Associate Vice President, Philanthropy (Leave Cover)

Position: Associate Vice President, Philanthropy (Leave Cover)

Status: Full-time, contract, April 15, 2025 - May 29, 2026

Team: Philanthropy

Location: Remote, flexible

Language: English required, other languages an asset

Reports to: Managing Director

Supervises: Direct supervision: Director, Philanthropy, Coordinator

Indirect supervision: Manager, Major Gifts, Philanthropy Officer

Salary: CAD 125,000 – 150,000/year

Deadline for Applications: 23 March 2025, 11:59pm ET

ABOUT THE EQUALITY FUND

The Equality Fund is transforming the way that resources—and power—flow into the hands of women, girls and gender expansive people worldwide. Designed by feminists for feminists, it is a model for sustainably resourcing feminist movements everywhere, through global grantmaking, gender-lens investing, policy advocacy, and feminist philanthropy. Launched in 2019, the Equality Fund has moved $100 million to date which flows to more than 1,000 organizations working across 100 countries.

THE OPPORTUNITY

Reporting to the Managing Director, the Equality Fund seeks a visionary and strategic leader to mobilize resources for its mission by creating meaningful and authentic relationships and engagement opportunities with donor partners and leading Equality Fund’s Philanthropy team.

The AVP, Philanthropy will embody the organization’s feminist values while leading the development and execution of a feminist philanthropy strategy. The AVP, Philanthropy will develop strategies to effectively leverage EF’s unique value proposition for the purpose of exponentially increasing philanthropic revenue in support of its mission. The AVP, Philanthropy will oversee a comprehensive and diverse donor program, including major gifts, corporate, annual giving and planned giving. Additionally, the AVP, Philanthropy will collaborate on efforts for integrated resource mobilization across the organizations resource mobilization teams (ie. Strategic Partnerships and Investment).

This role requires a leader who is adept at navigating complexity, anticipates future trends, and fosters alignment among diverse stakeholders—both internally and externally. The AVP will build and steward meaningful relationships on behalf of the Equality Fund, securing significant resources for its mission.

As a key member of the leadership team, the AVP will inspire and empower their team, providing clarity and guidance and seeking opportunities for their growth and development. A commitment to bold, creative, innovative and relationship-first resource mobilization will be central to their leadership approach, fostering this culture within the Philanthropy team and across the organization.

SCOPE & RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Strategic Leadership:
   • Finalize and implement the development of the multi-year philanthropy strategy, ensuring alignment with EF’s feminist values and mission.
   • Collaborate on an integrated resource mobilization (IRM) strategy that leverages EF’s unique value proposition, working with multiple forms of capital and stakeholders to drive gender equality impact.
   • Provide leadership to signature philanthropy and IRM initiatives, such as the launch of the Equality Fund Donor Advised Fund.
   • Act as a trusted advisor to the CEO and leadership team, providing insights on philanthropic trends, EF’s brand and visibility, strategy, opportunities and risks.
   • Foster a culture of bold, relationship-first philanthropy, that encourages innovation, creativity, proactive problem-solving and adaptive thinking amongst the team.
   • Build and maintain relationships with relevant external organizations (e.g., donor networks) on behalf of the Equality Fund

1. Delivery of Donor Program and Engagement:
   • Ensure the effective delivery of EF’s diverse donor program, including major giving, corporate giving, planned giving, and annual giving.
   • Build and maintain authentic relationships with EF’s donor community by strategically deploying team members, including EF Board members, the CEO, leadership team members, and philanthropy consultants.
   • Identify and cultivate relationships with prospective donors with a particular focus on major giving in EF’s priority geographies: San Francisco, New York, London, Vancouver, Toronto. Secure 6- and 7-figure gifts through meaningful engagement and cultivation activities.
   • Represent the organization at conferences, convenings, and other events, articulating its vision and impact with clarity and conviction.

1. Cross Team Collaboration:
   • Act in accordance with our policies around nurturing a safe and respectful work environment; never engaging in harassment, coercion, sexual exploitation or abuse of any form, or anything else contrary to EF’s code of conduct.
   • Foster a strong culture of collaboration with teams across EF, including Finance (for donor reconciliation and receipts) and Communications (for donor communications), ensuring clarity, accountability and collaboration.
   • Work closely with the Managing Director and other senior leaders to align philanthropy efforts with EF’s border resource mobilization goals.
2. Team Leadership and Development:
   • Build, mentor, and motivate the philanthropy team, fostering a culture of trust, accountability, inclusion, and continuous learning and growth.
   • Set clear goals and expectations for team members, providing regular feedback and support to ensure their success and engagement.
   • Manage the philanthropy budget, ensuring resources are allocated effectively to achieve organizational objectives.
   • Manage relationships with Equality Fund’s philanthropy advisors, ensuring alignment with EF’s goals and values.

