Philanthropy Officer, Special Events

Covenant House Vancouver; Vancouver; Hybrid; CAD 51,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

A non-profit youth services organization in Vancouver seeks a Philanthropy Officer for Special Events. The role involves managing events, fundraising, and developing relationships with participants and donors. Candidates should have relevant fundraising experience and strong communication skills. This position offers a flexible schedule, comprehensive benefits, and opportunities for career advancement, making it ideal for those passionate about supporting vulnerable youth.

Benefits

Flexible working arrangements

Extended health and dental benefits

Three weeks paid vacation

Matching Registered Pension Plan

Qualifications

• 2+ years of fundraising, donor relations, and special event experience.
• Experience with Raiser’s Edge database and Luminate software preferred.
• Strong communication skills in verbal and written formats.

Responsibilities

• Build and oversee a portfolio of participants for special events.
• Manage event logistics and attend events for relationship building.
• Collaborate with the Philanthropy team on participant recruitment.

Skills

Fundraising

Donor relations

Event management

Communication

Collaboration

Public speaking

Education

College or university degree

Professional certificate

Tools

Raiser’s Edge

Luminate

Microsoft Office

Job description

As we serve vulnerable youth, all employees working for Covenant House Vancouver must be fully vaccinated for COVID-19. Proof of vaccination status will be required prior to your start date.

Since 1997, Covenant House Vancouver has provided relentless support for youth experiencing, or at-risk of experiencing, homelessness. We provide support to young people age 16 to 24 who have experienced a wide range of early life and ongoing, complex trauma; including physical, sexual and emotional abuse and neglect. Our purpose is to serve all youth, with absolute respect and unconditional love, to help youth experiencing homelessness, and provide a safe and supportive environment for all youth in need.

Working at Covenant House will be one of the most meaningful things that you’ll do in your life. However, you will be confronted with significant issues in this work and frankly, this work is not for everyone. In the course of doing your work, particularly for those doing frontline work, you will be exposed to the trauma of others. The youth we serve may also experience overdose, physical harm perpetuated by self or others and even death. Because we provide a relational model of care, the harms our youth experience can impact us in varying degrees.

While we provide training for youth workers on avoiding what we call vicarious trauma (namely, the trauma you can experience or take on by hearing other’s traumatic stories), and a generous allowance for counselling, it is still difficult work that can and does take its toll on many employees. Self‑awareness and self‑care are key. Some candidates and employees decide during the recruiting and probationary periods that this work isn’t for them, and that is totally fair.

We will provide more information on vicarious trauma during recruiting and on‑boarding, to help you decide if Covenant House is the place for you.

The Impact the Philanthropy Officer, Special Events can make:

The Philanthropy Officer, Special Events will build and oversee a portfolio of both individuals and organizations who participate in special events including our two signature Sleep Outs. Responsibilities include relationship building, communications, ongoing stewardship and cultivation, managing and attending events, and administrative duties. This role involves collaborating with colleagues, community advocates, associations, and businesses. You will also maintain a CRM database, strategize to support fundraising efforts, and contribute to event logistics, guest experience, volunteer management, and participant and donor engagement.

How you will contribute:

Relationship Management & Communications

• Drive the annual recruitment and communications cycle for new and returning Sleep Out participants including relationship building, event invitations, and communications (phone, email, and in‑person)
• Build the participant pipeline for Sleep Out events through prospecting new participants, research and outreach, strategic planning, and face‑to‑face interactions
• Work collaboratively with the Philanthropy team to recruit individuals and organizations from their portfolios to join Sleep Out
• Create compelling and personalized invitations and communications including sharing fundraising tips, event updates, gratitude, and the impact of their support
• Attend corporate and community events during evenings and weekends, including occasional public speaking, to cultivate, solicit (invite to fundraising events), and steward participants
• Correspond with event participants to answer their questions regarding TeamRaiser peer‑to‑peer fundraising webpages and event logistics
• Respond to donor inquiries regarding event donations and tax receipts

Event Logistics & Administration

• Responsible for supporting critical paths, run of show, and event logistics
• Leading up to events, provide administrative support for Sleep Out events by administrating Luminate TeamRaiser including event webpages, participant registration, participant fundraising pages, gift entry, and reporting
• Administrating Raiser’s Edge CRM database including tracking actions, proposals, queries, and relationships
• Support the events team to successfully execute the Sleep Out events including the critical path workflow from conception to completion
• Lead and support staff, volunteers, and logistics on Sleep Out event day, ensuring the event runs smoothly, efficiently, and generates maximum revenue
• Support other fundraising and donor engagement events organized by the Philanthropy team

This position has the opportunity to work a 9‑day fortnight schedule most months of the year, where you’ll work longer days for 9 days and earn every other Friday off.

