Development Officer, Gift & Estate Planning

About this position

The BC Cancer Foundation is the fundraising partner of BC Cancer and the largest charitable funder for cancer research in B.C. Every dollar we raise stays right here at BC Cancer to advance research and enhance care for the people of B.C.

With almost 80 employees working across five sites in B.C we are actively working with our 100,000 donors and communities to inspire investment in BC Cancer and our provincial teams of world-leading researchers, oncologists and care providers.

We are a professional, passionate and positive team who believe that we can help make a difference in the lives of all British Columbians.

The Position

The Development Officer, Gift & Estate Planning, is responsible for raising funds through a portfolio of active planned giving donors. The role will include project work and process development as well.

The Development Officer will cultivate, solicit and steward a portfolio of 100-125 prospects through face-to-face meetings, phone calls, emails, and stewardship opportunities. The goal of this position is to build relationships with donors through strategic contact, to engage and inspire donors and to secure donations in order to achieve fundraising targets and encourage increased giving. With an active and robust portfolio of donors, there is great opportunity to work with donors on major gifts.

This position reports to the Senior Director, Gift & Estate Planning, with indirect reporting to the Director, Regional Major Gifts, Vancouver Island and works collaboratively with colleagues on our Leadership Giving, Major Gifts and Event staff within the Foundation on effective donor relations strategies working with donors on Vancouver Island. Some travel may be required.

The Person

The ideal person has a solid knowledge of the development process - understanding the principles of fundraising, donor relations, portfolio management, and has proven success in engaging both planned and major gift prospects. A demonstrated ability to successfully develop and nurture long term professional relationships, preferably with an organization of similar scope is necessary to be successful. We are looking for someone who can apply their planned giving fundraising skills and hit the ground running. This person displays compassion, mature judgement, superior diplomatic skills and highly developed listening.

This role requires someone with sensitivity and tact for handling difficult and emotional donor conversations. We are looking for someone with the ability to share information in an effective and collaborative manner, who will demonstrate teamwork within and across departments to achieve optimal collective results. 

Qualifications

The successful candidate will possess the following qualifications:

• A degree or diploma from a recognized post-secondary institution in a related field, plus a minimum of 3 years’ experience in fundraising / donor relations, or an equivalent combination of education, training and experience
• Experience in gift planning, law, financial planning or accounting, and a clear knowledge and understanding of the Canadian tax system, estate planning and various gifting vehicles is ideal
• Must have regular access to a vehicle and have a valid driver’s licence
• Proven decision making and problem solving skills, strong organizational skills, and knowledge of sophisticated fundraising software programs, preferably Raiser’s Edge

Please apply directly through our careers page.