Senior Director, Community (3 Positions to cover Western, Atlantic, Prairies)
Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada
Salary: $111,500 - $120,000
The Opportunity
Our team is looking for three seasoned professionals for the important roles of Senior Director, Community. These three positions, located in Western Canada, Prairies, and Atlantic Canada will have regional responsibilities to engage and inspire the community to take collective action to advance the MS Society’s mission and create greater impact for those living with and affected by MS.
The Senior Director, Community will advance the MS Society’s impact goals by leading decisively to maintain the highest quality of service and leveraging the involvement of key MS community members and opinion leaders. As the respective region’s front-facing MS Society representative, the Senior Director’s key accountabilities would include:
Community engagement: deepening community and MS community member engagement, outreach and influence, and stewarding a portfolio of community leaders, fundraisers, and volunteers.
External and internal relations: building and maintaining external relationships and fostering internal relations and collaboration to align regional goals and enterprise objectives.
Regional representation and strategy: acting as the regional spokesperson and championing the region’s priorities in strategy development and execution across the organization.
Advocacy: driving advocacy, marketing and promotion, education, public awareness and social action activities.
Fundraising: assisting with partnership development and fundraising efforts, including generation of revenue partnerships, pipeline/donor cultivation and development, and organization of fundraising events.
Ideally situated in a major centre in Western Canada, Prairies, or Atlantic Canada, locations for these three positions may have some flexibility provided there is convenient access to a domestic airport to facilitate local and regional travel. The MS Society also offers flexible working arrangements and potential opportunities to work remotely.
About the MS Society of Canada
This is an exciting time to join the MS Society 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, the MS Society provides essential services to people with MS and their families and funds research to find the cause and cure.
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. Health sector costs for MS are expected to reach $2 billion by 2031.
We are privileged to be part of a determined group of change agents who are working tirelessly to create a world free of MS. Some 1500 Canadians affected by MS serve as leadership volunteers on division and chapter councils and committees and an estimated 13,500 volunteers work tirelessly delivering programs, fundraising events, public awareness campaigns, and social action activities.
The MS Society 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 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.
What is MS
MS is classified as an autoimmune disease of the central nervous system (brain, spinal cord, and optic nerves). The disease attacks myelin, the protective covering of the nerves, causing inflammation and often damaging the myelin. Myelin is necessary for the transmission of nerve impulses through nerve fibres. If damage to myelin is slight, nerve impulses travel with minor interruptions; however, if damage is substantial and if scar tissue replaces the myelin, nerve impulses may be completely disrupted, and the nerve fibres themselves can be damaged.
MS is unpredictable and may cause symptoms such as extreme fatigue, lack of coordination, weakness, tingling, impaired sensation, vision problems, bladder problems, cognitive impairment, and mood changes. Its effects can be physical, emotional, and financial. Currently, there is no cure, but each day researchers are learning more about the causes and are zeroing in on ways to prevent MS.
We are here to help. No one needs to face MS alone. In communities across Canada, the MS Society provides information, support, educational events, and other resources for people living with MS and their families.
Researchers funded by the MS Society are working to find the cause of MS, develop better treatments with fewer side effects, and ultimately cure the disease for everyone who is affected by it.
Philanthropy at the MS Society
The core support of the MS Society has been from tens of thousands of dedicated individuals, companies, and foundations in communities across Canada. Unlike many charitable organizations, the Society receives less than 8% of its revenues from the government. In 2020, the MS Society raised over $45 million through a diverse fundraising portfolio of events, major gifts, and other fundraising initiatives:
$17 million came from Community-based fundraising events
$11 million came from Individual Giving and Direct Marketing
$13 million came from Leadership Giving (major and planned giving)
$8 million came from dinners, tournaments, and third-party events
$0.9 million came from United Way and Health Partners
$1.5 million came from gaming
$0.9 million came from public awareness activities
The remainder of revenue came from the sale of goods, investment income, memberships, and other miscellaneous activities
Research at the MS Society
Canada remains at the forefront of MS research around the world. Through generous contributions from donors, corporate sponsors, and fervent fundraisers, the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada has invested over $190 million dollars in research since its inception in 1948. This investment has led to significant results for people affected by MS. More specifically, MS Society funded studies have gone the distance in areas such as imaging, diagnosis, genetics, tissue repair, rehabilitation, and disease-modifying therapies. With each passing year research continues to reveal new knowledge around the cause of MS, as well as the mechanism by which MS impacts the central nervous system.
