Community Relations Specialist (Fund Development)

About this position

Are you an energetic fundraising professional, passionate about supportive communication with donors and potential donors? Does helping wildlife align with your values? If so, this may be the position for you!

Hours:                                            32-40 hours/week, permanent

Preferred start date:                     As soon as possible

Application Deadline:                   Open until filled

Compensation:                              $19-23/hour with employee benefit package

Established as a registered charity in 1979, Wildlife Rescue Association of BC is a leader in the rehabilitation of wild animals in the urban environment. The organization is committed to saving lives while educating the public on how to coexist peacefully with urban wildlife. We are BC’s busiest wildlife rehabilitation centre, now with over 4,700 patients and 24,000 phone calls coming into the Wildlife Support Centre each year. We are located in the beautiful Burnaby Lake Park in Burnaby BC.

The Fund Development is a small team of fundraising, communications, marketing, and IT professionals that we are very happy to be expanding. The organization is growing rapidly with exciting new opportunities to pursue for generating a broader scope of funding. This is an ideal position for someone who enjoys contributing to an organized team, is passionate about connecting community members with our mission and programs, has great attention to organization and details, and has knowledge and experience in non-profit fundraising programs.

The position of Community Relations Specialist has a key role in building and maintaining relations with individual and major donors, businesses and corporations, supporting legacy gift planning and implementing systems to streamline relationship development in these areas. This position interfaces with many other departments and has a very close working relationship with the Wildlife Support Centre – customer service department.

We look forward to hearing from you if you have these essential qualifications:

• At least 5 years education/experience in non-profit fundraising
• Advanced skills in writing, editing and grammar
• Excellent communications and relationship building skills
• Experience in donor relations and community engagement
• Excellent event planning expertise including online with Zoom and Teams
• Experience with online fundraising platforms
• Experience with corporate donor relations, employee giving and small business programs
• Strong organizational and time management skills with attention to detail
• Commitment to self-development and growth
• Excellent leadership skills with ability to inspire coworkers
• Ability to excel in a fast-paced, dynamic team environment
• Ability to easily prioritize tasks and manage multiple deadlines
• Computer skills including Microsoft office and fundraising database software
• Ability to work flexibly when urgencies arise

Our ideal candidate may have some or all of the following skill sets:

• Grant writing experience
• Copywriting experience and expertise
• Understanding of major donor cultivation models and processes
• Has knowledge of data systems and data collection
• Understanding of customer service and call centre operations
• Experienced with MS Office 365, SharePoint and Teams
• Experience in program planning, establishing activity systems, designing protocols and standard operating procedures

Why should you apply?

• You love wildlife and care about human impacts
• You would like to work for a cause that has a direct positive effect on the environment
• You appreciate and want to fully participate in a culture of respect, social intelligence, and appreciation among staff and volunteers
• You enjoy a collaborative and philanthropic work environment with highly dedicated and enthusiastic board members, staff, and volunteers

Please submit your resume and cover letter in a single PDF file attention HR, with the subject “Community Relations Specialist” to recruitment@wildliferescue.ca.

Please be advised that only short-listed candidates will be contacted for interviews, and we thank all applicants in advance for their interest.