Chief Executive Officer

THE OPPORTUNITY

Halton Learning Foundation (HLF) is seeking a strategic, innovative Chief Executive Officer (CEO) to lead our important charitable mission. The Halton District School Board has over 66,000 students and it is estimated that 10% of these students live at or below the poverty line.  Halton Learning Foundation provides emergency financial support to these students, so they are better able to overcome barriers to their education and achieve future success.

Reporting to the Board of Directors and managing a team of two full-time and two part-time staff, the CEO is accountable for the overall strategic and operational leadership of HLF. Working in collaboration with the Board of Directors, the successful candidate will employ a growth mindset, and use their experience and vision to translate and implement our new strategic plan to deliver on strategic objectives related to:

• Revenue Growth
• Strategic Grant Disbursement
• Building the Network of Support
• Increasing Brand Profile
• Team Development

A strong relationship builder who is diplomatic and can navigate political environments, the new CEO will create and nurture positive relationships internally and externally with staff, Board members, donors, prospects, the Halton District School Board and other community partners and groups so we can expand our mission to serve more youth and families. An excellent spokesperson and storyteller, the new CEO will further define and promote our case for support, expanding our brand profile in a manner that builds engagement to help us grow beyond $1M in annual revenue.

A proven leader of successful teams, the new CEO will manage and coach the Foundation staff to meet and exceed team and individual goals. Organized and outcome focused, the new CEO will enhance organization infrastructure, introducing policy and processes that will bring more rigour and accountability to day-to-day operations in support of strategic objectives.

Halton Learning Foundation staff enjoy the benefit of a remote workplace. Staff have the option to work from their home office with the expectation to go into the Foundation office located in Burlington at regular intervals for meetings and also travel as required to meetings in the community.

 

ABOUT HALTON LEARNING FOUNDATION

Over 20 years ago The Halton Learning Foundation was established by the senior management team of the Halton District School Board to address the funding shortfall created by provincial cutbacks to Boards of Education. The HDSB identified the need to find alternate sources of funds to support school programs.

Since 2004, HLF has helped level the playing field and provided learning opportunities for tens of thousands of students at the Halton District School Board. In this time, HLF has disbursed almost $3 million to help more than 16,000 students overcome individual financial barriers to their education, and $3 million in school support to help engage students in learning. Every student deserves an equal opportunity to learn, and we’re here to help.

Our Mission: Every student deserves a chance.

Our Vision: A collaborative foundation serving students in need.

Our Values:

• Compassion
• Respect
• Integrity
• Adaptability

What we do:

Eliminating Barriers

More than 1 in 10 students at the Halton District School Board live at or near the poverty line. When children lack basics like proper clothing, food and school supplies, it has an impact on their ability to learn. Halton Learning Foundation provides immediate financial support to vulnerable students and their families who are in crisis. Annually, our Eliminating Barriers Fund provides over 1,300 students with emergency funds that help them continue coming to school or allow them to be included in school activities so they can fully participate in learning.

How the Eliminating Barriers Fund works

• HLF accepts requests from principals, teachers and social workers on behalf of students or their families.
• The request must support a student’s basic personal needs, contribute to helping the student come to or stay in school, or allow a student to participate in a school activity they can’t otherwise afford.

Emergency Funds and Subsidies Support

• Groceries/lunches/cafeteria vouchers
• Clothing, footwear, hair cuts, hygiene items
• School supplies
• Emergency family situations (parental death, fire, abuse)
• School trips and extra-curriculars
• Elective school subjects and course fees
• Safety shoes and tools for co-op placements
• College application fees

Benefits

• Having proper nutrition can positively impact a student’s physical health and the ability to focus academically
• Having clean clothing and appropriate school supplies can build self esteem and a sense of inclusion
• Participation in extra-curricular activities can build social/physical and emotional resilience and exposes kids to learning opportunities they might not otherwise have
• Support is provided mainly in the form of gift cards, providing students and their families with privacy and the dignity to choose those items that best meet their needs

School Grants

Within Halton, there is economic diversity from community to community. Some school communities and parent councils have a harder time than others raising funds to assist with additional purchases above and beyond core education funding.

