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Event Management Lead

First State Educate
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Event Management & Community Engagement Lead 

First State Educate (FSE)
Part-time | Approximately 18 hours per week | $18 – 20 /hour | 

Remote  

About the Opportunity

First State Educate is seeking a highly organized, resourceful Event Management & Community Engagement Intern to help manage the planning and execution of statewide events that advance FSE’s mission and strengthen its relationships with schools, families, businesses, community organizations, and public leaders.

This is not primarily an event-day position. The intern will function as a project manager, helping move multiple workstreams from planning through execution while coordinating with people and organizations across Delaware.

The primary project will be FSE’s Regional Spelling Bee, Delaware’s statewide qualifying spelling bee for students in grades 4–8. The Bee brings together students from public, charter, private, and homeschool settings and culminates in a statewide event on the first Saturday in March.

The intern may also support other FSE convenings and professional-development events.

What You Will Do

Project Management

  • Develop and maintain detailed project plans, timelines, task lists, and tracking systems.
  • Keep multiple event workstreams moving simultaneously and identify upcoming deadlines or unresolved issues.
  • Follow up consistently with participants, partners, vendors, and other stakeholders until required information or commitments are received.
  • Maintain accurate records, contact lists, event files, templates, and documentation that can be reused for future events.
  • Surface decisions requiring senior FSE involvement while independently resolving routine implementation issues.

School and Participant Engagement

  • Support statewide recruitment of schools participating in the Regional Spelling Bee.
  • Help increase participation beyond the approximately 54 schools that participated last year and expand representation across Delaware's public school districts, charter schools, private schools, and homeschool community.
  • Serve as a consistent point of contact for teachers and school-level spelling bee coordinators.
  • Track participating schools, school-level competitions, qualifying students, and required information.
  • Coordinate participant documentation, including permission forms and waivers.
  • Maintain accurate student and school information through the regional competition.

Sponsorship and External Engagement

The intern will support FSE's effort to significantly increase sponsorship revenue associated with the Bee. Senior FSE leadership will remain involved in major fundraising asks.

The intern will:

  • research prospective corporate, philanthropic, and community sponsors;
  • build and maintain a sponsorship prospect and outreach pipeline;
  • prepare information and materials needed for sponsorship outreach;
  • coordinate outreach and follow-up;
  • track conversations, commitments, benefits, and outstanding actions;
  • help ensure sponsors receive appropriate recognition; and
  • identify opportunities for donated goods and services that can improve the event while reducing costs.

Community Partnerships

  • Identify and recruit community-based organizations that support Delaware children and families.
  • Coordinate participation of organizations hosting information tables at the Bee.
  • Help recruit and coordinate volunteers, community partners, and other event participants.
  • Support invitations and follow-up with elected officials, civic leaders, and special guests.
  • Maintain relationships and contact information so engagement developed through an event can continue afterward.

Event Production

Using FSE's established event model, prior-year materials, graphics, templates, and vendor relationships, help coordinate all elements required to deliver a polished event.

Responsibilities may include:

  • participant lists and event registration;
  • student bibs and identification;
  • certificates, awards, and oversized checks;
  • student gifts;
  • signage and tabletop materials;
  • presentation materials and PowerPoint coordination;
  • MC and program coordination;
  • food, refreshments, and in-kind donations;
  • community partner tables;
  • vendors and deliveries;
  • special guests;
  • event-day materials and checklists; and
  • post-event acknowledgments and thank-you communications.

FSE will arrange separate local logistical assistance when physical pickups, setup, deliveries, or significant event-day support are required. Most of this role can be performed remotely.

What We Are Looking For

This opportunity is particularly well suited for a recent college graduate, graduate student, or upper-level undergraduate interested in management, operations, nonprofit management, community engagement, project management, or event production.

The strongest candidate will be someone who:

  • is exceptionally organized and comfortable managing many details at once;
  • follows through without needing repeated reminders;
  • is comfortable emailing, calling, and following up with people they do not already know;
  • communicates professionally with educators, businesses, nonprofit organizations, public officials, vendors, and families;
  • can build and maintain effective spreadsheets, trackers, calendars, and project-management systems;
  • notices when information is missing, inconsistent, or inaccurate and resolves the issue;
  • can take an objective and determine the steps necessary to make it happen;
  • has good visual judgment and can use existing branding and materials to create polished event materials;
  • is comfortable learning new systems and processes quickly;
  • can work independently in a remote environment;
  • knows when to solve a problem independently and when to elevate an issue for a decision; and
  • takes pride in delivering work that is accurate, complete, and professional.

Experience with nonprofit organizations, fundraising, sponsorships, event management, student organizations, community engagement, project management, or operations is helpful but not required.

What Success Looks Like

This internship is designed to provide meaningful ownership rather than observational experience.

Successful performance means helping FSE:

  • increase participation in the Regional Spelling Bee;
  • maintain strong communication with every participating school;
  • develop and manage a meaningful sponsorship pipeline;
  • expand involvement from businesses and community organizations;
  • ensure event materials and logistics are accurate and completed on time;
  • provide students and families with a polished and memorable experience;
  • strengthen relationships created through FSE events; and
  • build systems and documentation that make future events easier to execute.

The goal is not simply to help an event occur. It is to help FSE deliver events that advance the organization's work, build relationships, increase participation, and create lasting organizational value.