Job Description

Organizational Summary

Make-A-Wish Canada creates life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses. They are on a quest to bring every eligible child\'s wish to life because a wish is an integral part of a child\'s treatment journey. Research shows children who have wishes granted can build the physical and emotional strength they need to fight a critical illness.

Since 1983, Make-A-Wish Canada has granted over 38,000 wishes across the country, and over 1,400 last year alone. Together with generous donors, supporters, staff and more than 1,000 volunteers across Canada, Make-A-Wish Canada has bold ambitions for growth to bring the therapeutic and transformational benefits of a wish to every family in Canada facing the challenges of childhood critical illness.

Make-A-Wish Canada is an independently operating affiliate of Make-A-Wish International which operates in 50 countries and is the world\'s leading children\'s wish-granting organization. In Canada, the organization serves children in every community from coast-to-coast-to-coast.

Background

In 2019, the new Make-A-Wish Foundation of Canada was established through the voluntary integration of eight federated Make-A-Wish chapters across Canada and the Children\'s Wish Foundation.

The purpose of this merger was to:

• Increase wish-granting ability to fulfill the wish of every eligible child;
• Become a top-tier and truly national charitable organization with increased geographic reach and efficacy in mission delivery, fundraising, impact measurement, talent management and operational efficiency;
• Eliminate brand ambiguity in the market and enhance national marketing and fundraising programs; and
• Diversify funding streams to include more profitable donor segments.

In February 2022, was appointed Chief Executive Officer by the Board of Directors and was granted approval from the National Board of Directors for an ambitious three-year strategic plan in September 2022. This long-term vision has three goals- to Raise Money, Grant Wishes, and Be Awesome! This new path forward has galvanized and inspired the team across the country, and significant progress has already been made including:

• 42% YOY growth in wish delivery in 2023;
• 31% growth in fundraising in 2023;
• Successful delivery of a full business transformation including CRM (Salesforce), finance and HRIS systems to support the new truly national, top-tier health charity; and
• Being certified as a Great Place To Work \xe2\x84\xa2 for the first time in the history of the organization.

There is significant positive momentum at Make-A-Wish Canada making this an exciting and opportune time to join the organization.

Position Summary

Reporting to the Chief Executive Officer, the Vice President, Atlantic Canada, leads Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland & Labrador in fundraising, mission delivery, and elevating community awareness and engagement across the region. As a member of the organization\'s senior leadership team, this role will contribute nationally and lead regionally.

Responsibilities include:

Regional Fundraising and Mission Leadership

• Translates national strategy to regional plans, driving fundraising and execution of mission delivery activities across the region in partnership with staff and volunteers;
• Oversees the day-to-day operations of the region by developing and maintaining strong relationships at all levels of the organization (e.g., National Office, volunteers, suppliers, sponsors, donors, media, and community liaisons);
• Works in partnership with national functional leads, promoting best practices and collaboration across regions to achieve Make-A-Wish Canada\'s strategic and annual goals;
• Drives revenue growth across the region by coaching and supporting provincial Chapter Directors to deliver a comprehensive fundraising program including mid-level giving, corporate partnerships, foundations, and first- and third-party events;
• Acts as a role model in translating community supporters into individual, mid-level and major gift donors;
• Supports the Sr. Manager, Mission Delivery in the growth of wish delivery across the region including stewardship of relationships with wish families, referral agents, and volunteer wish grantors to ensure consistency and excellence across the Wish Journey;
• Serves as a sounding board for Chapter Directors and Mission Delivery leaders in considering strategies to resolve local issues, and/or escalate issues to appropriate national functional lead;
• Obtains a deep understanding of the \xe2\x80\x9cvoice of the region\xe2\x80\x9d, including the needs of local staff, local wish families, and local donors, and advocates for regions at the national leadership table;
• Drives innovation to fuel growth in alignment with Make-A-Wish Canada\'s strategic objectives;
• Acts as a key ambassador and spokesperson for Make-A-Wish Canada in Atlantic Canada, specifically with local media, wish families, referral source network, donors, and other stakeholders; and
• Works in collaboration with the national leadership team to ensure adherence to Make-A-Wish Canada\'s and global performance standards, policies, guidelines, and procedures at the chapter level.

Volunteer Management Accountabilities

• Acts as an ex-officio member of the provincial Chapter Advisory Boards (CAB), supporting them in the execution of their responsibilities to help ensure that the Foundation\'s fundraising and wish-granting objectives are reached in the Chapter;
• Coaches and supports Chapter Directors in their role to directly support the CAB;
• Ensures a full complement of wish-granting and fundraising volunteers and optimal stewardship to optimize their experiences and long-term retention in support of Make-A-Wish Canada;
• Collaborates with National Director, Volunteer Engagement and Regional Volunteer Coordinator in ensuring appropriate selection, onboarding, training, and recognition of volunteers for work in the region; and
• Oversees staff in the management of all volunteers, including office workers, fundraising and mission delivery volunteers, CAB members and other volunteer committees.

Staff Management Accountabilities

• Provides leadership to the full team in Atlantic Canada to drive a mission-motivated, collaborative, and high-performance culture;
• Recruits, engages, inspires, and retains top talent such that they build their careers at Make-A-Wish Canada;
• Provides support and direction in the development, alignment, and accomplishment of objectives through ongoing performance feedback, recognition, and coaching;
• Provides a safe and healthy work environment for team members and relevant stakeholders; and
• Ensures they work in compliance with The Occupational Health & Safety Act in the applicable province of employment, its regulations, and the Foundation\'s Health & Safety Policy.

Financial Accountabilities

• Oversees the regional budget as agreed upon in the annual collaborative planning and budgeting process;
• Monitors department adherence to financial policies and controls;
• Determines expense projections as part of the budgeting and forecasting process;
• Authorize expenditures within approved guidelines; and
• Monitors expenditures against budget and forecast and initiates appropriate remedial activity as required.

Required Experience and Qualifications

As the ideal candidate, you will have a post-secondary degree with extensive executive leadership and management experience, preferably in a multi-level not-for-profit organization, or equivalent education and experience.

You are a visionary, dynamic, and collaborative fundraising leader who can influence and motivate stakeholders at all levels in the organization and across the community. You bring strong interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills to the table, with demonstrated success in strategic and annual planning; fundraising board development; donor cultivation and multi-channel fundraising; proven success in community-based fundraising; and soliciting mid-level and major gifts from individual and corporate donors.

Above all, you are a people person, with a proven ability to inspire and coach your team to meet and exceed goals. You have proven ability to work effectively with a diverse population of community leaders, volunteers, donors, and other stakeholders, and can hone in on your strong organizational, administrative and time management skills while being able to address multiple projects in a fast-paced environment. You have experience working with and supporting a volunteer advisory board focused on fundraising and awareness building. You can pioneer new territory while building programs from the ground up. You are someone with integrity with a dedication to maintaining confidentiality.

Make-A-Wish Canada embraces a culture of belonging in the workplace. No matter who you are, where you\'re from, how you think, what you believe in, or who you love, your application is welcome. Diversity is appreciated and there is understanding that we all come from different backgrounds and different walks of life, bringing in unique perspectives and experiences. Applications from 2SLGBTQ+, Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour (BIPOC), women, newcomers to Canada, and people with disabilities are encouraged. If you require any accommodation in the application and interview process, please let us know.

If you are interested in this exciting opportunity, please contact Jessica Snelgrove at jsnelgrove@venor.ca or Graham Langill at , or apply via the "Apply Now" button to visit Venor\'s application page.

Make-A-Wish Foundation