Event Manager

Overview of Needs: 

The Donors of Color Network (DOCN) is building a national community of BIPOC donors committed to racial justice and collective power. DOCN will host three signature member convenings — Connect + Reflect — in the summer and fall of 2026. These one-day, in-person gatherings in Seattle, San Francisco/Oakland, and New York City are designed to deepen member relationships, catalyze movement-aligned giving, and ground DOCN's five-city donor organizing model in authentic community connection.

Each convening will bring together approximately 25 DOCN members and invited guests for a full day of programming centered on member cultivation, collective reflection, and movement-aligned community building. DOCN is committed to centering BIPOC vendors, artists, musicians, caterers, and cultural spaces throughout each event.

In addition to the three signature convenings, DOCN will host member cultivation events throughout the year. The Event Manager is expected to attend all relevant planning meetings and the events themselves, and will be responsible for end-to-end logistics.

Scope of Work

Program Support

• Partner with DOCN staff to develop and execute a run of show that reflects the full design and intent of each Connect + Reflect convening.
• Support DOCN's team through goal-defining and priority-setting discussions with intentional attention to accessibility, pacing, and member engagement.
• Consult on program flow, cadence, and personnel support across all three city events.
• Ensure that the final run of show for each event aligns with the script and vision developed by DOCN staff.

Budget Management

• Lead invoice intake and tracking in coordination with DOCN's Finance Team.
• Maintain itemized cost tracking for all event-related expenses. 
• Produce timely and accurate budget reports for each event.
• Proactively forecast potential expenses and mitigate unforeseen logistical or financial challenges.

Vendor Management

• Serve as the primary liaison between DOCN staff and confirmed speakers and performers, providing timely updates on logistics and programming.
• Manage collection of required documentation from speakers and performers to ensure timely payment by DOCN. Source and manage event vendors that align with each event's vision, community values, and DOCN's commitment to BIPOC-owned businesses.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for all vendors in the lead-up to, day-of, and following each event.
• Provide regular vendor updates to DOCN staff throughout the planning process.
• Manage day-of vendor communications, logistics, run of show alignment, and invoice/payment processing.

Guest Management

• Set up and manage event registration using DOCN's preferred registration platform.
• Provide responsive, high-quality customer service to attendees with questions about registration, event logistics, or technical support.

Day-of & Follow-up Management

• Oversee volunteer recruitment, role assignments, and coordination for each event.
• Lead execution of all day-of logistics for Connect + Reflect convenings.
• Serve as the onsite point of contact for all vendors on event day.
• Collaborate with DOCN staff to support in-person programming and member experience.
• Oversee venue setup and teardown in partnership with venue staff at each location.
• Support post-event follow-up, including documentation, vendor close-out, and budget reconciliation.

Compensation & Terms

The budget for this engagement is 15 - 20 hours/week at a rate of $100/hour, invoiced by the contractor for the duration of the contract period (April–November 2026). Pre-approved travel and lodging expenses will be reimbursed in accordance with DOCN's expense reimbursement policy.

This engagement is structured as an independent contractor relationship. The Event Manager will be expected to maintain clear communication with the DOCN team, participate in regular check-ins, and attend all event-related planning meetings. Occasional travel may be needed for membership cultivation events and will be communicated in advance.

Please submit a capabilities statement with your relevant experience and three clients as references via Gusto.

Note: References will not be contacted without consent.

Founded in 2019, the Donors of Color Network (DOCN) is a first of its kind cross-racial community of donors committed to engaging our collective power towards racial equity and justice. DOCN estimates there are approximately 1.25M people of color with assets over $1M in the U.S. This demographic represents a significant potential source of power and influence that to date has had limited leadership in organized philanthropic spaces that support racial equity and justice. DOCN was founded to organize and promote the leadership of this community – working across race, national origin, professional backgrounds, and intersections of gender, sexual orientation, religion, and ability. Our donor members are organizers and leaders in their own spaces, moving their peers, friends, and networks to center the priorities of communities of color and to think with a systems frame. As we grow our network, we are bringing these individuals together and building a strong foundation of a values-aligned, humble, joyous, loving, and learning community. As a recently formed organization, we are inspired by the possibilities that will come, with the knowledge that we are more powerful together than each of us is as an individual. DOCN’s impact is unique in that our work centers the stories and lived experiences of donors of color and communities of color most directly harmed by racial discrimination and injustice. By creating understanding and aligning values across diverse backgrounds, we are working towards power building in communities of color nationally to achieve racial and gender equity, economic opportunity, environmental sustainability, and political power that reflects and is accountable to communities of color. We do this through peer-to-peer donor learning, investing in leaders of color, supporting organizing and advocacy, and through the promotion of our Inclusion Principles. These Inclusion Principles are a set of voluntary commitments we ask organizations we support and partner with to make. We aim to influence how budgets are made, how dollars are allocated, how boards are built, and how folks are hired by requiring a racial equity lens for each.