Major Gifts Officer

Do you love animals as much as we do?  Join us and you can make a difference every day!

Toronto Humane Society finds new homes for thousands of animals and helps keep families together. However, Toronto Humane Society is more than an animal shelter. We are an educational resource and support system, a leading voice in animal welfare and accessible care. Toronto Humane Society is a center of excellence, a space where best practices and boundary-pushing knowledge exchange meet with unyielding optimism and a love for animals to create something special. Toronto Humane Society is like no other.

Working at Toronto Humane Society:

At Toronto Humane Society, we are drawn together by our purpose. The power of the Human-Animal Bond, it’s a bond like no other, and it’s the reason we get up in the morning. If you love animals as much as we do, you understand why we work so hard to provide the best life possible for the animals in our care and the people who bond with them. It’s our expertise at every step of the journey, combined with the love and support provided by people in our community that complete the circle.

At Toronto Humane Society we recognize that the field of animal welfare and the challenges it presents are ever changing. Because of this, we encourage and support our staff, volunteers, foster parents and other stakeholders to continue their learning journey. We believe that a commitment to learning and growing daily is the only way we will ever achieve our mission, not just as an organization, but also as individuals. In order to learn, we must be comfortable in the unknown, be able to take measured risks, and when we fail – be ready to accept it as an opportunity for growth. We want our people to continually develop and expand, finding creative ways to increase both our impact and theirs.

Job Summary

The Major Gifts Officer, at Toronto Humane Society, plays a pivotal role in launching and managing the organization’s Major Gifts Program. Reporting to the Director, Integrated Marketing and Development, this position involves independent leadership in initiating, overseeing, and executing the Major Gifts Program. The Major Gifts Officer will attend donor cultivation meetings and events, with an emphasis on in-person interactions and relationship building.

Competencies

• Relationship Building
• Donor- Centric Approach
• Major Gifts Experience
• Donor Prospect Research
• Strategic Planning
• Results Driven
• Leadership
• High Level Communication
• Adaptability and Flexibility
• Donor Database and CRM Use
• Ethical Fundraising

Job Duties

Programmatic Responsibilities:

• Independently initiate, oversee, and execute the Major Gifts Program, aligning it with organizational goals and values.
• Attend donor cultivation meetings, with a growing emphasis on in-person interactions as the program evolves.
• Collaborate closely with High Net Worth (HNW) and Ultra High Net Worth (UHNW) individuals, as well as the Board of Directors and Executive/Senior Leadership.
• Determine the most suitable attendees for specific meetings based on donor preferences and priorities.
• Research donors and active supporters to identify prime prospects for major giving and cultivate them.
• Supports the Director, Integrated Marketing and Development to develop and implement an integrated strategy that achieves revenue targets, maximizes net income, and meets established performance metrics and objectives in alignment with our values as an organization.
• Analyzes and produces timely reports showing performance against targets and analytics related to our supporters.
• Collaborate with other members of the Development Team on implementing of new cultivation, stewardship, retention, reactivation, and solicitation strategies to increase major gifts.
• Works closely with the Database Administration Team to ensure data integrity, effective data capture, data pulls, and identify data opportunities and challenges.
• Be present and support the execution of other organization campaigns and events.
• Ensures that all major giving channel initiatives comply with national and provincial regulations including, but not limited to PIPEDA, CRA, CMA, Imagine Canada’s Ethical Fundraising and Financial Accountability Code and AFP’s Code of Ethical Principles and Standards.

