Partnerships Manager

Mission, Vision and Core Values

Our Mission is to enable life-changing mentoring relationships to ignite the power and potential of young people.

Our Vision is that all young people realize their full potential

Our Core Values are:

- We Champion Potential
- Every Connection Counts
- Showing Up Matters

Why it’s great to work with us:
Big Sisters is a friendly, inclusive and committed team who offers their employees fifteen vacation days within the first year, fifteen wellbeing days as well as three personal days. We provide a generous health care and extended benefits package, including prescription drugs and dental plan. We also offer our employees a professional development allocation and various learning opportunities. Ignite your full potential with Big Sisters

Is this you?

You are a positive person who loves to build connections with your team and the community. You have high attention to detail and understand the importance of recognizing fundraising opportunities to support the growth of programs. You are a strategic thinker, a team player, and are passionate about the work that Big Sisters of BC Lower Mainland does.

About the Role

Reporting to the Senior Director of Philanthropy and Campaigns, the Partnerships Manager is responsible for developing, implementing, and evaluating mid-level giving and tribute giving programs. They also lead the corporate engagement strategy, including cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding event sponsors, employee giving programs, and point of sale campaigns. Additionally, they manage national partnership opportunities from Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada. Regular donor contact, including personal visits, cultivation events, and formal solicitations, is essential. They oversee a portfolio of 75-100 donors and collaborate closely with fundraising and marketing teams to ensure a cohesive approach to program management and development. The Big Sisters fundraising team aims to raise over $3.0 million annually, and is executing a growth plan to diversify revenue streams in order to ensure sustainable funding for the future of the organization. In line with Big Sisters’ strategic pillar to develop financial resilience, the Partnerships Manager will diversify the organization’s fundraising portfolio and focus on leading the growth of partnership fundraising and the mid-level donor program, which currently raises nearly $500,000.

Main Functional Areas
- Corporate Engagement Strategy
- Sponsorships & Partnerships
- Mid-Level Donor & Tribute Programs

What you will be doing:

- Develop and nurture connections with supporters to create diverse and sustainable revenue streams.
- Manage a portfolio of 75-100 sponsors, partners, and donors as their Relationship Manager.
- Strategize, manage, and execute mid-level donor and tribute giving programs to meet/exceed annual fundraising goals.
- Lead the development and implementation of new fundraising initiatives, including committee management, sponsor and partner solicitation, and strategy development.
- Create and lead a collaborative corporate engagement strategy to cultivate, solicit, and steward sponsorships, corporate gifts, and employee giving opportunities.
- Research and solicit potential funders, sponsors, and partners to secure and deepen relationships.
- Coordinate cultivation and stewardship initiatives, including events, to ensure effective supporter relations.
- Work with internal departments to ensure sponsorship and partnership deliverables are fulfilled in a timely manner.
- Develop and implement donor journeys and manage event committees to maximize fundraising opportunities.
- Ensure delivery of acknowledgments, receipts, recognition, and reporting to mid-level donors, sponsors, and partners.
- Support, mentor, and coach seasonal and temporary staff, volunteer committee members, and the fundraising team.
- Contribute to the growth of the team through mentorship and sharing best practices.
- Maintain and update the database to reflect interactions with constituents.
- Assist in preparing budgets and provide progress reports to leadership.
- Participate in general organization functions and ensure adherence to CRA regulations and organization policies.

What you bring:

- Three (3) plus years of experience planning and executing revenue generating fundraising programs in progressively senior roles
- Experience and comfort with public speaking
- Strong interpersonal and relationship skills
- High degree of diplomacy and discretion
- Excellent understanding of database management, database concepts including data enhancement, data quality, data acquisition techniques, and using these in segmenting.
- Demonstrated planning and project management skills, proven ability to meet deadlines and time and resource constraints
- Post-Secondary education fundraising, sales, or marketing would be ideal
- Proficient in Raiser’s Edge NXT, Microsoft Suite, and Adobe Suite (ideal)
- Ability to travel locally to mee