Development Director

At House of Friendship, we believe in what we are doing. We get out of bed each day to make a difference in our community; to walk with and to serve. We are not happy with the status quo.  We get energy from ongoing learning and growth. We lead with passion and believe without a doubt that everyone deserves to belong and thrive. We live and breathe our values of Compassion, Inclusion, Justice, Dignity and Hope. And we have fun!

Sounds pretty great doesn’t it? It is!

Marketing, Philanthropy and Communications leaders: this is the opportunity you have been waiting for!  We are searching for a strategic, community minded individual with a heart for authentic and purposeful relationships, and a keen ability to deliver on results, to join our team as Development Director.   Planted in the rich soil of this team’s culture of learning, innovation and professionalism, this individual will build on a solid foundation of significant fundraising growth and brand strength, in a growing organization that has doubled in size ($19M), over the past decade.  The opportunity is to continue this fundraising growth beyond the current $3.6M towards annual operational needs and the large capital campaign underway, while growing transformative legacy and major gifts.

The Development Director will lead, coach and develop a team of fundraising and marketing professionals, while providing strategic leadership and direction for the organization’s Fundraising and Marketing functions to effectively support the mission and goals of the organization.  Reporting to the Executive Director, this member of the Senior Leadership Team will have shared organizational privilege and responsibility to work effectively with the Board of Directors and the leadership team to develop and carry out House of Friendship’s Strategic and Annual Plans and make crucial decisions for the organization.

** This is a permanent, salaried, full-time (37.5 hours/week) position with paid sick time,

personal days and vacation; group health benefits and defined contribution pension plan.

This is a hybrid role, with some work days at the office, some work days at home and some at community events or meetings with key stakeholders across Waterloo Region. **

Key Responsibilities:

• Member of the Leadership Team:
  • Effectively lead, collaborate and contribute to the development and achievement of the organizational Strategic and Annual Plans
  • Responsible for the healthy and safe operation of the programs, ensuring a physically and psychologically healthy work environment for all team members;
  • Responsible for all aspects of department’s planning and operations including strategy development, operational reviews, budget management, resource allocation, team growth and development and productive internal and external relationships
  • Build and maintain strategic and collaborative relationships with donors, funders, partners, community leaders, media and agencies, as well as colleagues, to increase opportunities for innovation and positively impact outcomes
  • Attend leadership and management team meetings and actively participate as a team member
  • Represent House of Friendship at applicable community/partner/funder meetings and forums, bringing relevant issues and solutions to the conversation
• Role Specific:
  • Effectively lead, coach and develop a team that consistently achieves the department’s annual plan, budget, strategies and commitments
  • Successfully develop and lead House of Friendship’s Fundraising strategies and operations, including for the Annual Fund, Major Giving, Legacy Giving, Capital Campaigns, Special Projects and other donation revenue, to meet the annual and future donation revenue needs
  • Lead the team to deliver compelling donor-centric fundraising, comprehensive donor stewardship and recognition, and excellent story-telling communications, alongside a robust donor database that enables insight-driven decisions
  • Identify, create and support opportunities to grow financial support for our mission, and manage all aspects of the department’s financial functions
  • Effectively share the House of Friendship mission in donor visits, events, presentations and other communications to grow support for our mission, and build collaborative relationships with donors, local philanthropy leaders and partners
  • Provide strategic direction to grow engagement of faith communities
  • Stay current as a team with relevant trends in philanthropy, adopting as appropriate for House of Friendship
  • Provide strategic Marketing leadership for House of Friendship’s brand internally and externally, including brand strategy, tools, media, online presence, print mediums, digital assets, and all forms of advertising
  • Support House of Friendship organizationally with external and internal strategic communications such as emergency response, Community Report, House Links, and maintain a current organizational Crisis Communications Plan
  • Increase fundraising literacy and story-telling capacity among House of Friendship team members
  • Develop and maintain relevant policies including Donor Stewardship, Social Media and Story-teller Consents

Critical Skills:

• An authentic, bold and creative leader with a passion for and proven results in leading, coaching and developing people and teams
• Outstanding interpersonal skills and the ability to inspire confidence and trust amongst all stakeholders, acting ethically and responsibly in all interactions
• Commitment to understand and uphold the mission and values of House of Friendship is expected
• Exemplary emotional intelligence, resilience, communication, conflict management and problem- solving skills required
• Ability to work collaboratively in cross-divisional, cross-departmental and multi-stakeholder teams
• Excellent project, timeline and deadline management skills including skills in logistics and planning and detailed record keeping
• Able to handle and prioritize multiple projects, relationships and competing priorities and deliver projects on time in a dynamic environment
• Able to model effective problem solving by recognizing the human, interpersonal and technical sides of a problem, show flexibility and explore possible solutions in an innovative and creative way
• Act as a change agent; contributing to continuous improvement and the successful implementation of change initiatives
• Demonstrated ability to create and maintain a positive work environment including the ability to lead and navigate change in a positive and productive manner
• Experience or strong interest in working with diverse populations including people from various cultural and faith background, income levels, lived experience and sensitivity to their needs
• Strong intercultural competency, with the ability to recognize and respect cultural diversity, able to be diplomatic and sensitive to the dynamics of a culturally diverse workplace
• Experience with and commitment to using an anti-racism, anti-oppressive and trauma informed approach in consultation, program design, evaluation processes and service delivery
• Respectful, supportive and engaging approach to persons with physical and/or cognitive disabilities, addictions, mental health and other life challenges

