Director, Partnerships

Indspire; Vancouver; On-site; CAD 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

Indspire seeks a dynamic Director of Partnerships to lead fundraising efforts aimed at supporting Indigenous students’ education. The role involves managing a team, developing partnerships, and achieving significant fundraising goals. The ideal candidate will have proven leadership in non-profit fundraising and a strong commitment to Indigenous values.

Qualifications

• Experience in fundraising with gifts of $25,000 or more.
• Proven leadership in a non-profit environment.
• Ability to coordinate multiple projects and deadlines.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute revenue-generating partnerships.
• Manage a portfolio of 100 prospects and donors.
• Lead a team of four in achieving fundraising goals.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Cultural Competence

Fund Development

Interpersonal Skills

Education

Post-secondary degree

Tools

Raiser’s Edge / NXT

Microsoft Office Suite

Job description

Indspire is seeking a creative, energetic and growth-oriented fundraiser as the new Director, Partnerships who is driven by our North Star –supporting the educational journey so that every Indigenous student will graduate. Reporting to the Vice President, Development, and as a key member of the Development team, the Director will be an important contributor to the shared fundraising goal of $23M.

Responsible to develop, manage and expand sponsorships and support from a variety of institutional partners, the new Director will be an engaging relationship builder who will lead and inspire a dedicated team of high performers to new levels of growth. The Director, Partnerships will seek out and pursue opportunities for growth and secure private sector support for Indspire by identifying and qualifying foundations, organizations, and corporations. As a natural problem-solver and a driven and focused fundraiser, the Director will cultivate and nurture strong and lasting relationships with donors and prospects that lead to mutually successful partnerships.

Focused on supporting events and program activities, while driving partnership strategies that generate revenue, the Director will be skilled at managing multiple projects and priorities in a fast-paced environment. Leading and working closely with the four members of the Partnerships team, the Director will be a mentor and coach, modeling the values of Indspire while ensuring team goals and performance targets are met.

Working collaboratively with colleagues at both our Toronto and Six Nations offices, the Director will reflect Indigenous values and espouse cultural competence as they work to bring the vision of Indspire to donors. They will build meaningful relationships and secure immediate and long-term philanthropic support in a manner that acknowledges the reciprocity of the Indspire giving relationship.

ABOUT INDSPIRE

Indspire is an Indigenous charity that has grown and developed into one of the Top 10 Charities of Impact in Canada that invests in the education of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis people for the long-term benefit of these individuals, their families and communities, and Canada.

Education is the common denominator that can address systemic issues of health, wellbeing, economic and social disparity and intergenerational trauma. For Indigenous people in Canada, education is where it begins. Education builds capacity.

For more than 35 years, Indspire has provided scholarships and bursaries for Indigenous people to pursue educational opportunities – from college and university to vocational training, to high school equivalency studies. We also provide programs and resources to Indigenous students and for K‐12 educators through conferences and mentorship, plus the inspiration of a national celebration of Indigenous achievement through the annualIndspire Awards.

We serve First Nations, Inuit, and Métis students in remote communities, rural areas and urban centres across Canada. With the support of our funding partners, we disburse financial awards, deliver programs, and share resources with the goal of increasing graduation rates for Indigenous students.

Our Educator Resources serve educators, communities, rural areas, and other stakeholders who are committed to improving kindergarten to grade 12 Indigenous student success.

Vision : Enriching communities by enhancing Indigenous achievement and education.

Mission and Mandate : To inspire Indigenous students to achieve their highest potential by :

• Recognizing excellence and achievement.
• Investing in success by supporting students throughout their educational journey.
• Illuminating the path to success through research.
• Supporting the transition to careers.

North Star : Supporting the educational journey so that every Indigenous student will gradate.

Statement of Values :

• As an Indigenous organization, we value integrity, respect, openness, reciprocity, and inclusiveness in our endeavours and relationships.
• We hold ourselves accountable to our stakeholders by honouring our commitments with high quality results, ongoing evaluation, continuous improvement, and transparent reporting.
• Learning is viewed as lifelong, holistic and experiential, and values Indigenous knowledge.
• Indigenous communities have the right to define their own success.
• Our work is responsive to the aspirations and needs of Indigenous people.
• Recognizing the legacy of the colonial histories of Indigenous people, education is a process of decolonization and a path to reconciliation.

