Faculty / Division: Dalla Lana School of Public Health
Department: Dalla Lana School of Public Health
Campus: St. George (downtown Toronto)

Your Opportunity:
The University of Toronto is seeking a Director of Advancement to strategically lead the Dalla Lana School of Public Health’s advancement programs with the goals of increasing fundraising revenues and alumni engagement in support of the Dalla Lana School of Public Health’s highest academic and institutional priorities. The Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto is seeking a highly collaborative and strategic fundraising professional with a significant track record of success to join our team.

The Dalla Lana School of Public Health is the largest and most comprehensive school of public health in Canada, and is an internationally recognized community of scientists, teachers, students, practitioners, policy makers and citizens, creating new knowledge, educating change makers, advancing practice and guiding the way to a better, more equitable outcomes in population health and health systems – locally, nationally and globally. Ranked number one in Canada, the Shanghai Rankings have placed DLSPH as one of the top 10 schools of public health in the world. The scope and breadth of the School’s interdisciplinary, cross-cutting programming provides unparalleled opportunities for scholars and communities to work together on initiatives that span the full range of critical issues in public health and health systems. Over 1,000 graduate students are enrolled in doctoral and master’s programs, and more than 70 faculty members (six of whom hold Canada Research Chairs) hold appointments in the Dalla Lana School of Public Health.

The Office of Advancement within the Dalla Lana School of Public Health maintains and fosters support for the School and the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation. Our work expands student and alumni experiences and increases research opportunities, directly helping the School fulfill its mission of educating Canada’s future public health leaders and uncovering new knowledge that will help entire populations flourish. Driven by tremendous changes and impact in public health, DLSPH advancement has grown significantly with over $75 million raised in support of the Defy Gravity Campaign and critical funding priorities of the School.

The Director of Advancement reports jointly to the Dean, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, and to the Vice President, Advancement (or his/her designate) and is a member of the Dean’s senior executive committee and a member of the Vice-President, Advancement’s University-wide Senior Advancement Leadership Team.

The Director of Advancement is responsible for the development and execution of advancement plans and strategies to accomplish divisional fundraising and alumni engagement goals, as well as related personal and team results, in close consultation with the Dean, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, and the Vice President, Advancement. The Director of Advancement is accountable to the Dean, Dalla Lana School of Public Health on the development and fulfilment of advancement plans and strategies that support the School’s academic mission. In this role, the incumbent will foster collaborative relationships with fellow divisional advancement leaders at the University of Toronto, working within an ecosystem of collaborative leadership and will be a member of the Divisional Senior Advancement Leadership Team. The Director of Advancement is responsible for developing and executing a stewardship strategy for the Dalla Lana School of Public Health; creating engagement plans to strengthen donors’ engagement to the School; and managing advancement activities in support of Academics’ implementation of major donor initiatives to ensure commitment to the School’s values while maintaining strong connections with donors. The Director will be accountable for a portfolio of prospects at the Major and Principal Gift level, focusing on giving $1-5 million and beyond. They will be responsible for preparing an annual development plan outlining the Dalla Lana School of Public Health’s advancement goals, priorities and objectives.

The Director of Advancement will possess superior solicitation experience and a demonstrated track record of securing significant philanthropic support; a strong commitment to recruiting, developing, and empowering a team of high-performance advancement professionals; and a strong commitment to establishing and supporting efforts to meaningfully engage alumni and volunteers in support of the School’s academic mission. The incumbent will demonstrate proactive leadership and team building skills, outstanding communication and interpersonal skills, an ability to work collaboratively with other teams, and a commitment to set and achieve ambitious advancement goals. As such, the Director of Advancement will also embody a strong commitment to define the leading edge of advancement practice in Canada and to enhance the University’s overall reputation for advancement excellence.
The Director of Advancement, has overall responsibility for a team of professionals tasked with identifying, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding donors and developing tailored programs to enhance the interest and engagement of individuals who directly, or through other sources, have or are capable of making gifts at a significant level.

DEFY GRAVITY: The Campaign for the University of Toronto

On December 13, 2021, the University proudly launched Defy Gravity: The Campaign for the University of Toronto. The largest university campaign in Canadian history will harness the power of our worldwide community, including more than 640,000 alumni, 95,000 students, and 23,000 faculty and staff, for the betterment of humanity.

From pioneering work in the humanities to the breakthrough development of neural networks, the University of Toronto has a long history of tackling the impossible and transforming society through the ingenuity of its faculty, students, and alumni.

In a world searching for positive change, we will build on this tradition to address some of the biggest challenges facing our city, country, and planet as we recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and grapple with this age of climate change, inequality, and mass technological disruption.

Through our commitment to inclusive excellence, we will bring together top minds from every conceivable background and discipline to lead pandemic recovery and enable healthy lives, build inclusive cities and societies, create a sustainable future, spark creativity and culture, drive scientific discovery, power bold innovation and entrepreneurship, and support student success as we educate the next generation of creative, engaged, and empathic citizens.

The campaign theme, Defy Gravity, reflects U of T’s history of advancing the frontiers of knowledge by transcending disciplines and borders in a diverse and inclusive community that emboldens students to think big—a community that accomplishes things no one else believed possible.

