About UJA Federation of Greater Toronto
At UJA Federation of Greater Toronto, our vision is to lead the most vibrant Jewish community in North America - a community characterized by its diversity, unity, compassion, generosity and commitment to Jewish values. Together with our philanthropic, volunteer and professional leadership, we’re changing lives.
As one of North America’s leading Jewish non-profits, UJA Federation of Greater Toronto works to preserve and strengthen the quality of Jewish life in Greater Toronto, Canada, Israel and around the world. UJA advances this mission through fundraising, programs, and research focused on our strategic pillars: fighting poverty and improving well-being, growing Jewish education and identity, countering antisemitism and hate, and strengthening connections with Israel and Jewish communities worldwide.
Situated within UJA the Jewish Foundation of Greater Toronto is a community foundation that makes charitable giving easy and rewarding so that individuals and families can fulfill their personal philanthropic goals and translate their charitable vision into viable solutions to some of the community’s most pressing needs. Jewish tradition teaches that one of our key responsibilities is to make the world a better place for future generations.
As one of the largest Jewish community foundations in Canada, the Jewish Foundation of Greater Toronto has been in business and managing millions of dollars in assets since 1962.
About the Opportunity
Reporting to the Vice President, Philanthropic Leadership, our Senior Philanthropic Advisor will contribute to the development strategy and full donor experience for our leading philanthropists, giving more than $10,000 per year to UJA and some high net worth prospects. This will include creating highly personalized strategies that maximize their giving to the community through the Annual Campaign, but also include thoughtful and curated plans to cultivate and solicit gifts to/through the Jewish Foundation and transformational gifts to other campaigns. The Senior Philanthropic Advisor will focus on building and enhancing long term relationships with donors, as well as with high potential prospects, to better understand donor motivations and fulfillment.
Key Responsibilities:
- Increase the number and dollar value of charitable funds at the Jewish Foundation.
- Identify, cultivate, solicit and steward new fundholders to grow the Foundation.
- Responsible for the engagement and development of a personal portfolio of leading and high potential donors, creating individualized engagement plans, strategic cultivation, and philanthropic growth.
- Cultivate donors to educate and encourage establishment of Donor Advised Funds, UJA Legacy gifts, planned gifts and other giving vehicles through the Jewish Foundation
- Working with colleagues in departments across UJA Federation, develop a thorough understanding of our work and products, in order to bring funding opportunities to donors/fundholders.
- Develop relationships with Advisors, including:
- Work with the Professional Advisory Committee of the Jewish Foundation
- Educate Advisors about the Jewish Foundation and strategize with them on how to advocate for philanthropic giving through the Jewish Foundation with their clients
- Develop and work on initiatives to deepen relationships with leading philanthropic families, including but not limited to:
- Family philanthropy and the transfer of wealth;
- Initiatives involving conversations around philanthropic values, identity and charitable vision.
- Estate planning and UJA Legacy giving
- Collaborate with other teams within UJA to create and engage leading donors in conversations about impact in priority areas;
- Work as part of the integrated fundraising team by working closely with the UJA staff and maintaining a list of Major Gift donors.
- Assist with strategic decisions relating to the Jewish Foundation, communications materials, problem solving with colleagues and other related matters to support Foundation team members and Foundation initiatives generally.
- Work with the philanthropic advisory team on all day-to-day projects and workflow.
Qualifications:
- Post-secondary degree in fundraising or related field or equivalent experience;
- 10+ years of business or non-profit experience, including management of complex initiatives and interaction with senior executives.
- CFRE considered an asset.
- Excellent communicator in written and verbal form
- Experience planning and leading strategic initiatives
- Experience with complex software systems, including customer relationship management systems is preferred
- Experience with budget management is preferred
- Familiarity with CRA laws, giving vehicles
- Strong interpersonal skills with ability to quickly build rapport with colleagues and donors
- Proactive with excellent organizational, prioritizing and time-management skills
- A self-starter able to leverage his/her knowledge, skill and experience to manage complex change from start to finish
- Ability to manage complex projects and budgets, working collaboratively with staff as well as with multiple stakeholders to deliver results
- Knowledge of the not-for-profit sector
- Knowledge of Toronto’s Jewish community
- Maintain a high degree of discretion and confidentiality.
At UJA we support a flexible work schedule and all of our employees engage in hybrid work. Engagement and connection are key to supporting the best employee experience and we want to ensure that this puts balance and well-being at the forefront of our approach to ways of working. In addition to a rich time off policy, UJA’s offices are closed on all Jewish holy days (yom tov) and we support early office closures to observe the Jewish Sabbath (Shabbat).
Commitment to Inclusion and Accessibility:
UJA Federation supports a diverse candidate and employment experience. We are proud of our dynamic professional team, which reflects the diversity of the Jewish community and general community alike in Greater Toronto. We are an equal opportunity employer and welcome applicants from all communities. We encourage you to follow us to get regular updates on open roles. We are committed to creating an inclusive and accessible workplace and believe this is essential to ensure that every member of our team can thrive.
We adhere to barrier-free and accessible employment practices in compliance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA). Should you require Code-protected accommodation through any stage of the recruitment process, please notify us and we will work with you to meet your needs.
