Director, Best Buddies Challenges (Miami)
Best Buddies International

Best Buddies International is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to establishing a global volunteer movement that creates opportunities for one-to-one friendships, integrated employment, leadership development, inclusive living, and family support for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).

Best Buddies is the largest organization dedicated to ending the social, physical and economic isolation of the 200 million people worldwide with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Our programs empower people with IDD to form meaningful friendships with their peers, secure jobs, improve communication and advocacy skills, and live independently, while also offering support for their families.

Job Title: Director, Best Buddies Challenge (Miami)

Department: Strategic Development and Marketing

Reports to: Senior Director, Best Buddies Challenge

Location: Miami, FL

# of direct reports: up to 3

Salary range: Commensurate with experience

Revised date: 3/18/2024

Position Overview: The Director will work closely with the Best Buddies Challenge senior management team on all regional development, sales, and recruitment initiatives. The Director will be responsible for attaining event specific revenue goals through rider recruitment, corporate partnerships, and sponsorship sales. Goals will be achieved by managing alumni relations, creating opportunities for team growth, converting interested parties into event participants, and working to sell sponsorships. The Director will be the point person for tracking and benchmarking participant commitments, revenue, maintaining accurate grids, coordination of key sponsor/corporate meetings and team development. The position plays a crucial role in supporting multiple Vice Presidents in sponsorship sales and development outreach and working cross event to play a supporting role in all Best Buddies Challenge events.

This position will lead the overall effort of building a community of individual riders, donors, corporate partners, program participants, community leaders, government officials, celebrities, and executives for the purposes of engaging them to participate, fundraise and sponsor the Best Buddies Challenges. The Best Buddies Challenges will be supported by an annual sales, communication, marketing and PR campaign with dedicated website, accounting, coaching and customer service teams in support. This position will be directly responsible for all revenue streams.

Job Requirements

• Bachelor's degree with a minimum of 10 years' experience in development, peer-to-peer fundraising, recruitment marketing or event management.

• Demonstrated success in motivating leaders, decision makers, and groups such as executive c-suite staff, individual donors, team captains, and fundraisers to raise money.
• Must excel at storytelling, be exciting, motivating, and able to persuade people to commit to participate at multiple levels in the Best Buddies Challenges
• Excellent project management skills, including managing and prioritizing projects with multiple and often competing deadlines, and ability to work under pressure.
• Proven ability to deliver high-touch customer service, and work with customer relations management (CRM) database systems (e.g., keep contact logs, conversation notes, development grid etc.)
• Knowledge of cycling, with personal experience as a cyclist strongly preferred.
• Able to work non-traditional hours, such as nights and weekends, and attend social events aimed at engagement and development.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Word, Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint, Blackbaud, Suma, RE and Google Drive
• Organized and detail-oriented with excellent verbal and written communication skills, especially superb public speaking skills.
• Ability to work the Best Buddies Challenge event, with a week-long preparation period entailing strenuous physical activity with possible continuous lifting of up to 50 pounds. Ability to stand for 16 hours daily over the course of the event. Ability to work at varied hours. Event preparation can entail early morning and late-night activity.
• Ability to travel both locally and nationally with regularity to attend events, meet with donors and support staff.

Key Job Responsibilities can include, but are not limited to:

Marketing and Development

• Serves as lead Development Officer responsible to meet annual budget for total revenue goals for the Best Buddies Challenge: Miami ($1,000,000+) and related cycling events through individual fundraising, team recruitment and development, and sponsorship sales.
• Manage and lead Development efforts and develops an annual plan, sponsor grid, timeline and goals for fundraising, sponsorships, auction and major gifts.
• Cultivate team captains and company leaders to directly support revenue growth for fundraising teams, sponsor teams and individual participants.
• Work with SVP of Marketing, Development & Technology on all presenting or major sponsors, marketing activations, and regional partnerships to achieve Best Buddies Challenge revenue goals and increase brand awareness.
• Recruit members and Lead Executive Committee
• Cultivate new development relationships in the Best Buddies Challenge market.
• Implement all rider recruitment efforts for Lunch & Learns, Kickoffs and Team Rides
• Attend all major networking events.
• Create, organize, and attend the premier marketing activations for rider lead generation, recruitment, and engagement.
• Work with local media to execute TV, radio and PR campaigns featuring event-based stores with both programmatic and revenue-based themes.
• Speak publicly and present to various groups including corporate employee groups, cycling teams, civic groups, etc for the purpose of representing Best Buddies and developing relationships.

Operations

• Work in conjunction with VP, BBC and the Operations team to implement and execute rider recruitment, retention, and fundraising strategies designed in concert with each regional development team and supported by the Boston ride team.
• Assist in planning the execution of Alumni, On-Boarding and Stratification plans for fundraising participants for each Best Buddies Challenge market to ensure growth year-over-year.
• Analyze the effectiveness of all development grassroots efforts and provide regular reports on increased leads, numbers of people receiving marketing materials etc.

• Oversees all pre-production event prep elements as they relate to participants and fundraising (i.e. logistical communications, packet pick-ups)
• Works to create collaborative and productive team environment
• Manages local rider revenue operations efforts and retains responsibility for:
  • In-market rider recruitment
  • In-market rider marketing, grassroots outreach and local presence
  • In-market rider training and participant engagement activities
• Assist and advises on the creation and design of local events based on current and past participant data and trends
• Work with the logistics team to make improvements to the event based upon participant feedback
• Take the lead on special projects as requested.

Best Buddies® is an affirmative action employer, in addition to an EOE and M/F/V/PWD/PV employer. Diversity, equity, and inclusion are foundational to Best Buddies International's core values and help the organization continue to achieve its mission. Here at Best Buddies, our goal is to lead and advocate for a more inclusive world.

Best Buddies offers a comprehensive and generous benefits program that include financial security, health and wellness and time off.

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