Director of Major Gifts

Function/Team: Mary’s Meals Canada, Major Gifts

Reporting to: Executive Director

Contract type: Initial 1-year contract with the intention to transition into a permanent full-time

Working at Mary’s Meals Canada: Our mission, vision, and values are at the very heart of everything we do here at Mary’s Meals and working for Mary’s Meals Canada is so much more than a career opportunity, we offer the opportunity to support our global movement in a dynamic, flexible and inclusive environment with a focus on personal and professional development. We believe in the innate goodness of people, respect the dignity of every human being and family life and believe in good stewardship of the resources entrusted to us. In line with our values, Mary’s Meals is fully committed to a culture of safeguarding. Mary’s Meals Canada is a National Affiliate organization within the Mary’s Meals Network that raises vital funds and awareness of our mission. Our ambassadors in their communities across Canada play a key role in supporting grassroots fundraising initiatives, helping us raise the essential funds needed to provide over 2.4 million children with a nutritious school meal every day.

Role purpose: Reporting to the Executive Director and serving as a senior leader on the Canadian leadership team, the Director of Major Gifts will support and drive forward our ambitious strategy. They will be responsible for developing new partnerships with foundations, businesses/corporations, and high-net-worth individuals who align with our values. This role is focused specifically on the development and growth of Major Gifts fundraising. As Director of Major Gifts, you will lead in developing and supporting strategic relationships to ensure the long-term financial sustainability and growth of our movement. This will include a strategic focus of major gifts and the use of data analytics for identifying major gift prospects. You are responsible for increasing support from international grassroots supporters, foundations, corporations, major donors and other strategic philanthropic partners.

Key responsibilities & activities:

Develop prospecting database: The Director of Major Gifts will develop a comprehensive database of Canadian corporations/businesses, foundations and high net worth individuals aligned with Mary’s Meals mission who present potential partnership opportunities. Develop and implement fundraising strategies: The Director of Major Gifts will be responsible for developing and implementing a comprehensive fundraising strategy that aligns with the organization's mission and goals. This will involve identifying potential donors, creating fundraising campaigns, and developing donor recognition programs. Cultivate new major and HNW donor relationships:

• Identify and cultivate new major and HNW donor relationships to expand Mary’s Meals Canada’s donor base and increase revenue.

• Create proposals for potential donors, tailored to their interests and goals by leveraging existing MM’s promotional materials to create a clear and compelling story that highlights the impact of school feeding programs for children and communities in India, Zambia, Malawi, and Kenya.

Director of Major Gifts

• Develop relationships with potential donors by reaching out to key decision-makers, attending community, and networking events, and inviting potential donors to events and volunteer opportunities.

Engage donors: The Director of Major Gifts will cultivate strong relationships with donors, including major gift / high-net-worth donors, foundations, and corporations. This includes:

• Identifying the interests and motivations of donors.

• Creating customized engagement plans to maintain their support such as offering recognition to corporate donors by including their logos on our website, social media channels, and event materials.

• Donors will be offered opportunities to engage with the organization, such as speaking at events or volunteering.

Achieve 2025 fundraising goal: The Director of Major Gifts is expected to bring in $250,000 of new money from High-Net-Worth Individuals, Foundations, and Corporations within the year 2025, contributing to the organization's overall financial sustainability and growth.

• Track fundraising progress: The Director of Major Gifts will monitor fundraising progress and adjust strategies as needed to ensure that the organization meets its fundraising goals. This includes:

o Analyzing fundraising data, identifying trends, and making recommendations to improve fundraising efforts.

o Overseeing CRM and tracking systems in collaboration with Administrator, Operations & Donor Relations.

o Ensure that weekly reporting dashboards are available for the leadership team to review. o Offer in-time recommendations based on trends that are visible through the database.

Collaborate with other departments: The Director of Major Gifts will work closely with the Executive Director, Director Operations and Engagement, Director of Marketing and Communications and Head of Finance as well as the Board of Directors to ensure that fundraising efforts are integrated with overall organizational goals and messaging. In addition, it will be vital to build relationships with colleagues across the Mary’s Meals community who hold similar portfolios to brainstorm larger (global) philanthropic partnership opportunities. Leading and Managing:

• Oversee the delivery, monitoring and reporting of progress made against strategies and plans.

