THE OPPORTUNITY
The Faculty of Music is seeking a high-performing senior fundraising professional to fill the role of Director of Advancement. Possessing a track record of success in increasingly senior advancement leadership positions in large-scale institutional settings, the Director of Advancement will lead and manage the Faculty of Music’s advancement programs with the goal of increasing fundraising revenues and alumni engagement in support of the Faculty of Music’s highest academic and institutional priorities.
This is an exciting time to join the University of Toronto and work on the most ambitious campaign in Canadian history. Launched in December 2021, Defy Gravity: The Campaign for the University of Toronto seeks to raise $4 billion for the University’s highest priorities.
The Director of Advancement will be a member of the Vice-President, Advancement’s University-wide Senior Advancement Leadership Team. The Director will report jointly to the Dean of the Faculty of Music and to the Vice President, Advancement or designate (typically the AVP Divisional Relations).
Passionate about music and the arts, the new incumbent will have superior solicitation experience and will be enthusiastic and committed to setting and achieving bold advancement goals in the areas of major gifts, stewardship, annual leadership giving and alumni engagement. As such, the Director will also embody a strong dedication 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 will demonstrate exemplary leadership and team building skills, as well as a strong commitment to develop and empower a team of high-performance advancement professionals to new heights of achievement.
With a sincere openness to continued growth and learning about equity, diversity and inclusion, the Director of Advancement will be supported by and will build upon the University of Toronto’s collective efforts to strengthening the foundations of inclusivity and belonging, ensuring an environment where all are welcome and can thrive.
Possessing outstanding communication and interpersonal skills as well as the ability to work collaboratively with others, the Director will effectively establish and foster efforts to meaningfully engage alumni and volunteers in support of the Faculty of Music’s academic mission.
This position has a target hiring salary range of $120,000 to $140,000 per annum. A full range of pension and benefits are also provided, and further information about University of Toronto benefits can be found at https://hrandequity.utoronto.ca/careers/benefits/
This is a continuing, full-time position and will be based at the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Music. Regular work during evenings and weekends will be required for this position as the role will require attendance at evening and weekend performances.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
• Develop, lead, and implement annual and multi-year plans and strategies to achieve transformational growth in lifting the Faculty of Music’s overall fundraising and alumni engagement results and to advance the Faculty’s highest academic, strategic and institutional priorities.
• 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 Faculty of Music’s goals and to build the Faculty’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.
• Work closely with the Faculty of Music’s academic leadership to translate academic priorities into compelling funding propositions and alumni engagement propositions that create opportunities to advance the Faculty’s academic, institutional, and strategic priorities, both within the immediate community of the Faculty of Music’s alumni, friends, and partners, and among broader national and international constituencies.
• Represent the Faculty of Music’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 Faculty’s fundraising performance by assuming personal responsibility for cultivating and soliciting a portfolio of major and principal gift prospects.
• 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 Faculty of Music’s advancement programs.
MAJOR ACTIVITIES
Strategic leadership and management
• Lead the Faculty of Music’s advancement functions, ensuring the alignment of the Faculty’s development and alumni activities with its academic and institutional priorities and with University-wide advancement initiatives and with Provostial and Governing Council guidelines, policies and best practices.
• In close collaboration with the Dean, senior academic leadership of the Faculty of Music, and senior advancement leadership within the DUA, develop and implement strategies, initiatives, campaigns, and annual business plans that integrate development and alumni engagement activities and that advance the Faculty’s overall academic mission.
• Develop multi-year campaign strategies that frame the Faculty’s unique strengths and opportunities, align with University-wide campaign structures and practices, integrate alumni and development strategies, maximize support, and rally the Faculty community around a compelling vision for the Faculty of Music’s longer-term aspirations and goals.
• Direct the Faculty’s advancement staff, implementing measures to develop and maintain a strong team environment and a goal-oriented and evaluative approach to all advancement activities. Oversee the development, implementation and management of the departmental budget and ensure that all HR and appointment practices comply with University policies and guidelines.
• Provide input and advice to the Dean and to the Faculty of Music’s senior team with respect to advancement implications of campus projects, initiatives and priorities. Advance community building and outreach activity as an executive committee representative of the campus by attending events, speaking engagements, and advancing the Dean’s community building objectives.
• Participate on the University-wide Senior Advancement Leadership Team, and work closely with the AVP Divisional Relations and other members of the DUA leadership team as a member of the University’s senior advancement community. Represent the Faculty on important forums and works to ensure that University-wide initiatives appropriately recognize the distinctive nature of the Faculty of Music’s campus identity and requirements.
Development
• Prepare an annual development plan outlining the Faculty of Music’s advancement goals, priorities and objectives. Establish fundraising priorities and goals in conjunction with various stakeholders both within the campus and within the DUA and ensure that goals are achieved.
• Working in close collaboration with the University’s Prospect Management Office, oversee the management of major gift prospects on the campus, ensuring gift officers have strong prospect portfolios and supports that enable them to meet University-wide major gift performance standards, and ensuring major gift prospects enjoy tailored cultivation and stewardship strategies that are designed to enhance their interest and involvement in the Faculty of Music and the wider University and to maximize their satisfaction and giving over time.
• Define goals and desired outcomes for the incumbent’s own major gift prospect portfolio; identify, cultivate and solicit prospective donors, and effectively steward all donors.
• Oversee the gift planning activity for the Faculty, ensuring that the program is fully functional.
• Oversee the design and implementation of an overall donor relations program that complements other University initiatives while focusing on stewardship of all donors to the Faculty of Music. Ensure the coordination of the recognition of donors at all levels pursuant to University guidelines for stewardship.