Our current strategic priorities are :

• Advancing Excellence in Education and Achievement
• Implement program enhancements supporting a journey to success.
• Forge partnerships across the post-secondary sector.
• Build data and align research to support evidence-based and data-informed decision making.
• Improve Indspire’s public visibility.
• Leverage Laureates, alumni and Board as ambassadors.
• Highlight student-centered research.
• Operating as an Efficient, Effective, Accountable and Sustainable National Indigenous Charity
• Continuously improve Board and operational governance.
• Invest in organizational capacity and culture.
• Become the organization of choice for funders of Indigenous education and achievement.

Our flagship program, providing bursaries and scholarships to eligible students for college, university and vocational training.

A national event where Indigenous high school students explore career and post‐secondary education options, tour campuses and meet potential employers. The Gathering changes locations every year.

An annual Gathering of K‐12 educators from across Canada that connects and supports educators of Indigenous youth in sharing best practices, curriculum enhancements and educational innovations.

A national online mentorship program for students in three streams – high school, post‐secondary and career transition – that offers programming, resources, access to elders, Indigenous mentors, Indspire Laureates and Building Brighter Futures alumni.

Represent the highest honour the Indigenous community bestows upon its own people.Indspire Awardrecipients provide inspiration for our young people and serve to educate all Canadians about the tremendous contributions that Indigenous people are making across the country.

Approximately 90% of Building Brighter Futures recipients graduate.

90% of Building Brighter Futures recipients have obtained employment.

ADDITIONAL BACKGROUND & RESOURCES

KEY AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY

• Develop and execute all revenue generating partnerships and initiatives aimed at engaging foundations, organizations and corporations, including planning and executing all aspects of partnership stewardship activities and event activations.
• Maintain a portfolio of approximately 100 new and existing prospects and donors.
• Achieve annual fundraising goals, including conducting face-to-face visits with a goal of presenting proposals and closing partnerships / agreements.
• Undertake and direct prospect research to identify and qualify potential supporters and sponsors ($25k+), generating leads to ensure a strong pipeline of potential supporters.
• Assist in cultivation and solicitation of prospects in keeping with Indspire’s priorities and fundraising strategies.
• Manage the stewardship cycle and support employees to ensure successful execution of fundraising and stewardship strategies (visits, events and tours), programs to maximize revenues and timely tax receipting, donor acknowledgement and reporting activities.
• Manage a team of four, providing strategic and operational oversight.
• Develop individual and team goals and conduct performance reviews for direct reports.
• Create, develop, and implement a variety of stewardship activities and communications to engage current volunteers, ensuring highest level of service and stewardship for existing supporters and sponsors.
• Create materials including customized funding proposals and packages, gift agreements, briefing notes for solicitation, stewardship reports, presentations, online content, and other fundraising materials.
• Produce reports, analyze results and recommend changes to maximize revenues.
• Develop and implement prospect and results tracking using database and other tools.
• Support VP, Development to research and plan the annual budget and monitor the revenue generating partnership budget ensuring goals are met.
• Ensure all members of the team accurately record contacts in the database and maintain electronic / hard copy files on all supporters and sponsors.
• Ensure Indspire is at the cutting edge of interactive and other revenue development strategies and techniques.
• Support events as required and promote Indspire to supporters and prospects.

QUALIFICATIONS AND KEY COMPETENCIES

• Progressive experience and demonstrated success in sponsorship and / or fundraising and / or sales with a history of closing gifts or sponsorships of $25,000 or more.
• Proven leadership experience in a non-profit environment with the ability to be innovative and think outside the box.
• A track record of leading and managing a successful team.
• Demonstrated willingness to continually learn, develop and grow cultural competence.
• Knowledge of and experience in Indigenous communities is a strong asset.
• Strong and proven skills in fund development and moves management processes.
• Demonstrated high ethical standards and ability to work with sensitive information with complete confidentiality.
• Exceptional written and oral communication skills.
• Strong interpersonal and public relations skills and the ability to communicate effectively with donors, volunteers, and other community members.
• Ability to effectively coordinate multiple projects, deadlines, and priorities.
• Demonstrated team player that displays initiative and collaboration.
• Highly computer literate and able to work effectively with fundraising software to drive results, including experience with databases (Raiser’s Edge / NXT), Acrobat Pro, Microsoft Office Suite.
• Post-secondary degree and / or equivalent experience.
• CFRE designation is considered an asset.
• Ability to work in French is considered an asset.
• Occasional travel between Six Nations and Toronto offices is required.
• Must be able to work occasional evening and weekends and possess a willingness to travel within Canada.