• Promote a culture of engagement and empowerment including identifying and implementing opportunities for development.

• Seek all opportunities for personal growth and development to support the aims of our organizational strategy.

• Role-model Mary’s Meals values and leadership behaviors.

Additional information: Please note: This role begins as a 1-year contract, with the intention to transition into a permanent full-time position based on performance and organizational needs. As our organization evolves and grows, your job description may need to be reviewed and if appropriate, changed. These changes may be initiated by you or your manager but always in consultation with you and your job description may also be reviewed as part of your annual PDR process. All employees are expected to undertake the following general duties:

• Work within the framework of the Mary’s Meals mission, vision and values.

• Work towards achieving department strategy, operational plans and objectives.

• Ensure familiarity with and adhere to all MM policies and procedures.

• Undertake and apply learning from appropriate training and development programs.

• You may be required to travel to countries where Mary’s Meals operates.

• Understand and uphold the standards outlined in MM’s Safeguarding Policy, acting with due care and attention to safeguard anyone that meets our work.

• Demonstrate behaviors that promote a safe culture and raise any safeguarding concerns immediately.

Essential skills & experience required for this role: Minimum of 5 years of progressive fundraising experience, specifically in securing and managing major gifts.

• A commitment to Mary’s Meals’ vision, mission and values.

• A strong track record in growing income streams, with success securing multi-year funding at the level of six figures.

• Experience of raising funds from a diverse range of fundraising streams including major donors, institutional funders, and partnerships with foundations and corporations.

• A solid understanding and experience of how donors make decisions to ensure maximum fundraising success.

• Experience leading major gift fundraising teams and cross-functional collaboration specifically for major gifts initiatives.

• Experience working in collaboration with other teams to drive income generation.

• Knowledge of the regulatory framework in relation to fundraising and the not-for-profit sector

• Experience working at a senior leadership level including experience working in a similar role and leading a fundraising team.

• Demonstrable experience of similar senior management roles.

• Strong communication skills, with the ability to get buy-in and commitment to the vision and mission within the organization and across the global movement involving diverse groups.

• Ability to build relationships with multiple stakeholders at all levels.

• Experience of developing and implementing strategies, policies and procedures and translating these into action.

• A proven track record in building capacity and developing and leading high-performing teams.

• Experience speaking in front of large audiences, both virtually and in person, to be an ambassador for Mary’s Meals. Developed public speaking skills for major donor engagement and relationship building at the highest levels.

Mary’s Meals 7S Leadership Competencies: As a leader within Mary’s Meals International, you have a responsibility to approach your role in line with our 7S competency model.

Self
• I build and demonstrate resilience.

• I lead by example.

• I am authentic and true to Mary’s Meals values.

• I develop myself and set stretching goals

Service
• I have a vocational attitude to my work.

• I inspire hope in others.

• I build belief that even difficult challenges can be solved.

• I am committed to serving and enabling all who want to be part of the global movement.

• I work to ensure our future will be even better than our past

Simplicity
• I communicate effectively.

• I follow clear decision-making criteria.

• I create plans that are easy to follow and contribute to organizational goals.

• I embrace inclusivity and diversity.

• I focus on delivering results

Stewardship
• I pay attention to the things that matter most – our physical resources, our people.

• I nurture, develop and respect our relationships with external stakeholders.

• I deliver on my promises.

• I am happy to be held accountable and to hold others to account

Strategy
• I have a point of view about the future.

• I know our stakeholders and see our priorities clearly.

• I help others to work in ways that have the greatest impact.

• I develop strategy and translate it into action

Strengthen
• I create a positive work environment.

• I increase the capabilities of my team.

• I help people manage their careers.

• I find and develop next-generation talent

Success
• I ensure my team is technically competent and always developing.

• I build high performing teams.

• I ensure accountability.

• I am a catalyst for change