THE OPPORTUNITY

Are you a strategic, purpose-driven fundraising leader who is passionate about children’s education and reducing multidimensional poverty? Are you interested in working directly with the international community that experiences transformational impact as a result of your work? The Village Community Foundation (VCF) is seeking a dynamic, relationship-driven strategist to join them as their new Executive Director of the Foundation to help scale strategy and operations during this exciting time of growth.

Based out of downtown Toronto, VCF supports the Global Pathways School (GPS), a world-class charitable school in South India that is empowering children to forge pathways out of poverty by building an ecosystem of exceptional education, healthcare and community development. The GPS model and programs were designed by international educators with social workers and community members, to directly respond to the needs of children and families living in multidimensional poverty.

Reporting into the Chairman of the Board, the new Executive Director will be responsible for leading key stakeholders through the design and implementation of a comprehensive strategic plan that ensures the Foundation builds internal capacity to support the growing endeavors and impact of GPS. With significant experience in creating sustainable fundraising programs, the Executive Director will be agile and supportive in leveraging the connections of senior volunteer leadership and the influence of community ambassadors to increase awareness and philanthropic support for the Foundation.  The successful candidate will also bring ideas and energy to the development of strategies and implementation plans that elevate academic partnerships and deepen the Canadian educational connections with GPS.

An agile and influential communicator, the Executive Director will demonstrate high emotional intelligence, diplomacy, and cultural fluency in their approach to creating productive and synergistic working relationships across VCF and GPS. Managing the engagements and communications between the VCF Board (based in Canada) and the GPS Board (based in India), the Executive Director will coach and support all leadership stakeholders to work collectively and productively towards advancing the shared mission. Working closely with the Principal at GPS, the Executive Director will ensure that program delivery is well resourced, measured and reported on so that the school continues to provide the most effective programs designed to elevate GPS’s impact.

Responsible to build and mentor the VCF team, the new Executive Director will bring a coaching approach to staff management, ensuring all team members are well-guided and supported in their personal and professional development. The ideal candidate will provide leadership and hands-on support to all stakeholders in creating the strategies and supporting systems required to build trusting and productive relationships that grow fundraising success, program delivery and embed a strong culture of engagement and philanthropy across the organization.

Able to envision the big picture and dig down into tactical activation, the successful candidate is responsive, relationship-centered, and impact-oriented.  Experienced in designing and managing KPIs

and ROI, the Executive Director is data-driven and encourages an ethic of transparency and accountability across the organization. The ideal candidate will know how and when to introduce processes and procedures required to best support the changing needs of a growing organization.

The Executive Director will oversee and support all activities related to identifying, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding major gifts from individuals, foundations, and corporations from both the current donor pool and newly identified prospects.  The successful candidate will also work with key stakeholders to design giving programs that leverage the power of the collective cultural community through monthly and mid-level donations.

This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced fundraising strategist with strong executive presence, as the successful candidate will lead a committed team of passionate and influential volunteers and staff to build on current achievements, and lead the Foundation into this next phase of growth.  The role will involve a blend of remote and in-office work, as the post-pandemic context allows, so travel around the GTA area will be required. Additionally, there may be international travel required for donor trips, along with an annual visit to the school in South India, so a valid passport is required.

OUR STORY

Our story begins in the late 1990’s India when a community was displaced in the middle of the night from Coimbatore City to an abandoned army barracks in rural Chettipalayam with no running water, electricity, plumbing or surrounding roads.  The community did not have a safety net of education or other resources to re-build upon; they faced discrimination based on their former caste status, had been denied education and were illiterate. There were no opportunities for employment in the area, and with no access to public transportation, they struggled to find a livelihood. People were living in a state of crisis with few resources for basic survival.

Over the next ten years, a nearby orphanage worker, Sunbeam Viswanathan, came to know the community’s residents and learned that none of the children were attending school, and many were in very poor health. Fearful for their future, Sunbeam teamed up with visiting Canadian educators Barbara Zeibotts, Barbara Galbraith and Theresa Mersky to build a quality school for the community.