Although much progress has been made, many questions regarding MS remain unanswered. As a result, Canadian researchers with diverse scientific backgrounds and expertise are turning their attention to MS and working together to uncover important knowledge and develop treatments that will effectively manage symptoms and slow progression.
To ensure that momentum in MS research continues, the MS Society administers an annual research competition that provides support for researchers whether they are in the early stages of graduate school or conducting research as an independent investigator. Funding researchers across the academic and clinical spectrum enables education and training for the next generation of MS leaders, while reinforcing their passion for the field.
In addition to supporting research, the MS Society engages young researchers in education and training programs, mentorship initiatives, and networking opportunities that aim to stimulate interest in MS research and encourage collaboration amongst the future generation of MS experts.
The overarching goal of the MS Society is to invest in research that will provide the greatest benefit to individuals who are deeply affected by MS. Each year the organization is hopeful that its commitment to research will bring the MS community one step closer to finding a cure for this complex and often unpredictable disease.
Additional Information & Resources
Policy Directions and Procedures
For more information, please visit www.mssociety.ca
Key Responsibilities
Community engagement
Deepens community and MS community member engagement and outreach and stewards a portfolio of high-value community leaders, fundraisers and volunteers.
Effectively and appropriately interacts with others to build relationships, influence others, and facilitate the sharing of ideas and information.
Cultivates and embodies a culture that views uncertainty as an opportunity and supports change and innovation.
Values and encourages diverse perspectives to achieve impact.
External and internal relations
Builds and maintains relationships externally to advance impact in fundraising, regional partnerships, awareness, and advocacy, and internally, fostering a culture that supports intra-departmental relationships throughout the organization to break down silos and barriers
Collaborates with organization leaders to align regional goals with enterprise objectives.
Takes a planful approach to influencing others by identifying interests, common goals, and potential barriers.
Regional representation and strategy execution
Acts as the regional spokesperson, executes the organization’s strategy in the region and champions the region’s priorities in strategy development across the organization.
Acts as a seasoned adviser on complex community problems, novel initiatives, and decisions.
Facilitates activities in the region for organizational leaders and other departments.
Thinks beyond the confines of traditional ways of doing things to recognize opportunities and find new and better approaches.
Advocacy
Identifies, engages and collaborates with diverse local, regional, community, public and private sector partners and decisionmakers to educate, inspire and influence policies and other outcomes.
Markets and promotes all aspects of MS Society mission, including public awareness campaigns and social action activities as per organizational goals and priorities.
Educates partners about the diversity of our MS community.
Fundraising
In partnership with the philanthropy team, develops and cultivates an active pipeline of corporate partners, sponsorships, major donors and other opportunities in the region to secure revenue for the organization’s mission.
Collaborates and shares accountability with the fund development team for fundraising events, donor relationships, and other fundraising opportunities and initiatives in the region.
Qualifications & Competencies
Has approximately 7 years of progressive experience in community engagement and/or development, business development or philanthropy in the not-for-profit sector.
Proven strategic leadership abilities, working with senior-level executives and others to drive business goals, plans, and execution.
Excellent relationship building and communications skills, working with community members in a cooperative and supportive manner to achieve shared goals.
For More Information
KCI (Ketchum Canada Inc.) has been retained to conduct this search on behalf of the MS Society of Canada. For more information about this exciting opportunity, please contact Mona Ip, Senior Consultant, Search + Talent by email at MSSociety@kcitalent.com.
To view full position brief, visit: www.kcitalent.com
Applications will be considered as they are received, and candidates are encouraged to apply early with a resume and a cover letter of interest. The final submission deadline is July 12, 2022. All inquiries and nominations will be kept in strict confidence. The hiring salary range for this position is $111,500 to $120,000 based on experience.
The MS Society is dedicated to encouraging a supportive and inclusive culture amongst the whole workforce where people from all backgrounds can thrive.
All positions at the MS Society of Canada will require a criminal background check. This position is also a position of trust. The incumbent will be required to complete the screening process including completion of a credit and/or education verification check in compliance with the National Screening Measures Policy.
To protect the health and safety of our employees and the MS community, the MS Society is requiring employees to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 or obtain an approved exemption. Upon hire, we would need proof of vaccination or an approved exemption.
Our aim is to ensure that all employees, volunteers, and those interested in joining our team are given equal opportunity and that our organization is representative of all sections of society. We encourage all qualified applicants to apply. We are committed to accommodating applicants’ needs throughout the selection process – please let us know should you need accommodation.
For more information, please visit www.mssociety.ca