Director, Advancement

Director, Advancement Date Posted: 12/01/2025Req ID: 46195Faculty/Division: Faculty of InformationDepartment: Faculty of InformationCampus: St. George (Downtown Toronto) Description: About Us:The Faculty of Information at the University of Toronto is a research-led Faculty, educating the next generation of leaders in information scholarship and the information professions, both established and emerging. Our researchers and graduates are recognized for their innovation, experimentation, human-centred perspectives and commitment to community. The Faculty, which will celebrate its centenary in 2028, has built on its heritage strengths in libraries, archives and museums to incorporate scientific and technological expertise from engineering, computer science, and other disciplines. At the same time, it has committed itself to applying social, political, and cultural perspectives from media arts, humanities, and social science to the study of information, technology, people and the relationships among them. A top tier school, the Faculty of Information is consistently recognized globally for excellence in Library and Information Management by the QS World University rankings. The QS rankings include both Master's and PhD level programs. More background about the Faculty can be found on its website (ischool.utoronto.ca). Your Opportunity: The Faculty of Information seeks a strategic, entrepreneurial, and metrics-driven leader to serve as Director of Advancement. Reporting jointly to the Dean, Faculty of Information and the Vice-President, Advancement, this senior role leads fundraising and alumni engagement strategies to advance the Faculty's highest academic and institutional priorities by overseeing Campaign, Major Gift (MG), Planned Giving (PG)/Gift Planning (GP), Leadership & Annual Giving (LAG) as well as Alumni Engagement strategies along with fundraising and volunteer leadership for campaign/fundraising.The Director, Advancement is a member of the Dean's senior executive committee and a member of the Vice-President, Advancement's University-wide Senior Advancement Leadership Team. The Director has a functional reporting relationship to the Vice-President, Advancement, or delegate (typically the AVP, Divisional Relations) that ensures alignment with and accountability to University-wide standards, guidelines, and procedures that protect academic integrity and promote best practice, excellence, and equity in advancement.The Director, Advancement is responsible for the development and execution of advancement plans and strategies to accomplish fundraising and alumni engagement goals, in close consultation with the Dean and the Faculty of Information senior leadership team, and in alignment with the Division of University Advancement's standards, guidelines, and procedures.The Director, Advancement, Faculty of Information, will possess excellent solicitation experience and a demonstrated track record of securing philanthropic support; and a strong commitment to establishing and supporting efforts to meaningfully engage alumni and volunteers in support of Faculty of Information's academic mission and other key priorities. The incumbent will demonstrate proactive leadership and team building skills, excellent communication and interpersonal skills, an ability to work collaboratively with other teams, and a commitment to set and achieve ambitious advancement goals. As such, the Director, Advancement will also embody a strong commitment to define the leading edge of advancement practice in Canada and to enhance the University's overall reputation for advancement excellence.The Advancement portfolio at the Faculty of Information is also responsible for leading student and alumni programming and recognition events, including the Faculty's annual mentorship programme, ensuring alignment with development and engagement objectives. Key Results Areas:Develop and implement multi-year advancement strategies aligned with academic priorities.Secure major and principal gifts, including six- and seven-figure commitments.Build strong relationships with donors, faculty, and industry partners; communicate impact effectively.Drive metrics-based performance and financial accountability in partnership with leadership.Lead capital and transformational initiatives, including campaign planning and execution.Expand networks with industries and companies for partnerships and sponsorships. DEFY GRAVITY: The Campaign for the University of Toronto On December 13, 2021, the University proudly launched Defy Gravity: The Campaign for the University of Toronto. The largest university campaign in Canadian history will harness the power of our worldwide community, including more than 640,000 alumni, 95,000 students, and 23,000 faculty and staff, for the betterment of humanity. From pioneering work in the humanities to the breakthrough development of neural networks, the University of Toronto has a long history of tackling the impossible and transforming society through the ingenuity of its faculty, students, and alumni. In a world searching for positive change, we will build on this tradition to address some of the biggest challenges facing our city, country, and planet as we recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and grapple with this age of climate change, inequality, and mass technological disruption. Through our commitment to inclusive excellence, we will bring together top minds from every conceivable background and discipline to lead pandemic recovery and enable healthy lives , build inclusive cities and societies , create a sustainable future , spark creativity and culture , drive scientific discovery , power bold innovation and entrepreneurship , and support student success as we educate the next generation of creative, engaged, and empathic citizens. The campaign theme, Defy Gravity, reflects U of T's history of advancing the frontiers of knowledge by transcending disciplines and borders in a diverse and inclusive community that emboldens students to think big-a community that accomplishes things no one else believed possible. Our campaign has two ambitious goals to meet today's challenges. For the first time in U of T history, the campaign will include a goal for alumni engagement: to inspire 225,000 alumni to get involved as volunteers, mentors, donors, participants, and leaders and encourage them to contribute their time and talent to the University one million times collectively. As of fall 2025, the campaign has engaged more than 180,000 alumni over 900,000 times collectively. The campaign will also seek to raise $4 billion for the University's highest priorities, a goal commensurate with our excellence, the breadth of our aspirations, the global footprint of our faculty, students, alumni, and donors, and our potential for life-changing impact. As of fall 2025, over $2.4 billion has been raised. Essential Qualifications: Education:A University degree, or an equivalent combination of education with advancement experience is required. CFRE designation an asset. Experience:5+ years of experience with direct fundraising experience and a proven track record of executive advancement responsibility and leadership in annual, major and planned giving programs in a large complex organization, preferably in a post-secondary educational or not-for-profit organization.Demonstrated success closing major and principal gifts, including six- and seven-figure solicitations, and leading or playing a leadership role in multi-year capital or comprehensive campaignsExperience in organizing complex programs and events.Experienced in team management with strong track record of HR management and management best practices, including mentoring, coaching, motivating and inspiring teams. Management experience in a unionized environment preferred.Demonstrated experience and success in managing, motivating and mentoring volunteers.Highly knowledgeable and experienced in both new and traditional channels of revenue generation.Experience managing portfolio, pipeline and budget performance metrics, including forecasting and reporting, in partnership with a central advancement division where applicable. Skills:Proficient with and demonstrated experience working with Microsoft Office suite.Experience working with Arbor or a similar database management system.Demonstrated strategic conceptualization, analytical and planning skills.Knowledge of current trends as they relate to duties and responsibilities of the role.Proven strong interpersonal, presentation, written and verbal communications skills.Strong research, analytical and problem-solving skills.Excellent attention to detail and superb organizational skills.Proven project management skills . click apply for full job details