Together they formed the Global Pathways School, with a founding principle to bring the highest standard of education to children and their families who had been denied this essential opportunity. In 2009, GPS opened its doors to 35 children who had never before been to school. From our humble beginnings in a matchbox factory with just two classrooms, today we are located on a three acre, 60,000-square-foot campus with over 550 students between kindergarten to grade 12 and 101 staff. This new facility is home to 62 large classrooms equipped with IT, modern science labs, an art studio, a music studio, a library with over 12,500 books and a 300-seat canteen. To support outdoor play and physical activity, we have two playgrounds with shade and a running track. Our campus is also equipped with solar power, compost, and water treatment, and is home to a Miyawaki micro forest and vegetable garden. We are currently developing a new sports field and sports arena as well.

As we grew, we added healthcare and community development programs to target the barriers that many families living in multidimensional poverty face. In March 2020, we celebrated our first graduates who are continuing their learning in university, college, or vocational training, and ~70% of alumni are also working in part-time or full-time jobs in addition to their studies.  These young people are trailblazers in their families and communities and are taking the final steps towards breaking cycles of generational poverty. The transformation we have seen in the past 13 years is testament to the power of a school that provides more than just education.

 

PROGRAMS + IMPACT

We have helped lift a community out of crisis by educating children and providing them the highest standard of care and support. We are now a school with a unique model that is grounded in sustainable development for families to overcome poverty and thrive.

We believe that to overcome multidimensional poverty, children require focused support that intersects education with health and community. We bring an internationally high standard of education to our children to help them thrive academically, physically, socially, and emotionally. We have developed a preventive and promotive healthcare and mental wellness program; combining care with education, we run annual wellness camps for both students and parents. We are also fostering sustainability and resiliency beyond just the students by creating local employment opportunities and investing in community infrastructure. We focus on empowering girls and women to have the knowledge and skills to advocate for themselves and live independently.

In 2020 we launched the Sunbeams Campaign, a fundraising initiative intended to secure gifts of $2000, or the cost that it takes to educate one child at GPS for one year. Our goal is to find donors or ‘tuition angels’ for all of our GPS students on an annual or recurring basis.  We now have over a decade of immense impact with our community and have a goal of raising $1M per year while also planning for the long-term sustainability of GPS with an endowment fund. We are embarking on a new and exciting path to build an endowment that will ensure future generations of children and their families can continue to attend GPS school and benefit from its programs, shattering the generational cycle of poverty. We have celebrated increasingly successful fundraising outcomes over this last decade and have been able to grow GPS to the incredible educational institution and support to the community that it is today. We are deeply committed to this next phase of rooting our school into the community beyond today, for a better tomorrow.

EDUCATION IMPACT

• 100% of our students are literate in English + Tamil
• 100% of our grade 10’s pass their state exams
• 100% of our graduates are enrolled in University or Vocational Training
• 100% of our teachers have B.Eds

HEALTHCARE IMPACT

• 5% of students are underweight compared to 79% in 2009
• 100% of students are vaccinated compared to 0% in 2009
• 100% of the community has healthcare compared to 0% in 2009
• 100% of anemic youth have targeted iron supplementation

COMMUNITY IMPACT

• 161% increase in total family income; a 940% increase for mothers and 109% for fathers
• 100% of the community has access to electricity compared to 0% in 2009
• 100% of the community has access to clean drinking water compared to 0% in 2009

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

1. VCF Financials (2018-2020)
2. Website
3. Nandri Blog: where we share our news, successes and stories

 

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES AND DUTIES

Strategic Planning and Management (20%)

