Advancement Communications Specialist

MDA; Toronto; On-site; CAD 76,000 - 93,000; Full time

Job summary

York University in Toronto seeks an Advancement Communications Specialist to develop written materials that support donor cultivation, stewardship, and alumni engagement across digital and print formats.

Under the Director of Advancement Communications, you will craft proposals, case statements, and stewardship reports while ensuring accuracy, branding, and confidentiality. A university degree and 5+ years of fundraising writing experience are required.

Qualifications

• University degree required, preferably in Journalism, Communications (Mass or Corporate), Marketing or English.
• Equivalent education and experience includes college diploma in Journalism, Communications or Marketing plus 1 year practical related experience or four years recent experience (defined as within the last five years) working at York University performing the same or similar tasks.
• Professional writing certification is an asset.

Responsibilities

• Develop a broad range of written materials for donor and prospect cultivation and solicitation, donor stewardship and alumni engagement, with storytelling emphasis.
• Support communications across digital and print formats by presenting compelling narratives and designed documents.
• Collaborate with Departments to translate complex information into accessible language for diverse audiences.

Skills

Excellent written communication

Storytelling

Editing

Audience adaptation

Research skills

Interviewing

Attention to detail

Organizational skills

Confidentiality

Deadline driven

HTML knowledge

Adobe Creative Suite

Education

University degree in Journalism, Communications, Marketing or English

Equivalent education/experience (college diploma + experience)

Professional writing certification (asset)

Tools

Adobe Creative Suite

Dreamweaver

WordPress

MS Office

HTML basics

Job description

Advancement Communications & Marketing, Division of Advancement

Affiliation *

YUSA 1

Permanent Full Time

Job Start Date

08-03-2026

Posting Intent

YUSA-1: This posting is now open (extended/external). All interested persons may apply. Preference will be given to employees in YUSA2 who have applied within the first 5 days from the open (extended/external) posting date

Band/Salary Grade *

13

Compensation *

FTE Annual Salary of: $84,234.00

Job Category

Advancement / Alumni Relations / Development

Access Full Position Posting

Purpose

Advancement at York leads and inspires meaningful engagement and philanthropic support from alumni and friends to advance the University's mission. We are also deeply committed to building the reputation of York University as a leading, progressive, research-intensive University uniquely positioned for the betterment of society in the 21st century.

Our division is comprised of four departments:

• Advancement Services & Operations is the administrative and technology support unit for all Advancement activities
• Alumni Engagement provides programs, services, and engagement to over 350,000 York alumni worldwide
• Development leads efforts to promote and secure philanthropic support from alumni, donors, friends, corporations, and foundations
• Advancement Communications & Marketing works to promote and communicate alumni and donor messages along with direct marketing services for alumni and donor engagement

Under the direction of the Director, Advancement Communications, the Advancement Communications Specialist supports this mission through the development of a broad range of written materials. These are produced in both digital and print formats and include materials to support donor and prospect cultivation and solicitation, donor stewardship, and alumni engagement, with an emphasis on storytelling.

Education

University degree required, preferably in Journalism, Communications (Mass or Corporate), Marketing or English. Equivalent education and experience includes college diploma in Journalism, Communications or Marketing plus 1 year practical related experience or four years recent experience (defined as within the last five years) working at York University performing the same or similar tasks. This education equivalency is in addition to the experiential requirements outlined below. Professional writing certification is an asset.

Experience

Minimum of 5 years' recent direct experience as a writer with a focus on writing for fundraising, particularly in developing, writing and designing proposals, case statements and stewardship reports. Marketing writing experience or strategic writing experience are assets. Demonstrated experience in writing and editing for both print and digital, across multiple channels. Demonstrated understanding of donor, prospect and alumni audiences.

Skills

• Excellent oral and written communication skills and a high level of proficiency in English grammar, spelling and punctuation are essential.
• Ability to adapt writing styles for various purposes, for different media requirements and for different audiences.
• Ability to synthesize concepts and ideas into clear, concise and compelling written and designed documents.
• Demonstrated ability in storytelling and persuasive writing.
• Ability to work effectively in a team-based environment but to also work independently and exercise good judgment.
• Ability to be thorough, accurate, and exercise a high level of attention to detail.
• Strong organizational and interpersonal skills.
• Tact and diplomacy skills in addition to awareness and ability to work within an environment that requires confidentiality.
• Ability to work effectively under pressure of high volume and meet daily deadlines.
• Advanced research, fact-checking, communications planning and interviewing skills.
• Ability to track and plan numerous communications initiatives and create communications products through in-depth questioning and interpretation of complex ideas.
• Ability to comprehend complex materials including research papers, policy papers, and technical reports to translate technical information into language easily understood by non-expert audiences.

Technical

• Proficient in word-processing, internet search, web-authoring technology and desktop and web publishing tools such as Adobe Creative Suite/Dreamweaver and WordPress.
• Good working knowledge of MS Office suite.
• Knowledge of style guides.
• Knowledge of HTML principles and photo manipulation software are assets.
• Experience with creative direction an asset.

Additional Notes

Please note: This position requires the candidate to produce a verification of degree(s), credentials(s), or equivalencies from accredited institutions and/or international equivalents at the time of interview.

The University welcomes applications from all qualified individuals, including, but not limited to women, persons with disabilities, visible minorities (racialized), Indigenous Peoples and persons of any gender identity and sexual orientation. York University is committed to a positive, supportive and inclusive environment.

York University offers accommodation for applicants with disabilities in its recruitment processes. If you are contacted by York University regarding a job opportunity or testing, please advise if you require accommodation.

We are committed to enhancing our environmentally and socially responsible practices for the benefit of all members of the York community. Our long term perspective recognizes our responsibility to be innovators and to continually work as a community to reduce our ecological impact.