School grants are available through the Halton Learning Foundation. These grants enable schools in the Halton District School Board to purchase needed resources and fund educational programs and experiences. This ensures all students have equitable opportunities to develop critical skills. Annually, HLF supports about 100 programs in schools across Halton in the following key areas:

·  Arts & Music

·  Equity & Inclusion

·   Indigenous Awareness

·   Physical and Mental Health and Wellbeing

School Scholarships

Post-secondary education is expensive for everyone, and it can be a barrier to higher learning for students from low-income families. Thanks to our donors, close to 100 graduating students of the Halton District School Board are recognized annually with over $100,000 in scholarships to continue their education beyond high school. In addition to offering a financial helping hand, HLF scholarships can provide a vote of confidence in a child’s potential.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

• Halton Learning Foundation
• 2020-2021 Financial Statement
• 2020-2021 Annual Impact Report
• Student Stories
• News
• HLF’s Twitter
• HLF’s Facebook
• HLF’s Instagram

 

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

Leadership & Governance

• Develop and implement the strategic plan that addresses business goals and objectives with direction and oversight from the Board of Directors.
• Create an annual operating plan that translates the strategic plan into measurable programs and initiatives that are consistent with HLF’s mission, vision and values.
• Build on existing organization infrastructure (systems, policies, KPIs etc.) to ensure efficient day to day operations and to support strategic growth.
• Ensure the ongoing value and relevancy of HLF programing in conjunction with the existing supports provided by the Halton District School Board.
• Oversee the tracking and collection of data which will be used to demonstrate HLF’s impact and inform the case for support.
• Provide financial oversight and ensure proper financial controls and reporting in compliance with CRA charity rules and regulations.
• Attend all Board meetings, providing required materials in a timely and accurate manner, including CEO reports that update the Board on key results and metrics, and report on the monitoring and mitigation of internal and external risks.

Revenue Development

• Audit current fundraising tactics and results to identify opportunities for growth and use findings to inform the annual fundraising plan.
• Cultivate and secure ongoing funding to ensure organization’s long-term sustainability with a focus on the development of the fundraising pipeline to ensure all donors and prospects are moving towards greater engagement and levels of giving.
• Diversify revenue by building new revenue streams while enhancing core existing channels e.g., grants, annual giving etc.
• Ensure donor cultivation and stewardship tactics are creative, relevant and consistently applied according to level of giving.
• Collaborate with Board members, other volunteers, staff and community partners to promote the organization’s case for support.
• Develop fundraising volunteers to support fundraising goals.
• Work with the fundraising staff member to ensure appropriate engagement of the CEO role and senior volunteers within major donor activities.

Community Relations

• Act as the Foundation spokesperson with media, at events and at public and private meetings, developing a strong profile and presence in the community to help build the HLF brand.
• Identify, build and expand strategic relationships that will advance organization goals with key community partners including donors, the School Board, school staff, local businesses, parents, community groups and other community members.
• Work to enhance all aspects of HLF’s communications and profile including external relations, brand, social media and overall community profile.
• Work to build relationships with the diverse communities that live in Halton region.

People

• Foster a culture for staff and volunteers that is based on HLF’s values and strategic objectives.
• Assess and manage day-to-day operations ensuring optimum staffing, adequate resources, program excellence and maintenance of accountability structures.
• Lead and coach staff to operationalize strategic priorities, build annual plans and measure and improve outcomes.

QUALIFICATIONS & COMPETENCIES

• Progressively senior roles in the non-profit sector that include some accountability for revenue generation.
• Proven ability diversifying revenue and identifying new opportunities to increase an organization’s revenue.
• Experience creating strategic and operational plans and building metrics to track results.
• Demonstrated skills in relationship management and community outreach.
• Proven experience building, leading and motivating successful teams of staff and volunteers.
• Experience working with a Board of Directors, including a solid understanding of the Board role and other effective practices related to governance.
• Experience coaching and supporting volunteers to support revenue goals.
• Strong understanding of financial management and finance-related performance measures, including budget preparation, analysis and reporting.
• Proven ability to build organization infrastructure that improves efficiency and expands programming.
• Strong planning, implementation, analytical, and evaluation skills.
• Excellent verbal and written communication and presentation skills with the ability to effectively communicate organization mission and case for support to donors, other key partners and the community.
• Highly organized and outcome-focused with the ability to manage multiple projects and solve problems in a thoughtful and efficient manner.
• Solid understanding of trends in the philanthropic sector with the ability to use this knowledge in a manner that inspires innovation and advances goals and activities.
• Experience living and/or working in Halton Region will be considered an asset.
• The ability to work evenings and weekends as required.
• Access to a vehicle with a valid driver’s licence.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

KCI Search + Talent has been retained to conduct this search on behalf of Halton Learning Foundation. For more information about this opportunity, please contact Samantha David, Associate Vice-President, KCI Search + Talent by email at HLF@kcitalent.com

To view full position brief, please visit www.kcitalent.com

All inquiries and applications will be held in strict confidence. Interested candidates should send resume and letter of interest to the email address listed above by January 27, 2023

The salary range for this position is $100,000 to $125,000 and includes an excellent benefits package.

Accommodations are available on request for candidates taking part in all aspects of the selection process. If you require any accommodations, please notify the Search Consultant.