitment (Estimated)
In addition to Board Member expectations:
- 3–5 hours per month, on average
- Committee meeting: ~1–1.5 hours/month
- ED check-ins: ~1 hour every other month
- Preparation, coordination, and follow-up: ~1–2 hours/month
- Additional time during major events (clearly defined in advance)
A minimum one-year commitment to the Event Committee Lead role
Skills & Experience We’re Looking For
- Experience with event planning, project coordination, logistics, hospitality, or volunteer management (nonprofit experience helpful but not required)
- Ability to lead volunteers through clarity, encouragement, and shared purpose
- Strong organizational and facilitation skills
- Comfort navigating trade-offs related to time, scope, and capacity
- Reliable and follow-through oriented; able to keep plans moving and close loop