Who are we looking for?

Education and Experience:

• 2+ years of experience with fundraising, donor relations, and special event or similar experience
• College, University, or professional certificate degree is an asset
• Raiser’s Edge database and Luminate software experience is preferred
• Microsoft Office including Outlook, Excel, and Word

If you have less than 2 years of fundraising and events experience, you may be considered for a Coordinator, Special Events position. Please note the job description and compensation will be adjusted accordingly. The hiring salary band for the Coordinator, Special Events position is $41,095.60 and $51,378.60 depending on factors such as internal equity, experience, competencies, and education, with the opportunity to earn up to $61,661.60 over time.

• Takes personal ownership and responsibility for the quality and timeliness of work commitments. Demonstrates reliability and integrity on a daily basis.
• Ability to comfortably collaborate in a variety of situations and with diverse individuals.
• Ensures that communication efforts meet the needs of various groups and is properly understood in both written and verbal communication
• Effectively builds constructive, friendly, professional relationships and networks of key contacts with people and colleagues
• continuously strives to meet or exceed organizational and departmental goals and objectives
• works cooperatively and effectively with others to reach a common goal sharing ideas, concerns and solutions with the team
• Listens to and solicits feedback from others to identify patterns or trends that highlight the potential need for change. Leverages input to identify opportunities for improving how work is done in own work unit or department
• Interest in and comfort with public speaking and asking people to participate in Sleep Out in person, on the phone, and via email
• Accurately estimates duration and level of difficulty of tasks and projects setting out goals and objectives and work plans to complete
• Manages own time and work effectively to complete assignments within the prescribed timelines. Seeks guidance on setting priorities when given multiple tasks to undertake within the same time frame. Identifies and escalates issues that could cause delays in the completion of work. Seeks guidance from supervisor or manager when work conflicts arise to determine top priorities
• Operates with high attention to detail regarding organizational and departmental performance goals

Compensation

The successful candidate can expect a starting salary of between $51,779.00 and $64,719.20 depending on factors such as internal equity, experience, competencies, and education. Once hired, salaries are reviewed annually following the annual performance review and successful employees have the opportunity for their salary to increase, over time, up to the maximum of the pay band, currently $77,659.40.

Total Rewards

This position has flexible working arrangements with a hybrid in office expectation; excellent extended health and dental benefits for you and your spouse & children, including generous counselling benefits. During the first year, employees receive three weeks’ paid vacation, increasing to four in the second year; we have paid sick and personal leave and a matching Registered Pension Plan, investment in professional development, and more. If you’d like more information on what we offer, please ask!

We were recognized as one of Canada's Top 100 Employers in 2024!

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Covenant House Vancouver is a secular organization that welcomes and serves young people from all backgrounds. While the international federation to which we belong was founded in the 1970s by members of the Catholic Church, we are not aligned with any specific faith traditions.

CHV is committed to upholding diversity, equity, and inclusion in our workplace. We actively encourage applications from members of groups with historical and/or current barriers to equity, including, but not limited to:

• Persons from groups marginalized due to race, ancestry, colour, religion/spiritual beliefs, or place of origin;
• Persons with visible (physical) and/or invisible (mental) disabilities;
• Persons who identify as women;
• Persons of marginalized sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender expressions; and

We recognize that many of these identities intersect and that therefore, diversity, equity, and inclusion can be complex. We value the contributions that each person brings and are committed to ensuring full and equal participation for all at Covenant House Vancouver.

We love what we do and try to make a difference every day. Covenant House Vancouver offers a competitive salary with a great benefits package and excellent opportunity for training and career advancement. If you are looking to join a place where we have a purpose and aim to achieve positive outcomes, please join us by applying.

If our recruitment process does not work for you, let us know. Let’s see how we can work together to get to know you and see what might be a great fit!