St. Michael's Hospital Foundation (SMHF) is the exclusive fundraising organization to generate and manage philanthropic funds for St. Michael’s Hospital and Providence Healthcare, within Unity Health Toronto. Through multiple lines of fundraising income generation and stewardship activity, SMHF, in conjunction with Unity Health, will define and promote the St. Michael’s and Providence brands to maximize philanthropic revenue to fuel their healthcare, research, teaching and health equity missions. We will inspire our communities, local, provincial, national and international, to invest in our organizations’ priorities to drive and implement innovation that will equitably support all members of our society to manage and overcome disease and health crises and live healthier lives to create a more inclusive and thriving society. Join us!
POSITION SUMMARY
The Primary role of the Director, Gift & Estate Planning (GEP) is to manage the Gift and Estate Planning function and program of St. Michael’s Foundation. The incumbent is responsible for achieving budget targets for the program and is accountable for yearly fundraising goals for outright cash gifts and bequest intentions/expectancies (currently at ~$7 million and ~$3.5 million, respectively). The Director, GEP oversees a portfolio of estates under administration and is responsible for ensuring timely distribution of these funds as well as for planning and implementing cultivation and solicitation activities to identify new bequest/expectancy intentions and providing stewardship to strengthen relationships with existing planned giving donors and prospects. The Director, GEP also works with the major and principal gifts team and a body of volunteer professional advisors to monitor, educate and implement gift planning strategies and techniques for in-life and estate giving to maximize value to donors and the Foundation.
The Director, GEP works closely with hospital leadership, physicians, senior volunteers, board members, other Foundation staff, and professional advisors such as lawyers, financial advisors and Trust officers to execute the functions of their role. Significant volunteer and professional coordinator, support and leadership is required of the incumbent.
RESPONSIBILITIES & ACTIVITIES
Fundraising Activities:
Work at the strategic level with the VP, Principal, Major & Planned Gifts and the AVP, Transformational and Principal Gifts to develop a comprehensive gift and estate planning strategy for both realizations and new expectancies.
Actively manage a portfolio of current and prospective donors with gift interests ranging from bequests and insurance to trusts, annuities and complex deferred giving structures, and provide ongoing relationship management.
Partner with internal teams and external stakeholders to manage the development and integration of multichannel marketing plans, donor communications, and creation of materials.
Collaborate with all staff working on significant major and planned gifts to structure proposals and gifts in the most appropriate, ethical and financially advantageous manner for the donor to benefit St. Michael’s and Providence.
Be an integrated member of the Major and Principal Gifts team, contributing to current year revenue from personally managed donor relationships.
Develop donor events and communications to advance the cultivation of prospective donors across various demographics.
Build internal gift planning competency and capacity across the Foundation and assist in the development of new strategies.
Collaborate with the Director, BIIT (Business Intelligence and Information Technology) to monitor the business and develop predictive algorithms that guide solicitation and stewardship activities.
Collaborate with the Vice-President, Marketing & Brand Strategy and the Director, Marketing & Communications, on all materials development to support the gift planning program.
Collaborate with the Director, Stewardship & Donor Relations, to devise and implement a stewardship strategy for donors who have committed a planned gift.
Provide principal staff support to the Professional Advisors Council, engaging a diverse group of professional advisors, including lawyers, accountants, insurance advisors and financial planners and other professional advisors, in providing advice and guidance to the gift planning function.
Develop a deep understanding of the educational, research, clinical and financial needs and goals of SMT and promote specific areas of interest to major and planned giving donors and prospects.
Maintain and update donor records to ensure data integrity.
Expectancy Solicitation Activities:
Maintain and update donor records to ensure data integrity.
Lead the development and execution of new planned giving intention solicitation strategies. This function may touch on and integrate with all areas of the Foundation’s activity, necessitating the Director, GEP to be a collaborative and skilled partner with peers across the Foundation.
Consistent with the emerging strategy of the Foundation, develop plans to double within the next three years the value and number of planned giving expectancies confirmed annually, and then double again by the end of a decade.
Engage with the Professional Advisors Council to understand external market, tax and accounting forces that will impact solicitation programs and implement accordingly.
Current Gift and Estate Realization/Administration Activities:
Oversee current realizations and ensure that appropriate follow up is made to secure the gift and/or appropriate stewardship activities are provided to trustees and/or the deceased’s families.
Supervise one FTE staff member who will manage the daily work of all estate realizations.
Ensure all required estate administration oversight is applied to the highest ethical and legal standards, including review and passing of accounts, appropriate trustee compensation is applied and terms of wills have been honoured.
Resolve any complicated or unusual provisions in estates under administration and work to resolve in a timely manner. Escalate to Hospital legal counsel and/or senior Hospital/Foundation leadership or external legal counsel as appropriate.
When required, represent the Foundation in mediation meetings to ensure that the wishes of the deceased are followed and at the same time, protect the interests of the Foundation.
Ensure that estate funds received are properly recorded as designated or undesignated funds and/or invested as endowment funds.
Oversee acceptance of all in-life structured gifts, such as insurance policies, gifts of residual interest and trusts.
Leadership Activities:
Prepare and oversee an annual financial budget plan for the gift and estate planning program, including projected cash revenues and expenses.
Prepare and execute an annual plan of measurable goals, strategies, tactics and metrics to maximize gift planning to the organization.
Manage the budget of the GEP function.
Manage Gift and Estate Planning team members, including recruitment and retention, performance management, professional development and establishing and achieving fundraising goals.
Work and interact with others according to the core values of the organization and to contribute to building a safe, inclusive and high-performing workplace.
Act as an ambassador in the profession and throughout the community, positively representing St. Michael’s Hospital and Providence Healthcare within Unity Health and the Foundation.
Abide by the policies and procedures of the Foundation, and where applicable, the Hospital.
Abide by the Occupational Health and Safety Act, and work in a manner that is safe, reporting incidents immediately to direct supervisor.
Perform other duties as assigned in order to meet the overall goals and objectives of the Foundation.
Commit to ongoing professional development by participating in professional associations, attending professional meetings, and developing working relationships with professionals at other institutions.
Promote a workplace environment that fosters collaboration, respect, and the pursuit of excellence.
KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS
A university degree or a combination of comparable skills and experience.
Must have a minimum of 10 years of experience working in fundraising, with at least 7 of those years in planned giving.
Working knowledge of tax and other legislation relating to gift planning.
Proficiency in gift planning and gift planning vehicles.
Excellent communication skills (verbal and written)
Experience in creating and presenting compelling proposals to donors.
Excellent interpersonal skills
Ability to work with lawyers, estate trustees and professional advisors effectively and collaboratively, and possess strong negotiation skills.
Ability to work with senior leaders, physicians, and other foundations effectively and collaboratively.
Basic understanding of healthcare delivery system in Ontario
Ability to attain financial and program goals within prescribed timelines.
Experience working with volunteers and volunteer committees/boards in a wide range of capacities.
Excellent organizational skills and demonstrated ability to prioritize multiple and changing demands.
Proven ability to exercise diplomacy and good judgment.
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