Philanthropy Advisor, Affordable Housing

Edmonton Community Foundation; Edmonton; On-site; CAD 78,000 - 92,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Salary range

Hybrid work

Downtown parking

Health benefits

RRSP contribution

Vacation three weeks

Personal leave

Sick days

Job summary

Edmonton Community Foundation seeks a relationship-driven Philanthropy Advisor for Affordable Housing to build and steward donor relationships that boost philanthropic and social investment in housing initiatives across the Edmonton region.

The role partners with donors, fund founders, and community organizations to direct charitable capital toward affordable housing and supports investments through ECF's Social Enterprise Fund.

Qualifications

• Post-secondary education in business, communications, nonprofit management, finance, planning, or a related field.
• Five or more years of fundraising, philanthropy, or related experience.
• Experience securing funding and developing endowment funds.
• Knowledge of charitable giving and impact investing.
• Proven ability to cultivate and steward donors.

Responsibilities

• Develop strategies to increase philanthropic and social investment in affordable housing.
• Cultivate, solicit and steward donors and fund founders.
• Support endowment funds and donor-advised opportunities.
• Collaborate to implement housing strategy across the organization.
• Engage community partners and professional advisors.

Skills

Fundraising strategy

Donor relations

Community development

Impact investing

Strategic partnerships

Communication skills

Education

Post-secondary education

Job description

Are you passionate about helping address one of our community's most pressing challenges? Do you enjoy building meaningful relationships and connecting people with opportunities to create lasting impact? Are you energized by conversations about philanthropy, social impact, housing, and innovative ways to mobilize capital for community benefit? If so, we would love to hear from you.

ABOUT EDMONTON COMMUNITY FOUNDATION

Edmonton is a city shaped by people who care deeply about their community. Edmonton Community Foundation (ECF) exists to harness that generosity – connecting donors, charities, and community partners to enrich lives and build a vibrant city, now and for generations to come.

Each year, ECF distributes more than $44 million in grants and scholarships, made possible through the generosity of over 2,600 donors. Through more than 1,750 endowed funds representing over $1 billion in assets under management, ECF has granted more than $480 million to the community since 1990.

As the largest non-governmental funder of Edmonton’s charitable sector, ECF plays a unique role in identifying emerging community needs and directing resources where they can have the greatest impact. By working collaboratively with donors, nonprofits, volunteers, government, and community leaders, ECF helps ensure Edmonton continues to grow as an inclusive, resilient, and thriving community.

The Opportunity

ECF is seeking a relationship-driven and entrepreneurial professional to help advance affordable housing solutions in our community through philanthropy and impact investing.

The Philanthropy Advisor, Affordable Housing reports to the Manager, Philanthropy and is responsible for building and stewarding relationships that result in increased philanthropic and social investment in affordable housing initiatives across the Edmonton region.

This role works directly with donors, professional advisors, fund founders, charitable organizations, and community partners to identify opportunities to direct charitable capital toward affordable housing. This includes facilitating gifts that support current housing initiatives, establishing new endowment funds focused on affordable housing, engaging donor-advised fund founders in housing-focused granting opportunities, identifying opportunities within discretionary granting programs, and supporting investments into affordable housing initiatives through ECF's Social Enterprise Fund.

The successful candidate will combine strong relationship-building and fundraising skills with a passion for creating lasting community impact through innovative philanthropic solutions.

KEY ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES

Build Philanthropic Investment in Affordable Housing

• Develop and execute strategies to increase philanthropic and social investment in affordable housing initiatives.
• Identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward donors interested in addressing housing challenges in our community.
• Raise funds through flow-through giving opportunities that support affordable housing organizations and projects.
• Establish new endowment funds dedicated to affordable housing and related community outcomes.
• Explore opportunities for donors to support affordable housing initiatives through ECF's Social Enterprise Fund.

Contribute to ECF's Affordable Housing Strategy

• Collaborate with the Executive Director, Impact Investments and colleagues across the organization to support the implementation and ongoing refinement of ECF's affordable housing strategy.
• Bring insights from donors, housing organizations, developers, community partners, and the philanthropic sector to help identify emerging needs, opportunities, and barriers.
• Participate in community engagement activities, sector discussions, and partnership development to strengthen ECF's understanding of the affordable housing ecosystem.
• Support the design, implementation, and evaluation of pilot initiatives and innovative funding approaches that advance affordable housing solutions.
• Help identify opportunities to align philanthropic giving, granting, and impact investing with ECF's strategic priorities for affordable housing.

Donor Engagement

• Build relationships with donor-advised fund founders and explore opportunities to align their granting with affordable housing priorities.
• Provide donors with information, impact stories, and giving opportunities that connect their philanthropic goals to housing-related initiatives.
• Help donors understand the role philanthropy can play in addressing housing affordability and housing security.

Mobilize Capital for Community Impact

• Collaborate with internal teams to identify opportunities to direct discretionary granting toward affordable housing initiatives.
• Work closely with colleagues across the organization to maximize the impact of charitable capital.
• Stay informed on housing trends, emerging opportunities, and community needs to identify strategic investment opportunities.

Build Partnerships and Community Connections

• Develop relationships with housing organizations, developers, community leaders, professional advisors, and other key stakeholders.
• Represent ECF at meetings, events, presentations, and community forums.
• Help position ECF as a trusted partner and leader in advancing affordable housing solutions through philanthropy.

Communications, Administration and Reporting

• Contribute to donor communications, presentations, proposals, and impact reporting related to affordable housing initiatives.
• Maintain accurate records of donor interactions, opportunities, commitments, and outcomes.
• Support the effective administration and stewardship of gifts and funds directed toward affordable housing initiatives.

The Ideal Candidate

The successful candidate will bring:

• Post-secondary education in business, communications, nonprofit management, community development, finance, planning, or a related field.
• Five or more years of experience in fundraising, philanthropy, business development, wealth management, community investment, housing, real estate development, social finance, or a related field.
• Experience securing funding, growing endowment funds, developing partnerships, or managing donor portfolios.
• Knowledge of charitable giving, endowment funds, planned giving, affordable housing, community development, or impact investing.
• Experience cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding donors, clients, investors, partners, or other stakeholders.
• Strong consultative skills and the ability to uncover motivations, interests, and opportunities.
• Confidence engaging senior leaders, business owners, professional advisors, and community partners.
• An entrepreneurial mindset with the ability to identify and pursue new opportunities.
• The ability to manage multiple priorities while maintaining strong attention to detail.
• A passion for community impact and a genuine interest in affordable housing solutions.
• Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills.
• Demonstrated success building and maintaining strategic relationships.

What we Offer

We offer a competitive salary and benefits package, professional development opportunities and a supportive work environment including:

• Salary Range: $77,839 - $91,575/year.
• A 35-hour standard work week.
• Downtown work location with free parking available.
• Extended Health, Dental and Short/Long Term Disability Benefits, Life Insurance and a Health Spending Account.
• A 9% contribution to our group RRSP.
• A hybrid work environment where employees collaborate on site a minimum of 3 days per week with the flexibility to work remotely up to 2 days per week.
• Vacation starts at three weeks per year.
• 12 combined personal and sick days.

ECF is committed to building a team that reflects the diversity of our community and creating an environment where everyone feels valued, respected, and supported to thrive. We encourage applications from individuals of all backgrounds, including First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples, racialized persons, persons with disabilities, women, and members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community.