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POSITION: Fund Development Coordinator
REPORTS TO: Director, Engagement & Partnerships
JOB TYPE: Full-Time Position, 40 hours / week
TERM LENGTH: Permanent, following a 4 month probationary period
HIRING SALARY: $59,042.03, plus a comprehensive benefits package 

About us

The University of Toronto Students’ Union (UTSU) is the official student government for more than 38,000 students at the University of Toronto’s St. George Campus, in the heart of downtown Toronto. We lead on service-provision, program development, advocacy, and the development and support of student-leaders. The UTSU is a competitive employer that aims to foster a culture of belonging, community, and shared-leadership within the St. George campus community.

The Role 

We are seeking a Fund Development Coordinator to join our team. They will be responsible for coordinating activities for the solicitation of sponsorship, funding and donor gifts from individuals, businesses, and foundations to support the UTSU in its mission to serve students. As a member of the Outreach and Engagement team, the successful candidate will possess an understanding of non-profit development and has experience working in sponsorships, planning and budgeting, capital fundraising campaigns,  special events, and in identifying and cultivating relationships with current and prospective sponsors. For the 2024-2025 fiscal year, we are looking for the Fund Development Coordinator to develop and raise a minimum of 500K in funding through a combination of sponsorships, fundraising, and other development activities.

The Fund Development Coordinator reports to the Director of the Outreach & Engagement team. The role requires a high degree of collaboration and communication with other teams across the organization. They are a member of the UTSU’s Bargaining Unit and unionized with CUPE 1281.

We are actively seeking a candidate committed to and aware of dynamics relating to equity, diversity and inclusion, access to services, anti-racism and anti-oppression, gender justice, Indigenous reconciliation and acknowledgment, and anti-poverty as it relates to students, student services and student life.

Key Responsibilities

As this is a new role, the key responsibilities outlined below are interpreted as being descriptive in nature and are not an exhaustive or comprehensive list of all possible job responsibilities, tasks, and duties. 

A) Fund Development

• Coordinate and execute fundraising, sponsorship, and fund development activities to support the UTSU’s events, programs, and initiatives

• Collaborate with the Director to identify appropriate UTSU personnel responsible for initiating and maintaining funding and sponsor relationships for various purposes, and connect funders to relevant organizational areas of interest. 

• Conduct an assessment and triage of prospective funders and sponsors based on current or shifting organizational priorities 

• Identify, research and connect with corporations, donors, and foundations for donations, sponsorships and in-kind donations

• Coordinate and be the focal point for the receipt of in-kind donations or collateral from funding alliances in support of major UTSU events such as Orientation, Frost Week, Unity Ball, and other Executive-led UTSU special events.

• Collaborate and assist in the design, production, and distribution of all fundraising materials, including sponsorship packages and collateral materials for funders, and ensure materials are completed to give sufficient time to sponsors to engage with the materials, accounting for event and initiative timelines. 

• Prepare receipts and acknowledgement letters to funders, ensuring all documentation is handled in accordance with CRA guidelines. 

• Research and coordinate use of CRM and other technologies for sponsorship and donor tracking. 

• Keep apprised of current development trends and best practices in order to adapt fundraising strategies, particularly for student organizations and environments. 

• Report financial and donor metrics and projections, along with tracking to ensure that revenue generation meets expectations.

• Conduct research on grants opportunities to support UTSU’s programme pillars and priorities.

B) Stakeholder Research and Relations

• Conduct a stakeholder environmental scan within the university and local community to identify available supports and resources for students that are tied to our programme pillars

• Conduct research on individuals, UTSU alumni and entities seeking to develop sponsorship opportunities with the UTSU and provide recommendations whether or not to pursue

• Maintain focus on cultivating, recognizing and stewarding relationships with existing and prospective St. George campus departments, funders and sponsors

• Assist the Director, Engagement and Partnerships with developing and expanding relationships with other stakeholders 

• Attend and report on networking events and meetings with prospective funders and sponsors

• Maintain an excellent ongoing relationship with various funding partners and other stakeholders and offer new ways to buttress relationships 

• Ensure that any funding relationships established within a fiscal year are carried over to the following year, maintaining contact with key stakeholders so that relationships can be renewed with ease. 

• Deliver a great experience to our local and university community stakeholders when working with the UTSU

C) Operational Leadership & Collaboration

• Identify opportunities for improved fund development and customer service excellence, making recommendations to ensure the UTSU’s approach to fund development is in line with best practices.

• Ensure that relevant activities are executed in a financially-responsible, sustainable, accessible, safe and equitable manner.

• Prepare regular reports on progress, budgets, receipts and expenditure related to fund development activities.

• Simultaneously manage multiple projects with short deadlines, especially during the summer semester, when sponsorships need to be activated for the following school Fall and Winter semesters. 

• In collaboration with management; determine appropriate part-time and casual staffing needs to support fund development work

• In collaboration with management; train, motivate, supervise, and support performance evaluation of part-time and casual staff 

• Maintain high performing working relationships across all teams within UTSU, to support the delivery of high impact outcomes within outreach, services, and programs

• Actively support an environment of teamwork, co-operation, performance excellence, and personal success

• Solicit and integrate organization-wide needs and priorities into overall strategies

• Provide recommendations to the Director, Engagement and Partnerships for the improvement of fund engagement processes and outcomes

• Other duties as assigned

About You

• 3-5 years of proven experience in fund development and sponsorship methods, specifically in bringing in revenue or funding for events, programs and initiatives. Experience with fund development in the non-profit sector is a considerable asset 

• Undergraduate/ bachelor’s degree in a related field. 

• Equivalent combinations of education and related experience will be considered. 

• Familiarity and comfort with developing and using fund development or donor tracking technologies (i.e. computer skills for mail merges, database management, CRM, spreadsheets, etc.) 

• Research skills, specifically to survey and assess sponsors and funders for compatibility, feasibility, and value alignment

• Ability to think strategically, work independently and collaboratively, while managing competing priorities in a high-volume, results-oriented environment

• Ability to balance multiple priorities, prioritize and deliver products and tactics on time 

• Interpersonal, communication, and public relations skills. 

• Ability to build successful working relationships with internal and external partners, employing negotiation and risk assessment skills as required. 

• Able to respect and maintain a high degree of confidentiality, and to employ tact, discretion, and diplomacy as needed. 

• Possess superb written and presentation skills 

How to apply

Submit a cover letter and resume by email to apply@utsu.ca, with a reference to the title “Fund Development Coordinator” in the subject line by April 11, 2024 at 11:59pm. 

In your cover letter, please reference specific experiences you have acquiring funding or sponsorship in service to a particular project, event, or initiative. 

We thank all candidates in advance for their interest. Only those selected for an interview will be contacted.

EQUITY & ACCESSIBILITY

The University of Toronto Students’ Union (UTSU) is committed to fulfilling its mission in an environment that embraces and actively works towards equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging. The UTSU seeks to be proactive in attracting candidates who are members of equity-seeking groups, including but not limited to: women, Indigenous people, people with disabilities, racialized people, and people with diverse sexual orientations or gender identities/expressions. 

In order for us to assess all applications in a fair and equitable manner, please indicate to apply@utsu.ca at the time of your application of any requirement for accommodation, or if you would like someone to contact you about individualized application support.