Vice President, Development & Communications
Team Rubicon
Salary: $115,000 - $145,000
THE OPPORTUNITY
Team Rubicon Canada is seeking a Vice President, Development & Communications to drive revenue generation and build brand profile in support of our highly compelling mission as a humanitarian organization.
Reporting to the CEO and managing a team of 8+ staff, this is an exciting opportunity to shape and implement a comprehensive fundraising strategy in a high-growth, mission-driven organization. The new Vice President will be a systems thinker who will lead the implementation of strategic infrastructure and resources in support of operational excellence and prepare our fundraising program for greater diversification. The Vice President will also leverage their acumen in Public Relations & Communications to build a calendar of initiatives that will support greater awareness and engagement with donors, partners, other supporters, and the general public.
A motivational leader and coach, the new Vice President will lead a committed team of staff and volunteers to embrace innovation and work collaboratively to surpass $5M in annual revenue. Future plans for expansion of the team will allow the Vice President to use their excellent assessment and planning skills to identify and implement the resources required to take Team Rubicon Canada to its next level of growth.
While Team Rubicon Canada is a veteran-led organization, we welcome all qualified candidates who are passionate about our mission and willing to roll up their sleeves to help drive our ambitious plans for growth.
The new Vice President will be located in the Greater Toronto Area, Calgary, or Vancouver. Team Rubicon Canada supports flexible work from home and remote options. Candidates must be willing to travel frequently to the head office in Mississauga, Ontario, as well as nationally and occasionally internationally.
ABOUT TEAM RUBICON CANADA
On May 1st, 2016, a wildfire began southwest of Fort McMurray, Alberta. Within days, the fire would sweep through the city, destroy more than 2,400 homes, and displace more than 80,000 residents.
The wildfire, which would come to be known as ‘the beast’, would eventually grow to nearly 1.5 million acres and cross into neighbouring Saskatchewan.
Having established a strong and well-known desire to create a Team Rubicon in Canada, a small team of Canadian veterans set to work with their teammates at Team Rubicon USA to assess how to best support the residents impacted by the Fort McMurray wildfire.
Working with local and provincial authorities, Team Rubicon Canada joined with Team Rubicon USA to launch its first official operation: operation pay dirt.
On May 26, 2016, volunteers from the USA, Canada – and eventually the UK and Australia – arrived in Fort McMurray and set to work. Operating as a multinational team sharing common skills honed in the military and as first responders, Team Rubicon’s 80 volunteers would train an additional 300 locals to assist over 900 homeowners to sift through their properties to recover their valuables.
Later in 2016, with this groundswell of support, Team Rubicon Canada was born. Canadian veterans, first responders, emergency management personnel and kick-ass civilians have shown they are more than ready to volunteer their skills in support of calls for assistance at home and abroad!
Mission Statement
Team Rubicon is a veteran-led humanitarian organization that serves communities before, during, and after disasters and crises.
By pairing the skills and experiences of military veterans with first responders, medical professionals, and technology solutions, Team Rubicon aims to provide the greatest service and impact possible.
Through continued service, and part of its dual-impact mission, Team Rubicon seeks to provide veterans with three things they lose after leaving the military: a purpose, gained through humanitarian work; community, built by serving within a familiar, and inspiring; and identity, from recognizing the impact one individual can make. Coupled with leadership development and other opportunities, Team Rubicon looks to help veterans transition from military to civilian life.
Vision
A world resilient to disasters, where veterans drive community strength, preparedness, and rapid recovery.
Serving the Underserved
Across the world, disasters are a part of life. No corner of the globe is spared from severe weather – be it crippling winter storms, catastrophic hurricanes, or unchecked wildfires.
By focusing on underserved or economically-challenged communities, Team Rubicon seeks to make the largest impact possible. Disasters represent a massive financial cost, and by providing immediate relief work, free of cost, TR aims to help communities begin recovery sooner.
What’s with the Logo?
The Team Rubicon Canada logo consists primarily of a cross turned on its side with a river flowing through it. The cross represents the traditional symbol of medical aid. It is on its side because Team Rubicon represents such a departure from the current paradigm in disaster response. The river flowing through the cross represents the Rubicon River and marks Team Rubicon Canada’s commitment to reinventing disaster relief.
Development at Team Rubicon Canada
Team Rubicon Canada has experienced 40% year over year growth since it’s inception in 2018, and is focused on plans and investments in fundraising to continue this growth, including:
The implementation of Salesforce and other systems and processes to formalize donor and prospect relations.
Customer journey mapping to inform our pipeline and donor cycle.
Talent investments in Development and Communications.
Diversification and revenue growth through corporate partnerships, grant proposals, annual giving, major gifts and optimum donor cultivation, recognition, and stewardship.
The Team Rubicon Canada Online Store.
A focus on veteran employability / employment funding opportunities.
ADDITIONAL BACKGROUND & RESOURCES
· RIVER
· Projects
KEY AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY
Strategy, Leadership & Operations
Work with the CEO, Vice President Programs & Field Operations and Vice President, Organizational Excellence, and other Team Rubicon Canada colleagues to support the strategic planning process and develop the annual business plan.
