Employment opportunity – Senior Advisor, Fund Development

Be a part of positive social change

Imagine working for an organization whose primary mission is to advance equality, social justice and respect for human dignity. Imagine that your work aligns with your personal values and that you participate every day in creating positive social change through transformative human rights education programs. Alongside 60 like-minded colleagues in Canada and partners around the world, you could help empower people to address inequality and discrimination, and work to build more inclusive and rights-respecting communities with Equitas.

 

The Opportunity

Equitas is seeking a highly strategic Senior Advisor, Fund Development with a passion for human rights, equality, inclusion, and experience in fundraising to lead Equitas’ fund development while the current Director of Communications and Development is on parental leave (1 year).  

Under the responsibility of the Executive Director, the Senior Advisor, Fund Development  will play a strategic role in identifying new opportunities and supporting the growth of Equitas unrestricted revenues and program development in support of an ambitious strategy for the diversification of funds to support the success and impact of Equitas’ educational programs in Canada and internationally.  

The Senior Advisor, Fund Development will cultivate, steward, and solicit individual and foundation giving prospects with important gift capacity. They will be responsible for ensuring Equitas’ leadership donors have a meaningful and affirming philanthropic experience. Additionally, they will supervise the execution of ongoing fundraising initiatives that will be implemented by the Fund Development Officer, including an annual giving campaign, a fundraising event with corporate sponsorship, donor stewardship and other ongoing fundraising activities. The Senior Advisor, Fund Development will work closely with the Communications team, members of the Management team, as well as the Board’s Communications and Development Committee. 

 

Tasks and Responsibilities

Leadership gifts, portfolio growth and program development (80%)

• Manage a portfolio of donors and prospects; develop cultivation and solicitation strategies in line with Equitas’ priorities and donor/prospect interests. 
• Draft funding requests to foundations and cases for support, and solicit gifts from prospective donors. 

• Working in collaboration with the Executive Director and the Fund Development Officer, continue refining and enhancing the leadership gift program in support of Equitas’ growth trajectory and fund diversification strategy. 
• Use tools such as a fund tracker to identify prospective donors and contribute to the development of strategies for approaching individual donors and foundations. 
• Working with the Director of Programs, Director of Canadian Programs and program teams, to identify opportunities, respond to RFPs and develop proposals. 

Supervision of fundraising initiatives (20%)

• Supervise the execution of Equitas’ annual fundraising campaign. 
• Supervise the organization and planning of a fundraising event. 
• Support the outreach to corporate donors for a fundraising event. 
• Work in collaboration with the Communications team in ensuring that Equitas’ online engagement strategies (social media, web, etc.) are optimized to support fundraising goals. 
• Oversee donor stewardship by ensuring relationship development, correspondence, mailings, acknowledgements, and other meaningful opportunities to engage with the organization. 

About you 

You are passionate about human rights and social justice. You are motivated by and have strong commitment to Equitas’ mission, vision, and values. You are motivated by challenges, and you have a proven track record of successfully raising funds from foundations and individual donors. You have excellent communication skills, including the ability to write dynamic fundraising pieces and inspire people to financially support Equitas’ mission. 

What is essential for role

• 8 years of experience in fund development or program development  
• Knowledge of the philanthropic sector in Canada 
• An understanding and commitment to human rights in a global context 
• Thorough understanding of nonprofit fundraising and a proven track record of stewarding, soliciting and closing significant gifts 
• University degree in a relevant field for the position 
• Strong networking and interpersonal skills 
• Entrepreneurial  
• Excellent proficiency in both English and French in writing and orally (one language may be stronger than the other) 
• Eligibility to work in Canada  

What is an asset to the role

• Being based in Montreal  
• Experience with corporate donors and events 
• Extensive experience in the development of proposals to institutional donors, such as Global Affairs Canada, as well as with government relations
• Experience in leadership gifts 
• Experience in the fields of human rights and/or social justice  
• Experience working in a multicultural setting 
• Experience with donor databases and/or fund trackers; otherwise, interest and ability to master new technological environments  
• Mastery of Office suite and solid IT skills 

What we offer

• We offer the chance to be a part of and make up a diverse and engaged team who are all meaningfully contributing to positive social change in Canada and around the world in their own way. 
• We value self-care, inclusion and empathy towards all team members and place a strong emphasis on work-life balance. In addition to vacation time, we offer 2 weeks off over the end of year holidays. 
• We are all about learning and offer all employees the opportunity to participate in learning committees based on their interests and participate in a workplace culture that is constantly looking for ways to improve and innovate. 
• We have a centrally located office with a beautiful view of Mont-Royal and offer a hybrid work environment. 
• We believe in trust and openness and offer a flexible work environment. 
• We believe in creating space for everyone to lead and offer opportunities within our governance structure to allow for individuals in all roles to take on opportunities for leadership. 
• We offer a comprehensive benefits package, which includes a competitive salary for the NGO sector, 3 weeks paid vacation (4 weeks after 3 years), paid personal days, medical, dental and life insurance, a group RRSP and much more! 

Join us!

Given the nature of our work, Equitas strongly encourages applications from any candidates who have experienced marginalization, in particular, Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour, 2SLGBTQI+ people, and people living with disabilities. Candidates who wish to do so may self-identify in their application. 

At Equitas, we do not tolerate harassment, discrimination, violence, or abuse of any form. All employment offers are conditional of the signing of Equitas’ Human Resources Policy, our Policy on Preventing Sexual Violence, Harassment and Discrimination and satisfactory references. 

Equitas thanks all applicants for their interest. However, only applicants selected for an interview will be contacted. 

How to apply?

How to apply? Please send 1 PDF attachment (cover letter and C.V.) with your name and Senior Advisor Fund Development in the subject line by  April 5, 2023 to: rhequitas@equitas.org