Lindsay Carroll, 37, is the head of marketing and events for the Robin Hood Foundation. She's based in New York.
What I do:
I lead Robin Hood’s events and donor marketing efforts, which include creative campaigns, events branding, design of Robin Hood’s in-person presence, and production and execution of Robin Hood events. I articulate brand objectives and awareness through external experiences and manage Robin Hood’s full event portfolio.
Notably, I oversee the Robin Hood annual benefit, one of the country’s largest fundraising events. The Robin Hood Benefit hosts 4,000 guests, features performances by top artists and raises upwards of $50 million annually—100% of which goes directly to the most effective poverty-fighting organizations in New York City. I strive to continuously evolve and elevate Robin Hood’s experiential identity while ensuring Robin Hood events resonate with stakeholders.
Why I love my job:
I get to exercise different facets of my brain and skills, like the tactical approach to complex logistics of backend event operations to the creative process of building and producing a show that entertains, informs and serves as an effective fundraising platform. Most importantly, I love that I am part of an organization including our board of directors, leadership council members and community partners who are collectively invested and committed to fighting poverty in New York City.
My career journey:
Upon graduation from American University where I played Division I field hockey, I worked in the athletics department and gained my first exposure to fundraising and events. Though I was pursuing a career in sports broadcast journalism, I connected with an alum who worked at Robin Hood and invited me to apply for an entry-level events role. A week after I started, we hosted a concert that was exhilarating, and I was hooked.
My greatest career accomplishment:
The return of the in-person Robin Hood Benefit in October 2021 at the Javits Center. We navigated through the myriad uncertainties of putting on an event during a pandemic, all of which had a profound impact on the planning process. We faced a labor and gear shortage, health and safety concerns, guest experience logistics and elements of the event that felt insurmountable—but rallied around the idea that our city needed us. We couldn’t miss this important fundraising opportunity, especially with our event date on the 20th anniversary of the Concert for New York City that Robin Hood hosted at Madison Square Garden after 9/11. The event was a resounding success from a fundraising and guest experience perspective, with a phenomenal lineup of talent.
How I helped my organization during COVID:
We pivoted to virtual events in the early days of the pandemic, which felt like building the plane while flying it. From the outset of our virtual events journey, we committed to evolving our strategy, technology selection and messaging in order to adapt to the climate and specific event. We set a standard of maintaining a level of production throughout our virtual events to make each feel event feel unique and special. The nature of virtual events allowed us to widen our audience and access talent and speakers that we may not have secured in person. After experimenting with a variety of platforms, we ultimately launched Robin Hood’s first event venue platform hosted on our website.
The time I averted a complete event disaster:
We experienced a significant technical complication for a virtual conference that delayed the start time. The almost 30-minute delay felt like an eternity. While I don’t think disaster was averted, we tackled the issue head-on and applied our learnings around controls, connectivity and bandwidth to future virtual events.
My most memorable event experience in the past year:
In December, we hosted our annual Robin Hood Heroes Breakfast in person. Unlike our larger-scale events, this intimate event with minimal production provides individuals from our community partners the platform to share their personal stories of triumph. It’s a fan favorite event among our donors and staff that instills a sense of community, pulls at the heartstrings and grounds us in the purpose of Robin Hood’s mission.
Best advice I’ve ever received:
Focus on excellence, not perfection. This principle has guided me throughout the years. Events are imperfect by nature, so the abandonment of the concept of perfection is liberating. Excellence is challenging yet achievable.
Impressive stats I’m responsible for:
In May 2020 when it became apparent that we would not be able to host our in-person benefit, we produced an hourlong telethon called "Rise Up New York" that aired on local and national networks and featured musical performances, videos and appearances by top talent. We raised over $115 million to support New Yorkers who had been heavily impacted by the pandemic.
What’s next?
In an effort to return to our traditional calendar events, we will host our annual benefit in May in an unprecedentedly quick turnaround after holding the benefit in October. An objective every year, but especially prevalent this year, is identifying ways to innovate to make the guest experience and show feel fresh and new.
On the marketing front, we are focused on formalizing our strategy around attracting and retaining new donors through campaigns and event engagement. We want to identify like-minded brands that we can partner with for event activations and shared marketing campaigns.
What I do outside of work:
I love taking advantage of all New York has to offer and find myself frequenting live events—concerts, sports, comedy shows, Broadway.
Dream vacation:
A week (or two!) in the Italian countryside with no agenda but eating, drinking and reading.
Favorite icebreaker line:
What is the best purchase you’ve made this year?
Connect with Carroll on LinkedIn, Instagram and Twitter.
“Connect x BizBash 40 Under 40” is sponsored by VDA, an experiential marketing and event design agency based in Massachusetts that specializes in custom live, virtual and hybrid experiences.
