Gateway Down Syndrome Association
Position: Manager of Special Events and Sponsorships
Reports to: Director of Development
Organization Overview
Gateway Down Syndrome Association (GDSA) is a nationally recognized nonprofit dedicated to serving, supporting, and celebrating the lives of individuals with Down syndrome and their families through every stage of life. Guided by the core values of integrity, equity, inclusion, respect, and excellence, GDSA serves more than 2,300 individuals and families across a 150-mile radius and envisions a community where people with Down syndrome can reach their full potential.
Position Summary
The Manager of Special Events and Sponsorships is responsible for driving philanthropic revenue through exceptional fundraising events, peer-to-peer campaigns, corporate partnerships, and community engagement. This role combines strategic thinking, relationship-building, and flawless execution to grow sustainable revenue while creating meaningful experiences for individuals with Down syndrome, their families, volunteers, donors, and community partners.
Reporting to the Director of Development, the Manager will lead GDSA’s signature fundraising events, expand corporate sponsorships, strengthen peer-to-peer fundraising initiatives, and cultivate lasting relationships that advance GDSA’s mission. Working collaboratively across the development, marketing, and community engagement teams, this leader will identify new opportunities to increase community awareness, deepen engagement, and generate financial support for the organization’s life-changing programs.
Key Responsibilities
Fundraising Strategy & Revenue Growth
- Work closely with the Director of Development to develop and execute an annual corporate sponsorship and event fundraising strategy that supports both organizational and event fundraising goals.
- Collaborate with the Director of Development to establish annual fundraising goals and performance metrics.
- Recommend and execute innovative strategies to increase philanthropic revenue through signature events, peer-to-peer fundraising, corporate sponsorships, and community partnerships.
- Track fundraising performance, analyze results, and implement continuous improvements to increase participation and revenue.
Step Up for Down Syndrome & Peer-to-Peer Fundraising
- Lead the strategic planning and execution of Step Up for Down Syndrome, GDSA’s premier peer-to-peer fundraising event.
- Inspire and coach team captains, families, volunteers, and participants to maximize fundraising success and community engagement.
- Develop participant communications, fundraising resources, recognition programs, and engagement strategies that increase fundraising results and participant retention.
- Identify and cultivate new peer-led fundraising opportunities that broaden community involvement and generate sustainable revenue.
- Evaluate fundraising metrics and participant feedback to continually improve the event experience.
Special Events
- Lead planning and execution of GDSA’s additional fundraising and awareness events, including Run for 21, Trivia Night, Walk in the Park, Birdies & Bass Golf Tournament, and periodic galas.
- Manage event budgets, timelines, vendors, logistics, volunteers, and committees to consistently exceed financial and participant satisfaction goals.
- Develop standardized event processes, timelines, and post-event evaluations to improve efficiency and scalability.
- Coordinate auction procurement and in-kind donations while building relationships with community partners and volunteers.
Corporate Sponsorships & Community Partnerships
- Build, cultivate, solicit, and steward a portfolio of corporate sponsors and community partners.
- Create customized sponsorship opportunities that deliver meaningful value while advancing GDSA’s mission.
- Ensure exceptional sponsor stewardship through timely communication, fulfillment, recognition, reporting, and year-round relationship management.
- Partner with marketing and administrative teams to ensure accurate donor records and impactful sponsor recognition.
Collaboration & Community Engagement
- Serve as the primary staff liaison to fundraising committees, volunteers, and board members.
- Collaborate across departments to create exceptional experiences for participants, families, donors, sponsors, and volunteers.
- Work closely with the Volunteer Coordinator to recruit, train, recognize, and retain volunteers for fundraising events.
- Represent GDSA professionally within the community to strengthen awareness and build lasting relationships.
Qualifications & Attributes
We’re looking for someone who is both strategic and relational; someone who loves building meaningful relationships as much as organizing exceptional events.
Required qualifications include:
- Three to five years of successful experience in nonprofit fundraising, special events, sponsorship development, or business development.
- Demonstrated success increasing fundraising revenue through events, sponsorships, or peer-to-peer campaigns.
- Experience cultivating corporate sponsors and managing long-term donor relationships.
- Strong project management skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines.
- Outstanding interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills.
- Passion for GDSA’s mission and a commitment to serving individuals with Down syndrome and their families.
Preferred qualifications include:
- Bachelor’s degree in nonprofit management, fundraising, marketing, business, communications, or a field with translatable skills
- Experience with donor CRM systems and peer-to-peer fundraising platforms.
What Success Looks Like
During your first year, you will:
- Successfully lead GDSA’s signature fundraising events while delivering exceptional participant experiences.
- Grow participation and fundraising revenue for Step Up for Down Syndrome.
- Expand and strengthen corporate sponsorship relationships.
- Increase sponsor retention and participant engagement.
- Build trusted relationships with families, volunteers, board members, donors, and community partners.
- Recommend innovative ideas that strengthen fundraising results and operational excellence.
The impact you will make…
For nearly 50 years, Gateway Down Syndrome Association has empowered individuals with Down syndrome and their families through advocacy, education, connection, and life-changing programs. Every sponsorship you secure, every volunteer you inspire, and every fundraising dollar you help generate directly supports opportunities for more than 2,300 individuals and families each year. Your work will create moments of belonging, expand critical resources, and ensure that individuals with Down syndrome can continue to thrive in a community where they are valued, included, and celebrated.
Why You’ll Love Working Here
At GDSA, you’ll join a passionate team united by purpose and driven by impact. GDSA is dedicated to maintaining a compassionate, inclusive, and high-performing culture in which all staff and volunteers are valued, respected, and empowered. We foster teamwork, trust, accountability, and open communication while holding ourselves to the highest standards in order to reach our vision.
Here, you’ll have the opportunity to:
- Build meaningful relationships with incredible families and community leaders.
- Help shape one of the region’s premier nonprofit fundraising programs.
- Bring new ideas to life and make a measurable impact.
- Grow professionally while advancing a mission that changes lives every day.
- Celebrate successes alongside a collaborative, caring, and purpose-driven team.
- Access a comprehensive array of benefits including health insurance, SIMPLE IRA and employer match, flexible schedule and generous paid time off.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
GDSA is committed to fostering, cultivating and preserving a culture of diversity, equity and inclusion. Our human capital is the most valuable asset we have. The collective sum of the individual differences, life experiences, knowledge, inventiveness, innovation, self-expression, unique capabilities and talent that our employees invest in their work represents a significant part of not only our culture, but our reputation and organization’s achievement as well. We embrace our employees’ differences in age, color, disability, ethnicity, family or marital status, gender identity or expression, language, national origin, physical and mental ability, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, veteran status, and other characteristics that make our employees unique.
Please submit resume and brief cover letter to Executive Director, Erin Suelmann, at erin@gatewaydsa.org
GDSA is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status.
