Director Of Advancement

Director of Advancement

Salary Range: $125,000 - $135,000
Role: Permanent
Start: July 1, 2024
Operational Calendar
Location: Onsite
Open to: Internal and External Candidates

The Director of Advancement for Montcrest School plays a critical role in the school’s financial sustainability, engagement and growth. Reporting to the Head, of Community Relations, The Director will strategically lead advancement programs to increase fundraising revenues, donor relations and alumni engagement in support of Montcrest’s academic and institutional priorities. Montcrest seeks a highly collaborative, relationship-oriented and strategic team member who will prioritize engagement and work closely with the leadership team, including Community Relations, to develop and implement strategies that align with the school’s mission and values.

Through the lens of our current strategic commitments, the Director of Advancement is responsible for the following:

• Cultivating Relationships
• Constructing Foundational Structures
• Dismantling Inequitable Systems

In your first year at Montcrest, you’ll be directly involved in:

• Growing Montcrest’s capacity in major gifts, stewardship, annual leadership giving, and alumni engagement.
• Improving our stakeholder database (CRM) to feed into strategic re-engagement of the Montcrest community.
• Developing and overseeing a holistic volunteer management strategy, which includes a reciprocal relationship with the Montcrest Parents’ Association and Working alongside the Montcrest Advancement Committee to progress the school's strategic advancement goals.
• Overseeing the creation and dissemination of all annual impact and stewardship reports, including an annual Giving Report in collaboration with the Marketing and Communications team.
• Building and Implementing Montcrest’s Strategic Tactical Plan for fund development and engagement in close consultation with the Advancement Committee and Community Relations Team.
• Building a framework for a shared understanding of developing a culture of philanthropy at Montcrest.
• Defining fundraising priorities and building a healthy pipeline.
• Establishing, implementing and monitoring policy and procedure for donor recognition, including donor naming protocols, donor loyalty programs, donor-related programs and events, and other forms of donor recognition, to ensure appropriate and consistent recognition
• Developing, overseeing, tracking and reporting on donor stewardship plans, individually and in aggregate, to ensure Montcrest is appropriately stewarding and reporting on gifts

Fostering an Inclusive Community

• Ensuring that community events strategically capture the full range of audiences at Montcrest and consider the community's unique composition.
• Working with data that measures the success of inclusive engagement and fundraising work across the whole school community of past, present and future community members.
• Participating in team building to develop trusting relationships.
• Contributing to various Co-Curricular and School-wide initiatives.

About you

I understand that…

• The role of the Director of Advancement is a hybrid of fundraising and engagement activities and is critical in driving a Culture of Philanthropy.
• All fundraising and engagement efforts and activities should align with the school’s mission, vision, and strategic plan.
• Building and maintaining relationships is of the utmost importance at Montcrest.
• Current research in Advancement, Fundraising, Marketing and Communications are critical in meeting the school’s Advancement needs.
• Community engagement intersects with all aspects of school life and requires collaborative work across teams.

I am able to…

• Think strategically and be resourceful.
• Lead teams within school settings.
• Connect and establish ongoing relationships with students, parents, alumni, current donors, and potential donors.
• Communicate effectively through clear and direct written, verbal, and digital skills.
• Oversee Advancement activities and volunteer management, including the Montcrest Parent’s Association, Montcrest Alumni Association, stewardship, fundraising and specific donor and community events.
• Communicate the school’s mission and impact to donors and other stakeholders.
• Develop strategies that foster engagement and build relationships with donors, alumni, and other stakeholders. This includes developing personalized cultivation and stewardship plans, hosting events, and engaging donors in the life of the school.
• Work with colleagues to develop digital approaches to effective data collection, management and implementation.

I am becoming more…

• Courageous, open-minded, and vulnerable in my leadership approach.
• Willing to reassess and make a change in direction based on feedback.
• Empathetic, caring and compassionate with learners, families, and colleagues.
• Open to challenging my own perspectives and biases.

About us

Montcrest School is an independent JK to Grade 8 school in the heart of Toronto. It is situated on the traditional territories of the Wendat, Anishinabeg, Chippewa, Haudenosaunee Confederacy and most recently, the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nations.

Montcrest is a welcoming community that specializes in cultivating incredible young people. We believe in small class sizes and unparalleled student-teacher relationships. We believe individuality is something to protect, not suppress. And we believe in meeting our students with the ideal supports—and just right challenges—for each age and stage, so they emerge as secure, self-directed young people who excel in academics and in life. Simply put, Montcrest helps children become who they’re meant to be.

We are committed to equity and inclusion. We are working to dismantle inequitable systems and to establish a community where all diversity is a source of strength and creativity. We thank all candidates for their interest in working as part of our team. At this time, we are only able to progress candidates with current work status in Canada.

Our Process

We are debiasing our hiring process as part of our commitment to foster an inclusive community. Candidates are asked to complete the following form by Tuesday, February 20th, 2024. If you do not have a Google account, please email your CV to careers@montcrest.ca.

1. Shortlisting

Your responses to the form should outline how you demonstrate the About You section. Responses will be anonymized and randomized prior to screening. We will not view your CV as part of the initial screening process. We will shortlist candidate responses based on their alignment with the knowledge, competencies, and character required for this position. The intent is to minimize bias in the first assessment stage.

2. Initial Conversation (30 minutes)

Successful candidates selected to move forward in the process will be contacted to arrange an informal conversation. On this call, you can ask us questions about the school and the role. You will also hear more about our skill-based hiring process.

3. Scenario skill-based Interview

You will engage in a formal interview where we will engage with skill-based scenarios. You will be provided with further information prior to this stage.

4. Authentic Belonging Interview

If successful, you will progress to a final interview where we will discuss the school vision, mission, values and learning principles and any new questions you might have for us.

For more information about Montcrest School, please visit montcrest.ca.