Our campaign has two ambitious goals to meet today’s challenges

For the first time in U of T history, the campaign will include a goal for alumni engagement: to inspire 225,000 alumni to get involved as volunteers, mentors, donors, participants, and leaders and encourage them to contribute their time and talent to the University one million times collectively.
The campaign will also seek to raise $4 billion for the University’s highest priorities, a goal commensurate with our excellence, the breadth of our aspirations, the global footprint of our faculty, students, alumni, and donors, and our potential for life-changing impact.

Key Result Areas:
1. Develop, lead, and implement annual and multi-year plans and strategies to achieve transformational growth in lifting the Dalla Lana School of Public Health’s overall fundraising and alumni engagement results and to advance the School’s highest academic, strategic and institutional priorities.

2. Provide exemplary leadership, direction, and mentorship to a team of advancement professionals, in order to increase the impact and effectiveness of staff in advancing the Dalla Lana School of Public Health’s goals and to build the School’s capacity in major gifts, stewardship, annual leadership giving, and alumni engagement. By example and direction, the incumbent will help create an organization and culture that values excellence, initiative, effectiveness, and community, and offers opportunities for professional development and growth. Will build and foster a culture based on respect, humanity, and inclusion in all our relationships.

3. Work closely with the Dalla Lana School of Public Health’s academic leadership to translate academic priorities into compelling funding propositions and alumni engagement propositions that create opportunities to advance the School’s academic, institutional, and strategic priorities, both within the immediate community of the Dalla Lana School of Public Health alumni, friends, and partners, and among broader national and international constituencies.

4. Represent the Dalla Lana School of Public Health’s priorities and mission to external constituents as an effective, credible institutional leader, persuasively projecting opportunities for engagement and maximizing opportunities for giving. This will include contributing to the School’s fundraising performance by assuming personal responsibility for cultivating and soliciting a portfolio of major and principal gift prospects.

5. Work closely with the leadership of University Advancement to ensure alignment with the University’s best practices for fundraising and alumni relations programs, compliance with relevant University and Provostial guidelines and policies, collegial and collaborative engagement with other University advancement programs, and to take full advantage of the broad range of Division of University Advancement’s services and supports for the benefit of the Dalla Lana School of Public Health’s advancement programs.

Qualifications:

EDUCATION:
• University undergraduate degree. Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) designation an asset.
EXPERIENCE:
• 5+ years with direct fundraising experience and a proven track record of executive advancement responsibility and leadership in annual, major and planned giving programs in a large complex organization, preferably in an educational or medical institution.
• A history of successfully securing significant philanthropic support that advance organizational priorities.
• Highly knowledgeable and experienced in both new and traditional channels of revenue generation.
• Advanced knowledge of the major gift process identification/research, cultivation, solicitation and recognition/stewardship.
• Solid understanding of university /non-profit and advancement communications.
• Experience in organizing complex programs and events.
• Experience in a management capacity and directing the work of others.
• Demonstrated volunteer management experience.
• Highly knowledgeable and experienced in both new and traditional channels of revenue generation.

SKILLS:
• Proficient with and demonstrated experience with Microsoft Office suite.
• Experience working with ARBOR, Blackbaud CRM, or a similar database management system.
• Demonstrated strategic conceptualization, analytical, and planning skills.
• Knowledge of current trends as they relate to the duties and responsibilities of the role.

OTHER:
• Vision, the ability to think and plan strategically, and a creative, entrepreneurial spirit
• Demonstrated experience and success managing, motivating, and mentoring volunteers and advancement professionals, bringing out the best in teams and individuals.
• The ability to mentor, coach, motivate and inspire colleagues and volunteers
• High level of initiative, maturity, tact and diplomacy; excellent judgement and discretion.
• Ability to build and foster a culture based on respect, humanity, and inclusion in all our relationships.
• A deep understanding of and sympathy for the mission of an academic and research-intensive university.
• The ability to serve as an articulate, credible representative of the University with diverse constituencies and particularly with the sophisticated individuals who support the institution.
• The ability to understand the research and teaching dimensions of a proposed project, to conceptualize them in an integrated proposal, and to make a compelling case to a donor for philanthropic support.
• An engaging personal style, a sincere interest in people, patience, a willingness to listen, and the capacity to engender trust and to establish lasting relationships
• Reputation for integrity, openness, decisiveness, and sound judgement.
• A high level of comfort interacting with academic leaders as well as donors and volunteers.
• The ability to navigate and be effective within a complex matrix organization that values collaboration and teamwork as well as individual initiative and creativity
• Excellent attention to detail and superb organizational skills, including the ability to set principal gift fundraising goals and to establish an internal system for meeting deadlines, tracking, follow-up, monitoring, and reporting of progress.
• Ability to work in a hectic and results-oriented environment with a strong focus on results; ability to meet deadlines and budgets.
• A high energy level, an appropriate degree of sophistication and self-confidence, optimism (and the ability to engender optimism in others) and a sense of humour
• Exceptional oral and written communication, presentation and interpersonal skills.
• Strong research, analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Cultural sensitivity and capacity to work with international students and donors.
• Valid passport for international travel is required

Please apply by November 22nd, 2022, by 11:59 pm EST and send applications to https://jobs.utoronto.ca/job-invite/28242/