Senior Manager, Major Gifts

Employment Terms: F/T, Termed Contract 5-years

Start Date: April 2022

Upper Canada College (UCC) is focused on making the world a more just and inclusive place through dialogue and teamwork. With a commitment to equity and fairness, students learn that what makes us different as individuals makes us stronger as a community. A rigorous academic program is supported by accomplished faculty, exceptional co-curricular programming, and state-of-the-art facilities. The UCC experience is underpinned by five core values: learning, pluralism, service, community, and wellbeing.  Among its strategic goals is UCC’s ambition to become more diverse and inclusive. This is supported by a recog­nition that no learning community is whole without the inclusion and amplification of multiple voices; UCC is committed to fostering belonging, striving for jus­­tice and peace among all people, and addressing systemic and structural forms of oppression.

Position Overview:

You will be responsible for the development, planning,  implementation, and evaluation/reporting of strategies for cultivation, solicitation and stewardship of potential major gift donors, while creating enduring, high-value relationships with the College. 

Your  primary responsibility is to develop and execute cultivation and solicitation plans for priority major gift prospects, attentively managing each prospect through the major giving process.

Key Responsibilities:         

 Revenue Generation & Relationship Building:

• Develop and strengthen lasting and meaningful relationships between assigned prospects and the College, with the goal of a successful solicitation and fulfilling stewardship outcomes, involving senior leaders, senior volunteers, and colleagues where appropriate to enhance and deepen the knowledge and investment of prospective donors in support of future generations of UCC students;
• Develop individual prospect strategies, in collaboration with members of the advancement team, with the goal of maximizing opportunities to align philanthropic capacity with approved College priorities; 
• Maintain Raiser’s Edge with up-to-date prospect strategies, meeting notes, and action plans for one’s portfolio;
• Prepare documentation and correspondence to support fundraising initiatives (e.g. briefing documents, cover letters, follow-up correspondence, and other communications materials);
• Where appropriate, work with the Community Engagement team to plan and coordinate events related to major gift fundraising activities. 

Program Administration:

• Monitor own activities to determine effectiveness vs. goals;
• Assess current donor strategies, and develop new elements and revisions to attract new donors and to upgrade current donor giving; 
• In collaboration with database management colleagues, ensure integrity and security of the donor database.

Stakeholder Relationships:

• Work with the Manager, Donor Relations to develop individualized, effective stewardship strategies and plans for assigned donors;
• Provide support to the leadership team, staff and volunteers in planning and conducting fundraising activities, including identification, cultivation and solicitation of individual donors;
• Monitor donor reports for changes, and identify areas potentially needing attention;
• Support, track and report on the contributions of volunteers. 

Key Experience, Knowledge and Competencies:

• Willingness to adapt and change based on the unique and diverse needs of individuals;
• Commitment to honesty, justice, fairness and equity;
• Display  humility and empathy, and recognize your ability to positively influence change; Embrace the opportunity and responsibility to make a difference in your local and global communities;
• Ability to identify, research and assess potential opportunity of prospects;
• Ability to assess current fundraising strategy, identify opportunities for improvement, and recommend changes;
• Ability to collaborate effectively with school/college leadership, staff and volunteers in the identification of potential donor constituencies, and in the planning of fundraising initiatives and events;
• Ability to engage with donors and potential donors in individual meetings and at larger school events;
• Strong knowledge of theories, principles and best practices of major fundraising campaigns and initiatives in a not-for-profit setting, and particularly in the independent school sector;
• Strong knowledge of theories, principles and best practices for effective donor cultivation and stewardship;
• Proven understanding of principles and best practices of volunteer engagement and support;
• Practical knowledge of standard desktop software, specialized donor databases, database analytics, and database reporting functions; 
• Knowledge of project management principles, processes and best practices;
• Completion of a recognized university degree or equivalent, with at least 3 to 5 years of experience in major gift fundraising in a not-for-profit setting;
• Experience asking for major gifts and developing personalized proposals appropriate to the size of the gift and the needs of the prospective donor;
• Be a mentor for an IB continuum project (Personal Project, PYP Exhibition or Extended Essay).

If you have the majority of the qualifications we’re looking for, we encourage you to express your interest by submitting your application.

Please complete all application instructions below when applying.

UCC is an Equal Opportunity Employer and values diversity, encouraging applications from all qualified individuals and welcome applications from women, visible minorities, Aboriginal peoples, persons with disabilities, and LGBTQ persons. UCC embraces pluralism – celebrating differences, cherishing similarities, and giving voice to multiple perspectives. If you are contacted regarding a UCC opportunity, please advise if you require any accommodations.

Please apply online by creating a “Professional/Management” profile account by Tuesday April 5, 2022.. We thank all candidates in advance; however, we will contact only those selected for an interview.  

As part of your application please include  a resume and cover letter.  In your cover letter, address the following prompt:

1. Upper Canada College values diversity as a source of strength.  How would you contribute to the diversity of Upper Canada College in your role?

To learn more about us please visit our site at www.ucc.on.ca