Associate Director, Major Gifts

Date Posted: 05/07/2026
Req ID: 47990
Faculty/Division: VP - Division of University Advancement
Department: Divisional Relations
Campus: St. George (Downtown Toronto)
Position Number: 00039023
Existing Vacancy: Yes

Description:

About us:

The Division of University Advancement (DUA) aims to sustain and enhance the University of Toronto’s academic mission, leadership, and worldwide impact, by engaging alumni and private sector constituents meaningfully in the mission of the University, building mutually beneficial relationships of increasing value and satisfaction over time.

DUA at the University of Toronto is engaged in a transformative agenda deeply rooted in the University’s vision for growth and innovation. We are focus on growing fundraising efforts; enhancing the effectiveness and satisfaction of alumni engagement and programs; building advancement talent capacity within and across divisions; creating an organization and culture that fosters diversity and inclusiveness.

The mission of the Major Gifts team within DUA is to drive fundraising success at the $50K-$5M+ level in support of a broad array of programs and priorities across the university. Our driven and collegial team contributes to and supports the ambitious fundraising objectives of partner divisions, university leaders, and special initiatives. We also take a special focus on regional fundraising in North America and Europe. This requires takinga collaborative approach across a complex and decentralized fundraising environment. We hire outstanding people from a variety of backgrounds and currently seek an Associate Director, Major Gifts to join our diverse group of talent.

Your opportunity:

As Associate Director, you will build and proactively manage a portfolio of approximately 100 donors and prospects whom you will solicit in support of the central priorities of the University as well as those of selected divisions. The Associate Director is responsible for developing strategies and tailored programs to engage the interest and involvement of individuals who directly, or through other sources, are capable of making gifts at this level. This will entail developing customized campaign strategies and individualized strategic approaches to targeted donors, as well as managing projects with either volunteers or divisional staff. The Associate Director will also ensure proper stewardship takes place following a gift to maintain the donor's involvement, interest and support.

In addition, the Associate Director will play a key role in maximizing the fundraising impact of Presidential and Vice President, Advancement travel by identifying, prioritizing, and preparing high potential donor and prospect engagements in alignment with institutional and divisional priorities. This includes collaborating closely with the President and VP Advancement offices, Alumni Relations, and other partners to develop effective travel strategies, briefing materials, and follow up plans that advance cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship objectives, and effectively leverage leadership travel as a strategic major gifts tool. The Associate Director must be able to travel within and outside Canada for 3-5 days at a time at least 6 times per year.

The successful candidate will be highly organized and able to coordinate people and projects to meet deadlines under pressure. In this highly collaborative role, the Associate Director must build effective working partnerships with fundraising colleagues in central and divisional advancement programs, and with faculty, administrative leaders, and staff across the institution, as well as volunteers and other external constituencies.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Cultivating and soliciting current and prospective major gift donors through tailored stewardship programs
• Meeting face-to-face with current and potential donors to discuss giving interests and opportunities
• Developing and implementing strategic prospect identification, cultivation, solicitation and recognition plans
• Determining the appropriate involvement of members of the university community and volunteers in the cultivation, solicitation and recognition process
• Evaluating a prospective donor’s giving capacity and readiness to give
• Identifying, evaluating and recommending the necessary steps to bring the prospect closer to making a major financial commitment to the University
• Providing strategic leadership for new elements of the Division or Faculty’s advancement and fundraising programs and activities
• Directing the activities of a group of staff-appointed employees all performing a similar function

Essential Qualifications:

• Bachelor's Degree or acceptable combination of equivalent experience.
• Eight years experience in a senior fundraising role, with a proven track record of success in cultivation and solicitation
• Demonstrated experience at the giving level of $50,000 and above
• Experience developing customized campaign strategies and individualized strategic approaches to targeted donors
• Experience designing and implementing successful cultivation and solicitation strategies
• Experience in volunteer engagement such as recruiting and training volunteer
• Experience with planning projects independently that are often large and complex
• Ability to establish and maintain effective relationships with major donor prospects and existing major donors
• Ability to establish collaborative and productive relationships with the administration and faculty in order to advance interests
• Extensive judgement in decision-making situations involving the conceptualization and implementation of new projects and in the interactions with major gift donors, volunteers and senior leaders within the University
• Ability to work under pressure and meet fundraising goals
• Ability to work as a collaborative and engaging member of the team
• Strong writing and presentation skills; ability to create and present proposals to donors
• Strong project management skills, with the ability to manage competing timelines, managing multiple complex initiatives simultaneously with short turn around times, and prioritize effectively to meet deadlines
• Demonstrated attention todetail and excellence in written communication, including the ability to produce high quality briefing materials, donor correspondence and proposals

To be successful in this role you will be:

• Achievement oriented
• Communicator
• Diplomatic
• Meticulous
• Team player

Closing Date: 05/22/2026, 11:59PM ET
Employee Group: USW 
Appointment Type: Budget - Continuing 
Schedule: Full-Time
Pay Scale Group & Hiring Zone:
USW Pay Band 18 -- $116,547. with an annual step progression to a maximum of $149,043. Pay scale and job class assignment is subject to determination pursuant to the Job Evaluation/Pay Equity Maintenance Protocol. 
Job Category: Administrative / Managerial
Recruiter: Fiona Chan

Lived Experience Statement
Candidates who are members of Indigenous, Black, racialized and 2SLGBTQ+ communities, persons with disabilities, and other equity deserving groups are encouraged to apply, and their lived experience shall be taken into consideration as applicable to the posted position.

Job descriptions are available upon request for internal applicants.

Diversity Statement

The University of Toronto embraces Diversity and is building a culture of belonging that increases our capacity to effectively address and serve the interests of our global community. We strongly encourage applications from Indigenous Peoples, Black and racialized persons, women, persons with disabilities, and people of diverse sexual and gender identities. We value applicants who have demonstrated a commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion and recognize that diverse perspectives, experiences, and expertise are essential to strengthening our academic mission.

As part of your application, you will be asked to complete a brief Diversity Survey. This survey is voluntary. Any information directly related to you is confidential and cannot be accessed by search committees or human resources staff. Results will be aggregated for institutional planning purposes. For more information, please see 

Accessibility Statement

The University strives to be an equitable and inclusive community, and proactively seeks to increase diversity among its community members. Our values regarding equity and diversity are linked with our unwavering commitment to excellence in the pursuit of our academic mission.

The University is committed to the principles of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA). As such, we strive to make our recruitment, assessment and selection processes as accessible as possible and provide accommodations as required for applicants with disabilities.

If you require any accommodations at any point during the application and hiring process, please contact uoft.careers@utoronto.ca.

Job Segment: Academic, Fundraising, Project Manager, Equity, Manager, Nonprofit, Education, Technology, Finance, Management

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