Management & Administration:

• Responsible for the supervision of allocated staff and volunteers, including scheduling, reviewing work, training, and assisting with personnel action such as hiring, transferring, promoting, disciplining, and conducting performance reviews.
• Support, coach, mentor and develop staff and volunteers, including overseeing new employee onboarding and assist with career development planning and opportunities.
• Development, execution, and adherence to budget of related oversight area,
• Ensures proper reporting of funds provided to finance department.
• Foster, promote, support and drive inclusion and influence others to promote, embrace and progress Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at Toronto Humane Society.
• Liaise among management and other stakeholders to ensure that goals are achieved, processes are improved, and resolutions provided to problems.
• Lead and foster an environment of teamwork and cooperation.
• Cooperate with other staff members to ensure efficiency of care and support for donors.
• Participate in the development and maintenance of policies/protocols related to area of oversight.
• Attend and participate in workshops, seminars, and in-service training to further personal education, skills, and training as required.
• Present a positive and professional image of the organization when interacting with donors, employees, clients/customers, visitors, and other external stakeholders.
• Maintain a high level of confidentiality in all interactions.
• Work in compliance with the provisions of the Ontario Health and Safety Act and its regulations, including understanding and adhering to the requirements of the Health and Safety Manual, and any other rules and regulations established by Toronto Humane Society.
• Other duties as required in the day-to-day operation of the organization.

Job Requirements.

• Post-Secondary education in Marketing/Fundraising or related field, and
• CFRE Designation, or in pursuit of and
  • A minimum of three (3) years of experience in major gifts fundraising and
  • A minimum of five (5) years in managing donor focused fundraising programs,
  • Or an equivalent combination of education and experience sufficient to successfully perform the essentials duties of the role.
• Excellent written and verbal English skills required,
• Strong organizational, project management and time management skills with the ability to prioritize and manage conflicting demands.
• Meticulous records maintenance skills and strong understanding of data integrity.
• Superior public relations skills with experience working directly with donors.
• Proven capacity to work in a self-directed manner as well as demonstrated capacity to work collaboratively with other staff and volunteers.
• High proficiency using computer applications including Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Contact Management Systems (Raisers Edge is an asset).
• A clear and comprehensive understanding of the issues faced by the organization within the non-profit industry.

Work Conditions

• Interaction with donors, employees, management, and the public at large, under varying circumstances, including situations of a highly sensitive nature.
• Flexible hours, including nights, weekends, and holidays.
• May be required to work long hours.
• High levels of stress and pressure.
• Hybrid work environment.
• Travel required to and from donor meetings.
• May involve the lifting, carrying, pushing, and/or pulling of heavy to moderately heavy objects and materials.
• Performance of essential functions may require exposure to adverse environmental conditions, such as dirt, dust, odors, wetness, noise extremes, hazardous materials, toxic agents, animal/wildlife attacks, animal bites, disease, pathogenic substances, or rude/irate customers.

Benefits of Working at Toronto Humane Society

• Paid Time Off
  • 3 weeks vacation
  • Paid sick time
  • 2 float days
• RRSP Matching Program
• Comprehensive Health Benefits including:
  • Prescription Drug Coverage
  • Paramedical Coverage
  • Vision
  • Dental
  • Out of Country
  • Life Insurance
• Employee Assistance Program
• Employee Discounts on:
  • Pet Insurance
  • Pet Adoption
  • Pet Medical Procedures
  • Pet Training/Behavioral Classes
  • Pet Food and Supplies
  • Toronto Humane Society Apparel
• Opportunity for hybrid work
• Flexible working hours
• Growth & development encouraged and supported
• On-site parking

This position is not unionized.

• Interested applicants should forward a copy of their resume to: hiring@torontohumanesociety.com.

Toronto Humane Society is committed to building and sustaining a diverse and equitable workplace where people’s unique backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives are valued, respected, and welcome. We recognize that a diverse and empowered workforce helps us better serve our animals, clients, and community and contributes to Toronto Humane Society’s overall growth and success. Therefore, we strongly encourage qualified applications from underrepresented and equity-deserving groups within the animal welfare sector, including Indigenous, Black, racialized, immigrant, 2S/LGBTQ+, and people with disabilities.

Requests for accommodation can be made at any stage of the recruitment process providing the applicant has met the Bona-fide requirements for the open position. Applicants need to make their requirements known when contacted.