Associate Vice President, Philanthropy & Alumni Engagement Trent University

Associate Vice President,Philanthropy & Alumni Engagement

Location: Peterborough or Oshawa

The Opportunity

Trent University is seeking a highly strategic, enthusiastic and driven fundraising leader to serve as Associate Vice-President, Philanthropy & Alumni Engagement. As a member of the Trent Senior Management Team, the AVP, Philanthropy & Alumni Engagement leads Trent's advancement portfolio, including fundraising, alumni engagement, advancement services, donor and volunteer stewardship, advancement communications, and events. They are responsible for developing, resourcing, and implementing a comprehensive fundraising plan, enabled by robust and meaningful donor relationships, communications and stewardship programs, effective alumni engagement strategies, and high-calibre events, all supported by an effective advancement services operation.

This is an exciting time to join and lead Trent's Philanthropy and Alumni Engagement team as we leverage our most ambitious philanthropic major fundraising campaign - the $100 million Campaign for Momentous Change in support of the University's key strategic priorities. In partnership with the President, VP, senior administration, student leaders, academic leaders, volunteers and staff, the AVP will have the unique opportunity to bring the campaign across the finish line and to celebrate its historic and transformative impact on Trent University.

Reporting to the Vice-President, External Relations & Development, the AVP is a highly visible leader internally and externally. They forge a philanthropic culture, a welcoming environment for alumni, and develop key relationships within and outside the University to build affinity, attract funding and increase engagement with the institution.

The ideal candidate will embody a community-minded spirit and display an eagerness to develop a passion for Trent, its culture and traditions. A superb communicator and compelling storyteller, they are also an excellent strategist and relationship builder. The AVP will apply their creativity, entrepreneurial spirit and deep knowledge of the philanthropic sector to inspire, persuade and help individuals, corporations, foundations and partners to invest in the momentous change that Trent faculty and students are leading.

Cultivating a shared vision for strategic alumni relations throughout the University, the AVP will provide leadership and direction to foster pride and engage the alumni community in maintaining a lifelong connection with the University, inspiring giving, advocacy, and volunteerism. Working with alumni volunteer leaders, the AVP will ensure the execution of the new Alumni Engagement Strategic Plan for a new chapter of alumni engagement at Trent University in an increasingly growing and diverse community of 66,000+ alumni.

The Associate Vice-President will have experience nurturing collaborative, agile, and responsive team cultures. The new incumbent will build on a strong foundation of excellence and collegiality and ensure an integrated plan unifies and connects the work across the portfolio. As a role model who demonstrates high integrity, authenticity, respect, trust, and excellence, the AVP will be an open and empathetic coach who will continue to lead the Philanthropy & Alumni Engagement team of more than 20 professionals in reaching their highest potential.

The staff team is based in Peterborough and works in a hybrid model. To ensure effective team leadership and participate in the life of the University and community, the AVP is expected to spend part of their work week in Peterborough, and they can live in either Peterborough County or the Durham region.

The base target salary range for this position is $170K to $200K, and the University offers an excellent comprehensive benefits program.

About Trent University

Consistently recognized as one of Canada's top universities, Trent University is home to a dynamic community of scholars embodying our motto Nunc cognosco ex parte - now I know in part - valuing what has been learned, and what is yet to be discovered.

Attracting excellent students from across the country and around the world, Trent is known for leadership in teaching, research, and student satisfaction. Distinguished by excellence in the humanities, social sciences and natural sciences, Trent brings critical, integrative thinking to life every day. Here, students connect and collaborate with faculty, staff, and their peers through diverse communities that span ourunique collegiate communities, disciplines, hands-on research, co-op and career experience, and community-based activities.

Trent University currently offers over 13,000 undergraduate and over 1,200 graduate students, including 474 Indigenous and 2,695 International students, the opportunity to study in more than 100 programs across two campuses. The Peterborough campus features award-winning architecture and innovative and academically rigorous programs housed on 1,400 acres in a breathtaking natural setting on the banks of the Otonabee River. A second campus, Trent Durham Greater Toronto Area, is located in Oshawa and offers career-ready academic programs and experiences.

We respectfully acknowledge that we are on the treaty and traditional territory of the Mississauga Anishinaabeg. We offer our gratitude to First Peoples for their care for, and teachings about, our earth and our relations. May we honour those teachings.

Trent is Canada's leading environmental university, and Trent is proud of our long-standing reputation as a leader in Indigenous education and reconciliation. From one of the world's top water analysis labs, wildlife forensic DNA laboratories, to our forensics crime scene facility, Canada's first certified zero-carbon building, and the first accredited nursing simulation lab at a Canadian university, Trent University is committed to advancing knowledge through research and innovation. Trent's distinctive research strengths and strategic directions are summarized around a central focus on Healthy & sustainable environments and communities.

The University hosts an impressive number of Canada research chairs - testimony to the scope, depth and importance of the research taking place at Trent. Trent alumni and faculty are recognized all over the world and include two Nobel Prize winners: James Orbinski '80 was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his work with Doctors Without Borders and Professor Chris Furgal was a co-recipient of the Nobel Prize for raising awareness of global climate change. In addition, five Trent graduates have the distinction of beingrenowned Rhodes Scholars, having received the Rhodes International Postgraduate Award, which is widely considered to be one of the world's most prestigious scholarships.

Trent's loyal alumni represent a growing global network of over 66,000 graduates residing across Ontario, Canada, the USA and countries worldwide.

Momentous Campaign

In 2023, Trent University launched its most ambitious philanthropic endeavour to date - the $100 million Campaign for Momentous Change, based on the notion that new perspectives, technological innovation, and broader connections are impacting us individually, communally, and globally like never before. Momentous change is happening now at Trent University, and we are driven tounderstand,activate, andsteerthese momentous changes for good.

The Momentous Campaign will ensure the people, places, and initiatives of Trent University are limitless in their abilities to reach further, think more deeply, and bring truly momentous change to our world through:

• Discovery - Enabling the Trent University community to discover and impact the world without limitation through research, experiential learning, and meaningful debate.
• Empowerment - Empowering students to reach their academic and personal potential.
• Our Places, Lands and Heritage - Supporting the purposeful stewardship of Trent's established places, and enabling the creation of state-of-the-art destinations.

Key Duties & Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership: Develop and Implement an Institutional Philanthropic Plan

• Leads the development, implementation and evaluation of a strategic and comprehensive annual and long-term institutional philanthropic plan to maximize donor engagement and achieve fundraising targets for all University stakeholder groups through annual, major, transformational and legacy gifts, giving days, campaigns, and novel fundraising approaches.
• Maintains an in-depth knowledge of the University's programs and strategic priorities. Plays a lead role and works with the President, VP, the University senior executive team and Deans in identifying, refining and building cases for support for compelling philanthropic gift opportunities to connect donor interest with University priority needs.
• Proactively manages a personal portfolio of principal and major gift donors and prospects and acts as a lead or co-solicitor with volunteers or staff as appropriate.
• Seeks to inspire giving and create a culture of philanthropy within and outside the University.
• Sets, tracks and reports on key performance indicators and fundraising results.
• Ensures a strategic and coordinated moves management approach that includes prospect identification, cultivation, solicitation, recognition and stewardship activities.
• Provides leadership and coaching to the President, VPs, Board members, Philanthropic Advisory Council, volunteers and staff to engage them in fundraising activities.
• Identifies, engages, recruits, and supports the success of senior-level volunteers
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