Philanthropy Advisor (6 Month Contract)

Algonquin College • Ottawa, ON

4d • Hybrid

About The Position

Reporting to the Director of Philanthropy, the Philanthropy Advisor is responsible for the planning, development and implementation of the student awards fundraising program, the annual fund, and is an active participant in major gift fundraising. All activities are based on effective fundraising strategies that strengthen relationships and maximizes fundraising revenue in support of the mission and vision for Algonquin College. The Philanthropy Advisor is responsible to engage, mobilize and grow the portfolio of 150+ annual student award donors and 250 endowment fund holders who are individuals, corporations, foundations and various organizations. The incumbent works closely with the Stewardship Officer in collaboration with the Financial Aid and Student Awards Office and faculty/school representatives to recognize and steward these donors in a meaningful way through events, annual reports, correspondence and meetings. The Philanthropy Advisor works closely with the fundraising team members to develop and implement an annual fund program and legacy giving promotional activities, in coordination with the Alumni Engagement and Advancement Services teams. The purpose is to invite alumni, retirees, faculty and staff to support the College’s priorities and fundraising campaigns. This includes incorporating multi-channel fundraising strategies; engaging with volunteers; developing key messages and content; and developing metrics and tracking results. The Philanthropy Advisor works in collaboration with the members of the Fundraising team to support the major gifts program and the various campaigns planned. The incumbent participates in prospect clearance and strategy meetings to help identify major gift prospects and campaign volunteers and contributes to the overall success of the program. This involvement will also help determine certain activities with the annual fund program that could support some of the campaign goals and priorities. The Philanthropy Advisor demonstrates a professional attitude and ability to maintain strict confidentiality in all activities, on and off campus, has strong, communication, interpersonal, leadership, time management and organizational skills. In particular, the incumbent demonstrates effective fundraising skills, in particular in annual fund and mid-level giving programs, the core key function of this role

Requirements

• Minimum two (2) year Diploma; Equivalent combination of relevant education and work experience may be accepted in place of formal education.
• Familiar and adherence to Imagine Canada ethics and Association of Fund Raising Professional Code of Ethics.
• Minimum five (5) years' experience in:
• Front line fundraising experience – face to face relationship based fundraising and preferable with experience in legacy/planned giving.
• Experience managing a direct marketing annual fund program that utilizes multiple communications channels (mail, email, social media).
• Experience developing content for the purpose of fundraising, primarily for direct marketing program.
• Managing a mid-level giving program and working with a major gift team.
• Demonstrated project management and budget management expertise.
• Fundraising or related experience preferably in an educational or non-profit environment.
• Demonstrated ability to successfully plan and implement strategic annual giving plans and knowledge of giving vehicles.
• Interpersonal and relationship management skills and ability to interact with prospects, donors, volunteers and executive leadership.
• Knowledge of fundraising processes, best practices and current industry trends.
• Excellent communications (written and verbal) for the purposes of fundraising.
• Demonstrated project management and budget management experience.
• Organizational skills relating to planning, record-keeping, and maintaining and executing a timetable of activities.
• Demonstrated creative and innovative teamwork with excellent problem-solving skills, strategic aptitude and sound judgement.
• Resourceful and independent, while remaining comfortable working within the framework of a team-oriented environment.
• Demonstrated knowledge of Raiser’s Edge data management and reporting, or of a similar CRM.
• Strong knowledge of Microsoft Office products, in particular Word, Excel, Outlook and PowerPoint.

Nice To Haves

• Regular participation in conferences organized by the Canadian Council for the Advancement of Education (CCAE), the Association of Fundraising Professionals, the Canadian Association of Gift Planners and/or the Estate Planning Council Membership is an asset.
• CFRE designation would be an asset.

Responsibilities

• Develops and implements the annual student awards fundraising program that deepens relationships and maximizes donations for the 400+ donor funded annual and endowment student awards.
• Ensures annual donations and pledge payments are received in a professional and timely fashion with appropriate donation acknowledgements.
• Updates and reviews gift agreements and award criteria as required to ensure they adhere to College policies and procedures.
• Converts annual student award donations into multi-year and major gift commitments where possible.
• Develops and implements a donor stewardship program in conjunction with the Stakeholder Relations Officer that incorporates donor centered activities, including, but not limited to, recognition at the faculty/school student awards receptions and other College events; distribution of endowment fund and other annual reports; collecting and distributing inspiring stories; personalized meetings and communications etc.
• Ensures that records in the database are accurate and kept up to date.
• Establishes new student awards based on the interests of the donors and ensuring the criteria align with the College priorities, campaigns and academic programs.
• Actively engages with donors, addresses issues, facilitates changes to criteria, responds to enquiries.
• Develops a strong understanding of the College academic programs; fundraising needs; and student financial aid programs.
• Regularly reports on key performance metrics based on significant annual growth expectations.
• Contributes insights, as appropriate, to the efficiency and effectiveness of the student awards program and processes.
• Develops and implements an annual fund multi-year plan that aligns with the Advancement Office’s strategic plan and that is positioned for year over year growth through the diversification of its activities and the increase of the number of donors.
• Works in collaboration with Alumni Relations, Advancement Services and the Fundraising team, solicits segments of alumni in support of specific faculty/school fundraising priorities and special campaigns.
• Plans and executes the annual faculty and staff giving program in collaboration with Advancement Services that incorporate volunteers, one-on-one solicitation and mass appeals.
• Implements annual fund and legacy giving promotional activities for retirees by, but limited to, providing content for communication via the Pension Office; mobilizing volunteers as spokespersons; incorporating messaging at the annual retirees luncheon with an emphasis on legacy giving and follow up with all leads.
• Incorporates multi-channel fundraising and develops the fundraising content for the annual fund program and legacy giving activities in collaboration with the extended Advancement team.
• Recruits volunteers to be the spokespersons for specific campaigns and appeals.
• Sets annual targets to realize year-over-year increases, with associated annual budgets, to support the overall fundraising targets.
• Develops a robust tracking system and key performance metrics to measure the success of the annual fund program and various appeals.
• Participates in major gift team meetings as required and identifies major gift prospects to move them through the annual giving pipeline to the next giving level.
• Contributes to the research and briefing notes for major gifts prospects and supports the implementation of the strategies in collaboration with Advancement colleagues as appropriate.
• Takes on special projects and fundraising assignments at the discretion of the Advancement leadership.

Benefits

• Competitive base salary
• Comprehensive benefits, including health, dental, and retirement plans
• Access to training, tuition assistance programs (Algonquin College Courses and Degree Completion), certifications, workshops, and professional courses
• Lifetime retirement pension (for full-time employees)
• Hybrid work arrangement (2-3 days per week on-site)

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: Associate degree