1. In collaboration with key stakeholders, oversee the development and ongoing management of a comprehensive multi-year strategic plan, including the review and management of all  organizational priorities and corresponding KPI’s and funding requirements, to ensure that fundraising and partnership programs are strategic and aligned to support VCF priorities.
2. Lead the design, implementation and management of a renewed Board strategy that supports the strategic direction of the Foundation, ensuring that as the Board expands, membership composition reflects the skills and represents the sectors most valuable for VCF growth requirements.
3. Work with the Chairman of the Board to design and implement engagement and communication strategies that unify leaders across VCF and GPS, focusing on building pathways to collectively achieve meaningful outcomes that advance shared goals.
4. Oversee the implementation and ongoing management of a comprehensive multi-year fundraising plan, including the review and management of all fundraising priorities and corresponding funding requirements.
5. Provide guidance and leadership to the VCF team on the strategic planning for programs and partnerships including best practice models to ensure that program delivery at GPS continues to be world-class.
6. In collaboration with the key stakeholders, lead the creation and implementation of a strategic organizational communications plan, leveraging both GPS and VCF materials to ensure compelling and intentional outreach to our internal and external audiences.

 

Fundraising Activation (55%)

1. Work with all key VCF stakeholders to strategically and consistently identify, cultivate, solicit and steward all current and new donors to VCF, including leading all prospect and donor strategy sessions to ensure the most targeted and thoughtful approach is always taken.
2. Manage a portfolio of major gift prospects (individuals, corporations, foundations), ensuring that unique cultivation, solicitation and stewardship plans are in place and carried out.
3. Implement a donor-centered stewardship program for all VCF supporters, ensuring that impact-driven and experiential opportunities are leveraged, and that a culture of stewardship grows strong across the organization.
4. Lead the development of a strategic moves management system that ensures a dynamic and healthy pipeline of new individual and corporate major gift prospects that can be prioritized for cultivation towards a gift.
5. Design and implement a growth strategy to engage the Indian-Canadian community with VCF, with the goals of increasing the profile of VCF and overall awareness and building up monthly giving and mid-level giving programs.
6. Oversee the creation and implementation of a monthly giving program, ensuring that the digital giving ecosystem for VCF is well established and user-focused.
7. Working with key stakeholders, lead the design and production of a suite of print and digital donor communications intended to engage, cultivate, solicit and steward donors, ensuring the Foundation’s strategic priorities and impacts are well reflected in all donor messaging.
8. Lead the eventual planning and execution of a campaign to endow GPS.
9. Lead the strategy and oversee the production of any fundraising events for VCF.
10. Identify and oversee the application submissions for any appropriate fundraising grant opportunities.

Board and Volunteer Engagement (10%)

1. Lead the creation and implementation of a Board Engagement strategy to bring structure and transparency to all of the Board’s activities and achievements, and to deepen the collective skills and knowledge required to help increase overall success.
2. Oversee the identification, recruitment and on-boarding of any new Board members, and the celebration and recognition of any outgoing members.
3. Support the Board in their identification, cultivation, solicitation and stewardship of current and new donors to VCF, ensuring that all current and new Board members are provided with the information, resources and training they need to successfully accomplish their individual and group goals.
4. Support the Board in their work to engage and involve strategic Canadian partners in enhancing and elevating the program delivery at GPS in all pillar areas (education, healthcare, community development + gender empowerment).
5. Create an engagement and expansion strategy for the Beamers, former service trip attendees and other young professionals, with the goal of growing awareness and building meaningful community engagement. Oversee the ongoing growth and management of this group.

 

Budget and Financial Management (5%)

1. In collaboration with the Principal of GPS and other key stakeholders, develop a system to track, monitor and assess ROI and ensure financial resourcing is quantifiably achieving the intended outcomes and impacts.
2. In collaboration with the Principal at GPS and other key stakeholders, oversee the approval of the annual budget with the goal of achieving maximum ROI for GPS.
3. Work with key stakeholders to set and manage annual and multi-year fundraising goals, as appropriate.
4. Oversee the measurements of fundraising achievements against projections for all fundraising projects and priorities and ensure quarterly and annual funding goals are met.
5. Oversee the fundraising budget, and work with key stakeholders (including auditors) to ensure budget spend maximizes fundraising ROI.
6. Lead all financial and budget-based fundraising reporting for all key stakeholders, including the Board, other volunteer committees, and any public-facing revenue reporting (i.e. impact reports, website, etc.).