Education/Experience:

• A university degree communications, marketing, business or related field is required
• At least 5 years’ experience in a leadership capacity working in the area of fundraising, communications, marketing or other business field with a demonstrated track record of creating effective strategy and achieving organizational and department goals
• Understanding of and experience with Annual Giving, Major Gifts, Capital Campaigns and Legacy Giving
• Demonstrated experience with brand management, marketing strategy, integrated communications and media
• Very strong leadership, team building and decision-making skills required including demonstrated strength in coaching and developing people and teams with at least 3 years previous experience leading a team
• Experience with coaching and mentoring for personal growth and development, including the ability to coach others through conflict
• A CFRE designation or desire to complete it is preferred, as well as being an AFP member

Job Specific Knowledge/Skills:

• Proven skills in strategic thinking, influence and negotiation, as well as a demonstrated ability to cultivate and maintain productive partner relations
• Demonstrated skill in building and maintaining productive relationships with a variety of constituents including staff, donors, volunteers, community leaders, partners and media
• Demonstrated understanding of charitable philanthropy and donor-centric approaches
• Able to effectively engage with program participants, sharing their stories with dignity
• Excellent oral, presentation and written communication skills are critical to this role, including effective story-telling and superior listening skills
• Strong strategic thinking, research and analytical skills
• Ability to balance creativity and innovation with process orientation for planning and execution
• Knowledge of and experience managing crisis communications including experience in community consultation, specifically related to difficult or contentious issues
• Knowledge of and experience with online platforms such as websites and social media, as well as effective communication strategies and campaigns
• Strong working knowledge of media relations principles and experience working with the media;
• Ability to understand the diverse needs and interests of individual donors, corporations, faith groups, foundations and other funding bodies in order to develop collaborative and mutually beneficial relationships
• Knowledge of the local issues, vulnerable groups, and needs in Waterloo Region are assets
• Advanced computer skills and literacy, including knowledge and experience with Microsoft Office Suite, with Raiser’s Edge being an asset

Compensation:

We value our team members above all else and know that our mission can only succeed through your work. We value the work that you do with fair pay and benefits:

• We are a Living Wage employer as defined by the Ontario Living Wage Network
• We use a 3.5:1 ratio meaning that the highest paid team member is not paid more than 3.5 times than the lowest paid team member
• Time off includes 5 weeks of vacation, 3 personal days, and sick credits totaling approximately 12 days per year
• Full time benefit plan including Extended Health Care (EHC), Dental, Group Life, Accidental Death and Dismemberment (AD&D), Long Term Disability (LTD) and Health Care Spending Account
• We believe strongly in supporting the mental health of our team members including providing access to the Employee and Family Assistance Program, $1,000 for counselling services and our workplace Wellness and Psychological Health and Safety programs
• We help you save for the future by providing a retirement plan that includes a matched Group Pension Plan as well as a Group RRSP and a Group Tax Free Savings Account

At House of Friendship all compensation ranges are categorized under a series of “grades” and we base our payment structure on internal equity. When determining rate of pay, a candidate’s past related experience will be taken into consideration along with where others with similar experience are currently on the pay grid. Note: Due to the internal composition of our pay grids, many team members with lengthy experience are between the start and mid-point of the range and therefore most new team members will be placed accordingly.

Grade: 7

Min: $41.59

Mid: $47.21

Max: $52.83

Working Conditions: 

• 5 hours per week, generally daytime, weekday hours
• Hybrid work environment
• Work may be performed in a home office for some of the weekly hours
• Very occasional weekend and evening work is required to support House of Friendship and community events
• Travel throughout Waterloo Region
• Encountering participants at program sites who may be under the influence of drugs or alcohol, and/or experiencing symptoms of mental illness can be expected

COVID-19 Vaccination Policy:

To maintain the safety of staff and participants, House of Friendship has implemented a COVID-19 Vaccination Policy. All Staff hired after October 19, 2021 are required to provide proof of being Fully Vaccinated against COVID-19 as a pre-condition of their employment or placement offer. If an individual is unable to be vaccinated against COVID-19, they will be required to submit written proof verifying a medical reason or by submitting a request under the Ontario Human Rights Code and agree to regular Rapid Antigen Testing at least two times per week. When documentation has been received and approved, House of Friendship will provide accommodation up to the point of undue hardship in compliance with the OHRC and may follow up to receive further information and/or documentation as required. Failure to meet these requirements will result in the immediate revocation of an offer of employment.

If you are as passionate as we are about serving the community, and ready to make a huge impact,

let’s talk.

Please apply with your resume and cover letter here:

https://house-of-friendship.hirehive.com/job/118371/development-director

By end of day May 7, 2023.