Allan Arlett

Allan Arlett has been building a foundation of knowledge and resources in fundraising and philanthropy in Canada for almost 50 years.

When Allan began his career in fundraising and charitable non-profit management at the University of Toronto in 1964, there was not a single book in North America on fundraising.  Data on giving and volunteering was scarce and unreliable. There was no public source of information on foundations and little opportunity for fundraisers to meet and discuss shared concerns and professional development opportunities.

It was in this climate that Allan served as a staff member to educational institutions in Canada and the United States (US) from 1964 to 1977.  The fundraising program he directed at New York’s Clarkson University received the top award among North American Colleges and universities three times – the prestigious United States Steel Foundation Award, as well as its Grand Award for Sustained Performance.  As Director of the Alumni Relations and Development at Queens College of the City University of New York, the fundraising program he developed received the top award in alumni administration.  He was a North American leader in developing revenue-generating programs in the alumni field. 

He maintained his Canadian connections while in the US, in part, by developing a research approach to identifying Canada’s foundations. This led to his working as a volunteer with the Association of Universities and Colleges which ultimately became what we now know as the Canadian Directory to Foundations and Grants. Allan was the editor of this directory for over 20 years.

When Allan returned to Canada in 1977 to join the Gordon L. Goldie Company Limited as vice-president, the fundraising sector was generally misunderstood by both the government and the Canadian public. It was also severely under-resourced. The fundraising profession in Canada needed to be built and over the course of his career Allan proceeded to do just that.

In 1979, Allan was instrumental in conceiving and establishing the Canadian Centre for Philanthropy (CCP) and was its chief staff officer from 1980-1990. Accepting no government funding for operations CCP’s mandate was to broaden the base of volunteer and financial support of charitable activity in Canada. A few years ago CCP became Imagine Canada.

Under Allan’s leadership and with the involvement of some 150 volunteers serving on a dozen committees a wide array of professional development programs were put in place. Included were national programs in both fundraising and non-profit management, a library dedicated to philanthropy was established, ground breaking research and publications developed. Later, the CCP established the Allan Arlett Award for Excellence in Philanthropic Research in recognition of his contribution to the field. 

After ten years at CCP, Allan became President of Navion Inc., a national fundraising consulting firm, which he then linked with firms in five other countries through the Downes/Ryan Group.  At Navion he consulted with educational institutions, hospitals, social service, international and cultural organizations.  In 1992 Allan was contracted as Senior Advisor to the Major Gifts Program at the University of Toronto.

In 1994 Allan and Ingrid van Rotterdam established their own boutique consulting firm called the Arlett van Rotterdam Partnership (AvR) which is now in its 15th year. In this consulting practice Allan works with organizations to build their capacities and most importantly, their people. A natural mentor, Allan will go to great lengths to provide support to colleagues that earn his respect.

He is still building a foundation of knowledge in this sector through his consulting work and as a member of the Board of the Huronia Communities Foundation. He has also initiated and is chairing the Mayors Breakfast in Support of Physicians Recruitment in his community, and is active in the United Way of Greater Simcoe County’s volunteer consultants program.

Allan is widely published in the field of philanthropy and has been involved as a speaker and consultant in international programs at home and abroad, including the Philippines, Mexico, Hong Kong, Germany, Eastern Europe, England and the United States.

Allan is a former member of AFP’s Board of Directors and chaired its first Congress.  He had the pleasure of presenting the AFP of Greater Toronto Chapter’s first Lifetime Achievement Award to Gordon Goldie at this conference a number of years ago.