 

Operations Management (5%)

1. Ensure the Foundation builds internal capacity to properly prioritize, plan, resource and execute all current Foundation activities, while creating the foundation of processes, policy and procedures to support future fundraising campaigns and other major initiatives.
2. Oversee the use and implementation of Salesforce, and ensure the ongoing management and integrity of the donor database and supporting systems.
3. Oversee the gift administration process, ensuring that all donation processing documentation (gift agreements, database records, tax receipts, pledge reminders, etc.) is timely and of the highest quality.
4. Participate in the implementation of AirTable and other technology tools, as appropriate.

 

Staff Management (5%)

1. Provide guidance and leadership to the Director of Programs and Partnerships to ensure the growing portfolio of partnerships and increasing demands of program delivery are strategic and well resourced for implementation.
2. Build and lead the VCF team as the organization grows and scales it’s operations and impacts.

QUALIFICATIONS AND COMPETENCIES

1. Passion for VCF’s mission to empower children to forge pathways out of poverty by building an ecosystem of exceptional education, healthcare and community development.
2. Aspirational and highly strategic thinker, with experience in leading complex teams to develop and execute on the strategic direction of an organization.
3. Superb written and verbal communication skills, with a deep understanding of how to inform, influence and inspire diverse groups and individuals to action.
4. Strong executive presence, and a demonstrated ability to work with high-performing senior volunteers, high-value philanthropists, community influencers and business executives across cultures.
5. Financial acumen, with a demonstrated ability to track, monitor and assess budgetary achievements and impacts, and strategically adjust resource allocation as required.
6. Track record of success in major gift fundraising, with experience in closing gifts of $100,000+; experience in community fundraising and monthly giving an asset.
7. Experienced staff manager, with a demonstrated ability to effectively coach and mentor staff to reach their professional goals.
8. Big-picture thinker comfortable working at a detailed level with a high degree of accuracy and quality.
9. Exceptional and agile relationship-building skills, with a demonstrated ability to connect with individuals, families, diverse communities and networks well-aligned and inclined to support.
10. Demonstrated ability to build internal capacity while meeting shorter term organizational goals.
11. High emotional intelligence, diplomacy and cultural fluency, understanding nuances and complexities involved when working with people and communities across cultures and backgrounds.
12. Resourceful and solution-oriented problem solver and decision maker, with good project management skills.
13. Data-driven mindset, with a high comfort level working with donor databases. Experience in Salesforce is an asset.
14. Expertise in fundraising best practice and deep knowledge of current industry trends and tactics, including CRA rules and regulations.
15. Technology-literate, with a good understanding of the digital giving landscape is an asset.
16. Valid passport and drivers’ license for international travel.

The hiring range for this position is $130,000 – 150,000 per year, plus a comprehensive benefits package. 

For more information about the opportunity of Executive Director at Village Community Foundation (VCF), please contact Ayesha Mayan at talent@vcfoundation.ca.

Candidates interested in applying should send a letter of interest and resume to the email address listed above, no later than Thursday, March 31, 2022. All applications and inquiries will be held in strict confidence.

VCF is committed to the values of equity, diversity, and inclusion, and we work hard to cultivate this into a welcoming environment that celebrates diversity across our organization.  We encourage candidates from diverse backgrounds to apply, including but not limited to, Indigenous peoples, racialized and LGBTQ2+ communities, women, and people with disabilities.

VCF is committed to the principles of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), and work to ensure our recruitment, assessment and selection process is as accessible as possible. If you require any accommodations at any point during the recruitment process, please contact us at talent@vcfoundation.ca.  All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority.

Please note that the successful candidate must complete a Vulnerable Sector Screening, and a Police Reference Check as a condition of employment.  In addition, an Ontario Ministry of Health accepted proof of COVID19 vaccination will be required.