Events Assistant

Willow Foundation

This is an exciting opportunity for anyone looking to work in events.  Willow delivers a number of exciting events each year, including our Annual Willow Ball and the London Football Awards.  Our small events team deliver these incredible signature events, alongside other key fundraising events throughout the year.

Reporting to: Event Manager

Hours:  Full time, Monday to Friday, normal office hours are 9:00 to 5:00, 37.5 hours per week.  Flexibility is available around start and finish times.

Location:  Hybrid working – Minimum 40% of working time to be spent in the office based in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire. Includes occasional local, regional and national travel.

Job purpose

The Event Assistant is the first point of contact for event and auction enquiries. You will support the Major Events team to put on high quality events, ensuring that all guests’ information is recorded accurately on our supporter database. In addition, you will support our events, by helping to track and fulfil auction items which help to raise significant amounts of money for Willow. You will also help to ensure our ambassadors and celebrities are supported and kept up to date on Willow’s events and activities, to ensure they stay engaged with the charity.

You will continually identify ways to improve processes and procedures to ensure all our donors and supporters have a great experience taking part in our events and supporting Willow.

Main duties/responsibilities

• To support the Major Events Team with a variety of tasks to ensure our events are put on to a high standard and raise much needed funds.
• To be responsible for accurately updating our supporter database, Raisers Edge with all guests and donors details including; contact information, Gift Aid declarations and preferences provided by supporters
• To ensure that donations, raffle and auction purchasers at events are acknowledged, coded and thanked within the agreed timescales with the aim to help steward all relationships effectively
• To be proactive in identifying and referring key supporters to other teams, as part of an agreed referral process passing details of supporter feedback and following up on referrals.
• Managing the fulfilment of auction items, post event to ensure items are sent, or arranged as quickly as possible.
• To support on the procurement of auction items to ensure we have an adequate bank of experiences, memorabilia and other items that we can use throughout our events
• Provide admin assistance to our ambassadors and celebrities – supporting the team with booking of travel & accommodation where appropriate.
• To help create updates to steward our key supporters, including ambassadors and celebrities, to ensure they stay updated and engaged with all things Willow
• To work with finance to raise invoices for Event Sales & Sponsorship
• Provide support at Willow Events, supporting on logistics and fundraising, or wherever is needed, to ensure the guest experience is as good as possible.
• To help the team with various pieces of research for example looking for event venues
• Keep abreast of trends within the sector, spotting new opportunities to develop the Willow Events portfolio
• To look at ways of improving current processes and suggesting ways of working in a more effective and efficient way.

Qualifications, Knowledge and Experience

Essential

• Customer care experience
• Ability to work as part of a small, flexible and hard-working team
• Delivering high quality supporter and donor care through ongoing contact and communication.
• Confident and articulate, able to build successful, mutually beneficial relationship with internal and external audiences.
• Self-reliant and confident IT user including internet, email, design, databases, spreadsheets and MS Office.

Desirable

• Experience with working with a database or CRM system
• Experience of working in the charity / fundraising sector.
• Experience of working on administration within a fundraising, events or marketing environment.

Skills and Abilities

• High attention to detail
• Ability to manage own workload
• Good verbal and written communication skills
• Team player
• Enthusiastic and keen to learn