Leveraging the Objectives and Key Results framework, develop and execute a comprehensive fundraising and communications strategy, budgets and plans in collaboration with the CEO that align with the organization’s vision and strategic priorities.
Develop and manage execution of the overall strategy for the department to ensure long-term, recurring, diversified fund development that meets the needs of the organization.
Contribute as a member of the senior leadership team to the organization’s vision, strategy, and cultural development. Leading with integrity and living Team Rubicon’s service principles of tenacity, accountability, impartiality, innovation, and collaboration.
Use evidence and data to develop and support key performance indicators, make program decisions, and demonstrate impact.
Develop and implement scalable processes and systems, and policies to support fundraising and communications activities, and track progress through accurate reporting and analysis.
Manage and / or participate in relevant committees and sub-committees of the Board of Directors.
Ensure the organization meets standards of compliance with CRA and other relevant bodies.
Monitor trends in the non-profit sector to identify new opportunities for growth and to build the profile of the organization.
Lead and expand a high-performing development team, fostering a culture of excellence, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
Collaborate with teams across the Foundation to meet goals and contribute to an outstanding organization culture.
Development
Work collaboratively with the senior leadership team, staff, and volunteers to identify the ongoing case for support and opportunities for donor support on an annual basis.
Oversee all fundraising activities and operations ensuring overall efficiency, integrity of funding and growth, including major gifts, corporate contributions, partnerships, foundation grants, and grassroots fundraising.
Model and build a culture of philanthropy across the organization that is integrated with Team Rubicon’s cultural principles.
Cultivate relationships with major donors and partners, ensuring effective communication and stewardship strategies.
With the CEO, identify, develop, and cultivate major gifts prospects with individuals, corporations and foundations — ($100,000 and above), and develop and execute closing and stewardship strategies.
Oversee fundraising compliance that ensures corporations, foundations, grantors, prospects, and partners receive accurate and timely reports, proposals, and other items as outlined in gift agreements.
Provide leadership and support to the Board of Directors to strengthen their ability to participate in the identification, cultivation, and solicitation of donations.
Manage a communication schedule for major contributors that includes an update on the usage of funds, current state of programs, and future needs of the organization.
Ensure that the department has resources necessary to maintain the development database, produce accurate reports and dashboards to track progress.
Identify, assess, and implement new revenue streams.
Communications
Develop and implement and oversee a public relations strategy that raises the brand profile of Team Rubicon as a non-profit of choice for all stakeholders.
Oversee the development and production of all marketing and communications materials including the case for support, proposals, donor impact reports, e-newsletters, event collateral, website, e-communications etc.
Identify digital media and direct mail strategies to cultivate and steward existing donors, acquire new supporters, and raise awareness.
Build relationships with the Programs & Field Operations team to gather stories that may be used to create communication material that showcase and build engagement for mission-based activities.
Develop KPIs to track and evaluate department initiatives.
Safeguard the brand and visual identity and ensure adherence to standards.
Create and implement a donor stewardship strategy and plan with measurable goals to support revenue growth from individuals, corporations, and foundations.
Support differentiated donor relations strategies across channels of giving i.e., major, annual, corporate etc.
QUALIFICATIONS AND KEY COMPETENCIES
Progressive senior leadership experience with fundraising accountability in a non-profit setting.
Experience as a fundraising generalist with a proven track record diversifying revenue streams with a focus on major, annual, corporate and foundation giving and grant writing.
Data driven fundraiser and communicator with experience using CRM databases. Salesforce experience is an asset.
Experience building and cultivating prospect and donor pipelines and ensuring donors and prospects are moving through the cycle towards greater engagement.
Proven history managing high-performing teams and motivating staff to meet fundraising goals.
Experience creating a communications plan and writing donor communications.
Strong experience in community relations with the ability to build rapport and unity amongst diverse groups.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the capacity to engage effectively with various audiences.
Strong project management skills and a demonstrated ability to work with teams, prioritize tasks, meet deadlines, and ensure high-quality work.
Emotional maturity and agility with the ability to problem solve and multi-task in a fast-paced environment.
Post-secondary education, or a combination of relevant education and work experience.
Willingness for frequent travel and flexibility with non-traditional working hours.
Military veterans, supporters, and advocates strongly encouraged to apply.
Comfortable working in austere conditions when required.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
KCI Search + Talent has been retained to conduct this search on behalf of Team Rubicon.
For more information about this opportunity, please contact Samantha David or Ingrid Cowan at KCI Search + Talent via email at TeamRubicon@kcitalent.com .
Interested candidates are invited to send a resume and letter of interest to the email address listed above by January 30, 2024. All inquiries and applications will be held in strict confidence.
The salary range for this role is $115,000 to $145,000 with a hiring limit of $135,000, plus a discretionary bonus of up to 10%. A full suite of benefits and an RRSP match is also provided.
At Team Rubicon, we believe in maintaining a diverse workplace – inclusive of beliefs, cultural backgrounds, job experiences, thoughts, and ideas. If who we are and what we do resonates with you, we invite you to join our fast-growing, high-performing team.
To view the full position brief, visit www.kcitalent.com.