• Recruit strategic volunteer leadership and manage volunteer committees established to support the Faculty of Music’s advancement activities, to help broaden the base of meaningfully engaged prospects and donors and to help create and project an environment of warmth and appreciation for the Faculty’s donor community.
• Ensure that the Faculty of Music’s fundraising priorities, funding proposals, gift agreements, and gift announcement strategies are developed to the University’s standards in close collaboration with senior DUA leaders and in compliance with all relevant Provostial and Governing Council policies for approval, so that they protect academic integrity, embody/exemplify best practice, manage reputational issues, support equity across the University, and achieve optimal results.
• Establish the infrastructure to support the needs and aspirations of the Faculty’s academic units within the Faculty’s overall advancement strategy and annual plan. Advise academic leaders on strategic plans and policies relating to advancement to ensure the development and implementation of appropriate, effective and coordinated programs at the departmental level.
• Work with senior academic leaders and their faculty to advance prospects and steward donors.
• Maintain communications with key stakeholders (departments, alumni, students) on development strategies, activities and achievements.
Alumni Relations
• Oversee the development and implementation of the Faculty of Music’s alumni relations activities, ensuring consistency with the Faculty’s advancement strategic goals and objectives and with University-wide standards and best practices for alumni engagement and programming and ensuring integration with desired development outcomes.
• Working in close collaboration with the AVP Alumni Relations and the DUA Directors of Business Analytics and Alumni Engagement Metrics, oversee the development of plans and strategies in support of both acquisition and deepening alumni engagement. Actively collaborate with DUA Alumni Relations Program and Services team on the evolution and continuous improvement of alumni engagement strategies and align these efforts to support philanthropic goals.
• Selectively build relationships with high profile or highly motivated alumni. Ensure the development of effective volunteer identification and recruitment programs to develop resources for various Faculty needs.
• Work with the AVP Alumni Relations and AVP Divisional Relations in the development of annual business plans and strategies that include clear, measurable goals for alumni engagement, and ensure that the Faculty’s engagement data is recorded in University-wide systems.
Advancement Communications
• Liaise with the Faculty’s staff on the development and implementation of the Faculty’s advancement-related communications strategies and alignment of all messaging with the Faculty’s overall communications priorities.
• Work closely with the DUA’s advancement communications and marketing unit to develop persuasive advancement communications materials that project a compelling vision for the Faculty of Music’s unique strengths and opportunities.
Operations and Finance
• Develop, implement and manage the overall Faculty of Music’s advancement budget. Develop plans for use of budgetary resources in collaboration with the Dean of the Faculty and the Vice President, Advancement.
• Track financial performance including revenue/experience and budget controls.
Human Resources Management
• Has full managerial authority over the staff in the Faculty of Music Advancement unit.
• Working in close collaboration with the Dean, FIFSW Human Resources, and the AVP Divisional Relations, plan strategically for and define the organizational structure for the advancement unit, including the development of its organizational structure, organizational change, hiring, layoff, demotions, creating and eliminating positions, defining classifications and the qualifications for positions.
• Determine work assignments for staff based on understanding of needs, individual skill, project requirements and availability of resources.
• Ensure work tasks are completed on schedule and staff follow standards and policies.
• Discuss performance with employees to provide feedback and address performance related issues as part of the employee development process.
• Recommend training courses, seminars and conferences for staff to update and enhance their skills and knowledge.
• Consult with HR when dealing with serious issues that affect employment relationships.
• Maintain positive relations with union representatives.
• Has budget responsibilities related to the human resources management.
REQUIRED EXPERIENCE & COMPETENCIES
Required Experience & Education
• Progressive professional 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.
• Ideally, demonstrated experience in securing intricate 7 and 8 figure gifts.
• Experience in a management capacity and directing the work of others.
• Experience in organizing complex programs and events.
• Demonstrated volunteer management experience.
• Highly knowledgeable and experienced in both new and traditional channels of revenue generation.
• Proficient with and demonstrated experience working with Microsoft Office suite.
• Experience working with Arbor or a similar donor and alumni database management system.
• Demonstrated strategic conceptualization, analytical and planning skills.
• Knowledge of current trends as they relate to duties and responsibilities of the role.
• A University degree is required.
Abilities, Qualities, and Attributes
• Real interest and appreciation for music and the arts.
• 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.
• 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 ambitious 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 capacity to meet targets, 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, problem-solving skills.
• Cultural sensitivity and capacity to work with international students and donors.
Other Considerations
• Valid driver’s license and access to personal vehicle required.
• Valid passport for international travel required.
APPLICATION PROCESS
For more information, please contact Sylvie Battisti, at KCI Search + Talent via email at UofTMusic@kcitalent.com by March 3, 2023.
Candidates interested in applying for this position should please send a resume and letter of interest to the email address listed above. All inquiries and applications will be held in strict confidence. If you require accommodation during the recruitment and selection process, please let us know.
To view full position brief, please visit: www.kcitalent.com
The University of Toronto is strongly committed to diversity within its community and especially welcomes applications from racialized persons / persons of colour, women, Indigenous / Aboriginal People of North America, persons with disabilities, LGBTQ2S+ persons, and others who may contribute to the further diversification of ideas.
As part of your application, you will be asked to complete a brief Diversity Survey. This survey is voluntary. Any information directly related to you is confidential and cannot be accessed by search committees or human resources staff. Results will be aggregated for institutional planning purposes.
Vaccination: The University may from time to time introduce or re-introduce new, previous, or revised measures relating to COVID-19 or any future pandemic. You will be provided with appropriate information and instruction on applicable measures. For more information on the University’s COVID-19 response, please refer to the University’s Response to COVID-19.
For more information, please contact Sylvie Battisti, at KCI Search + Talent via email at UofTMusic@kcitalent.com by March 3, 2023.