Director of Donor Engagement and Special Events

AVDA is seeking a strategic, relationship-centered fundraising leader to grow individual giving, major gifts, corporate sponsor ships, donor stewardship, and fundraising events. This is a visible, hands-on role for a development professional who can move comfortably from one-on-one donor cultivation to complex event execution—and who knows how to turn meaningful engagement into lasting philanthropic support.

Reporting directly to the Chief Executive Officer, the Director will partner with AVDA’s Board of Directors, Marketing, Finance, program leadership, and the Director of Institutional Giving and Grants to advance annual revenue goals and deepen AVDA’s relationships across Greater Houston.

A high-quality portfolio and pipeline of individual donors and major-gift prospects.

Personalized cultivation, solicitation, stewardship, renewal, upgrade, and reactivation strategies.

AVDA’s donor appeals, giving campaigns, stewardship calendar, and donor-recognition activities.

Fundraising and cultivation events, including the Home Safe Home Gala, New Beginnings Luncheon, Friends of AVDA gatherings, donor receptions, corporate-engagement events, and approved third-party fundraisers.

Corporate sponsor ships, underwriting, cause-marketing opportunities, employee engagement, and other non-grant partnerships.

Board, event-chair, committee, and fundraising-volunteer engagement tied directly to donor development and events.

Develop and execute an annual individual-giving and donor-engagement plan aligned with AVDA’s strategy, budget, and revenue goals.

Identify, qualify, cultivate, solicit, and steward donors through meetings, tours, calls, appeals, briefings, and personalized follow-up.

Manage a documented moves-management portfolio with clear stages, next actions, anticipated asks, and relationship owners.

Prepare donor briefings, talking points, solicitation plans, and follow-up actions for the CEO and Board members.

Maintain timely and accurate donor, gift, pledge, and relationship records in AVDA’s donor database.

Build and manage a stewardship calendar that includes acknowledgments, impact updates, recognition, appreciation, and meaningful follow-up.

Lead individual-donor appeals and campaigns, including strategy, segmentation, solicitation approach, response tracking, and follow-up, in coordination with Marketing.

Monitor donor retention, renewal, upgrades, and reactivation, and recommend strategies to strengthen results.

Own event strategy, project plans, budgets, revenue goals, sponsorship plans, timelines, execution, and evaluation.

Recruit and support event chairs, host committees, and fundraising volunteers with clear goals, roles, deadlines, and accountability.

Coordinate venues, vendors, contracts, production, registration, logistics, guest experience, and post-event follow-up in accordance with AVDA requirements.

Evaluate gross and net revenue, expenses, attendance, sponsor fulfillment, donor conversion, and other approved measures to improve future events.

Develop relationships with corporate sponsors, community leaders, civic organizations, and philanthropic influencers.

Lead sponsorship strategy, proposals, benefit packages, solicitation, fulfillment, recognition, renewal, and follow-up within approved parameters.

Represent AVDA at community functions, networking events, corporate meetings, and philanthropic gatherings.

Provide accurate monthly and quarterly reporting on pipeline activity, donor retention, appeals, sponsor ships, event performance, forecasts, and next actions.

Partner…