The Opportunity

MS Canada is seeking a strategic and engaging Vice-President, Philanthropy to lead our $34M and growing Philanthropy portfolio. This portfolio contributes significantly to the overall annual revenue of $46M (pre-Covid). Responsible for guiding and motivating philanthropy team members to achieve revenue goals, the Vice-President will set fundraising strategies for principal and major gift portfolios, corporate partnerships and sponsorship, and annual giving, while also working with the CEO, Board, key leadership volunteers and our Mission and Community teams to launch and achieve revenue goals for a new $100M+ campaign to help drive philanthropic success.

Reporting to the CEO and sitting on the Executive Team, the Vice-President, Philanthropy will work collaboratively with leadership volunteers, executives, and team members at all levels to achieve critical, shared outcomes. Serving as our chief philanthropy officer, the Vice-President will strengthen the culture of philanthropy across the organization and build a program that delivers exceptional cultivation, solicitation and stewardship to donors. As an experienced and accomplished fundraiser, the Vice- President will leverage their skills and model best practices by actively leading a portfolio of major/principal gifts, building long-lasting and productive relationships, and by ensuring superior donor experiences.

The Vice-President will enjoy a flexible work location anywhere in Canada. Travel across Canada for meetings and donor engagement will be required in this role.

About MS Canada

This is an exciting time to join MS Canada as we move forward with our bold vision of a world free of MS. With a mission to connect and empower the MS community and to create positive change, MS Canada provides essential services to people with MS and their families and funds research to find pathways to cures.

Canada has one of the highest rates of multiple sclerosis (MS) in the world, with an estimated 90,000 Canadians living with the disease. While it is most often diagnosed in young adults aged 20 to 49, younger children and older adults are also diagnosed with the disease. The total annual estimated socioeconomic cost of MS in Canada in 2019 was estimated at $3.4 billion. At MS Canada, we are privileged to be a part of a determined group of change agents who are working tirelessly to create a world free of MS with thousands of volunteers engaged in and advancing our programs, fundraising events, public awareness campaigns and advocacy activities.

MS Canada is governed by a board of directors comprised of 14 volunteer members who are elected annually. With the implementation of the Community Engagement Model in 2019, hundreds of leadership volunteers are serving on division and community councils across the country. Leading community-based initiatives in fundraising, advocacy, public awareness, research and programs, Councils act as important connections to our grassroots. Our strategic vision not only builds upon the work of the entire MS community but also brings a new chapter to move forward with our mission of connecting and empowering the MS community to create positive change that helps realize our vision of a world free of MS. Through discoveries, innovation, and collective action, we will work together to alleviate the uncertainty that MS causes, help provide accessible options for disease management, and reach out to partners to eliminate physical and social barriers in our communities. Our strategy not only lays out the roadmap in our journey to create a world free of MS, but we hope it also provides inspiration for all in the MS community to connect and collaborate in order to advance treatment and care, enhance well-being, understand and halt disease progression, and prevent MS from happening. Discover. Innovate. Act.

Philanthropy at MS Canada

The core support of MS Canada has been from tens of thousands of dedicated individuals, companies and foundations in communities across Canada. In 2022, MS Canada raised over $46 million through a diverse fundraising portfolio of events, major gifts and other fundraising initiatives:

$11.0 million came from Community-based fundraising events
$13.3 million came from Direct Marketing
$18.4 million came from Leadership Giving (major and planned giving)
$2.4 million came from partnerships and cause marketing
$1.2 million came from gaming, public awareness activities and other sources such as the sale of goods, investment income, memberships, and other miscellaneous activities

In 2022, MS Canada reinvested funds in the following programs:

$4 million in MS research – research grants, scholarships, fellowships, and investments
$3 million in programs and services – including education programs, self-help groups, recreational and social programs, information and referral services, financial support for daily living or equipment need
$5.2 million in public education and awareness – awareness campaigns, newsletters
$4 million in chapter and volunteer support and development – volunteer recruitment and training, chapter support from division and national offices
$1.6 million in government and community relations – educating all levels of government about needed changes to benefit Canadians living with MS and assistance to clients dealing with local transit and accessibility issues

Key Responsibilities

Fundraising

Develop and implement a diversified and integrated fundraising strategy, aligned with the strategic framework, with clearly defined goals and outcomes.
Work in partnership with the CEO, executive team, board of directors and MS Governors to successfully develop the strategy for and launch a new $100 million campaign.
Provide leadership to mobilize staff to create a cohesive and integrated approach to fundraising across the country in the areas of principal gifts, major gifts, annual giving, planned giving, foundations, and corporate sponsorship and engagement.
Drive increased focus and capacity of principal and major gifts across the country.
Play a central role in the identification, cultivation, and solicitation of major donors, involving leadership volunteers and the CEO as needed, and actively manage a portfolio of top prospects and donors.
Provide direct support to team prospecting and solicitation activities to expand portfolios and advance outcomes, paying special attention to building pipelines in all areas of giving.
Oversee strategies that effectively steward donors at all levels of giving to optimize the donor experience.
Work with the Marketing & Communications team to chart the strategic direction for fundraising and donor stewardship in digital channels, ensuring the implementation of current best practices in all areas including social, mobile, web, direct mail etc.
Lead the strategic execution of the annual giving program, which includes the direct response campaign.
Increase sponsorship, cause marketing partnerships, and corporate donations, and oversee corporate and cultivation events in partnership with the Marketing & Communications team.
Ensure consistent and effective use of donor software (Salesforce) to inform decision-making and maximize fundraising opportunities.
Establish performance measures, evaluate, and monitor the success of fundraising strategies.
Develop and maintain productive relationships with board and leadership volunteers, providing assistance as required to support fundraising activities.

Senior Executive & Team Leadership

Work in partnership with the CEO to lead MS Governors activities and
Function as an integral part of a high-performing executive team, focused on collaboration, working successfully across units and achieving impact.
Work effectively with the Community, Mission and Marketing & Communications teams to drive fundraising activities, develop strong pipelines, build compelling proposals/cases for support, and deliver on sponsorship activation in markets.
Manage, coach and track results of the Philanthropy team, including management of multiple direct r

Qualifications & Competencies

Progressively senior fundraising experience preferably in the non-profit sector.
Demonstrated experience building, managing and retaining successful fundraising teams.
Highly developed strategic and annual program planning and operations skills.
Strong skills in volunteer management including coaching and supporting Board and other senior fundraising volunteers and leveraging volunteer engagement into revenue-generating opportunities.
Superior verbal, written and presentation skills.
In-depth knowledge of fundraising and other information systems, data management and procedures with experience using data to inform decision-making and maximize fundraising opportunities.
Demonstrated commitment to measuring outcomes and thrives within a results-oriented culture.
Entrepreneurial and creative flare to develop and test innovative approaches to revenue generation.
Up to date on market trends and where the future of fundraising is headed.
Bilingualism (English/French) would be an asset for this role but is not a mandatory qualification.
Candidates should possess or be qualified and willing to work towards a CFRE designation.
A University degree or the equivalent combination of education and experience is required for this position.