Sponsorship Activation Manager

ABOUT THE CLUB 

Minnesota Aurora FC is a community-owned women’s soccer team based in the Twin Cities with over 5000 community owners across all 50 states and 19 countries. The club plays in the pre-professional USL W League, starring and featuring the best amateur and aspiring professional players from Minnesota and across the globe. The club is operated by a women-led front office and coaching staff. 

CLUB VALUES

Empowerment: We champion the advancement and freedom of women and gender-expansive individuals by investing in their greatness on and off the field.

Accessibility: We ensure soccer is for everyone by removing barriers and creating more equitable access to soccer for players and fans.

Transformation: We spark positive change in soccer, women’s sports, and communities by fostering transparency, humility, innovation, and collaboration. 

Inclusivity: We uphold and defend the right for all people to live without hatred, violence, and discrimination by committing to and prioritizing equality in every decision we make. 

Position Summary
This role builds and manages relationships with corporate partners. It makes sure every sponsorship is delivered well, from the signed contract through on-site activation and the end-of-season recap. The goal is high partner satisfaction, renewals that grow revenue, and sold assets that are carried out at a high standard. The role works closely across the organization including outside partners, marketing, sporting, operations and finance to delight sponsors and provide a high level of service. 

This is a full-time, year-round role. The office is located in Eagan, MN, and training and home games are at TCO Stadium. Please see the job posting and details below. Send resume and letter of interest to hiring@mnaurora.com to apply.  

Key Responsibilities

  • Build trusted relationships with corporate partners and key stakeholders, and keep service and satisfaction levels high.
  • Learn each partner’s business, industry and goals well enough to anticipate their needs, set priorities, and get the most value from the partnership over its full term.
  • Support renewals that grow revenue year over year or offset the organization’s operating costs.
  • Work with Superlative Group to build packages for unsold inventory.

Activation Planning & Execution

  • Act as the main contact for sponsors during activations, keeping in regular touch on needs, updates and feedback.
  • Run all sponsor touchpoints at matches, events and special programs, from pre-event planning and logistics to on-the-day execution and post-event reporting.
  • Carry out sponsor contracts and activations with game day and event staff so every sold asset is delivered as promised.
  • Work with the marketing team so all sponsorship assets (branding, advertising, digital content) are created and delivered on time.

Performance Tracking & Reporting

  • Track how activations perform, gather partner feedback periodically throughout sponsorship term, and make changes as needed to keep partners satisfied.
  • Collect proof of performance for each contract, including social media, signage and activations.
  • Work with the social media team to set up tools that track and measure sponsor metrics.
  • Track and recap all sponsor activations as they occur and actively share updates. 
  • Create a full sponsor recap within 30 days of the last activation item in the contract. 

Administration & Internal Collaboration

  • Keep account records, contract obligation trackers, activation calendars and partner information accurate and up to date in the partnership management and CRM systems.
  • Work with accounting on sponsor billing and payment tracking.
  • Keep senior leadership informed in a timely, clear way about account health, partner feedback, activation progress, revenue opportunities and risks.
  • Work with other departments and teams so everyone understands each partner’s commitments.
  • Take on other revenue-related duties as assigned.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

  • Competency with PowerPoint, Google Slides, Canva and presentation software
  • Experience with HubSpot or other CRM systems. 
  • Hands on experience building presentations
  • Knowledge of Social Media and social media tools
  • Excellent customer service and relationship-management skills
  • Ability to tailor writing and presentation content to different audiences
  • Comfort working independently and as an integral part of various teams