QUALIFICATIONS & COMPETENCIES

• Fundraising Expertise
  • At least 6 years of progressive fund development experience in the philanthropy field, with a track record of establishing meaningful donor relationships and programs.
  • Significant experience designing and leading unique, inspiring and successful major gift programs, as well as annual and foundation giving programs and campaigns
  • CFRE (Certified Fundraising Executive) designation is considered an asset, but is not required.
• Feminist Leadership, Equity, and EF Values
  • Values driven leader with a strong understanding of feminist issues, advocacy, movement building and the funding environment facing women’s rights organizations in the global South
  • Commitment to anti-racist and anti-oppressive practices with the ability to apply an intersectional lens to all aspects of work
  • Commitment to the work and values of the EF, in particular the values of gender equality and shifting traditional power systems
• Storytelling and Communication
  • Demonstrated ability to communicate the EF story - from proof and promise of the model, to the role of philanthropy and the impact of the work in the context of funds mobilization.
  • Exceptional interpersonal, oral/written communication, and presentation skills
• Global Perspective
  • Understands EF's role and that of its partners within a global and/or systemic context, and seeks to learn and know the impact of global philanthropy trends in barriers to access, participation and power for women, girls, trans, and gender expansive individuals
• Engagement Strategies
  • Experienced in developing and implementing successful strategies for identification, cultivation, solicitation and stewardship of major gift philanthropic donors and corporate partners.
  • Demonstrated experience with proposal development, negotiations and tailoring often-complex gift agreements
• Donor Relations
  • Proven ability to create meaningful, authentic relationships and engagement opportunities with donor partners
  • Track record of independently closing six and seven figure gifts, and designing and executing best in class stewardship programs
• Relationship Building
  • Demonstrated ability to build strong formal and informal relationship networks across EF and within our multiple ecosystems, drawing on multiple relationships to exchange ideas and resources. Strong relationship management skills with the ability to communicate effectively with a diverse group of stakeholders including staff, Board members, donors, volunteers, and institutional partners
• Strategic Thinking
  • A strategic thinker with the ability to identify and maximize philanthropic opportunities, monitor prospect pipelines, and set, monitor and evaluate annual and long-term goals.
• Adaptive Competencies
  • Maintains a learning and growth mindset, actively learning through experimentation, using both successes and failures as learning opportunities. Thrives in a fast-paced, complex environment and can juggle multiple priorities while navigating changing realities.
• Team Leadership
  • Demonstrated competency and at least 3 years of experience in building, leading, managing, and developing talent of a multi-location team to ensure efficiency and success of the team
• Ethical Standards
  • Demonstrated high ethical standards, tact and discretion, with ability to work with sensitive information in a confidential manner
• Bilingual in French/English is an asset; Professional working competency in English is a requirement

REQUIREMENTS

• Must be legally eligible to work in the country in which you reside
• Willing and able to travel 10-20% time
• Willing and able to work remotely on mostly computer-based work

OUR ENVIRONMENT OF CARE

• We trust our talented team and are pleased to offer a flexible and virtual work environment.
• We are driven by our values: anti-racism, anti-oppression, and intersectionality; feminist leadership; accountability; and radical love. We believe our values are realized through collaboration, a growth and learning mindset, emotional intelligence, diversity, authenticity, a global perspective, care, and building networks. We work to share power and create space for everyone to lead.
• Equality Fund is proud to offer a comprehensive total rewards package which has no waiting period and includes 4 weeks paid vacation, paid sick time, paid birthday off, and more.
• Equality Fund is committed to providing and maintaining a safe and respectful workplace. We do not tolerate harassment, coercion, sexual exploitation, or abuse of any form. We recognize that those behaviors are often rooted in abuse of power, which is contrary to EF's mission to make a more equitable world for women, girls, and gender expansive people.
• Equality Fund is an equal opportunity employer. We believe deeply in equality and value diversity of race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, national origin, disability, and all other protected grounds under the Ontario Human Rights Code. We welcome applications from individuals of all backgrounds and positionalities, and are committed to providing an accessible candidate experience. To let us know how we can make an accommodation or adjustment to facilitate the selection process and beyond, please reach out to people@equalityfund.ca.

SELECTION PROCESS

• Equality Fund does not employ the use of AI technology in the screening, recruitment, or selection process.
• Equality Fund’s People, Equity, and Culture team will work with the hiring manager to do an initial screening of applicants. Please make sure to detail your experience in your resume/cover letter to ensure the committee has the information they need to assess your qualifications for the role. This process takes about 1 week from the application deadline.
• When there are many candidates who pass the initial screening, the People, Equity, and Culture team may conduct 15-30 minute phone screening calls.
• The hiring committee will conduct first round interviews with selected candidates. Candidates will be sent the interview questions 48 hours in advance of their scheduled interview. Candidates are welcome, but not expected or required, to send any questions they have for the hiring committee in advance of the interview. These interviews usually occur 1-2 weeks after the application deadline.
• The hiring committee may conduct a second round of interviews, which may include an assignment.
• The People, Equity, and Culture team will conduct reference checks for the candidate to whom they intend to extend an offer. This process usually takes about 1 week.
• The People, Equity, and Culture team will initiate a background check. This is intended to safeguard Equality Fund employees, grantees, and the organization. We recognize that some communities experience systemic over-policing. As such, only findings related to harassment, exploitation, coercion, sexual exploitation, fraud, abuse, or other findings specifically relevant to the duties of the role will be considered in relation to one’s eligibility for employment.
• The People, Equity, and Culture team will send the selected candidate an Employment Agreement, which the candidate will have time to review and return.

JOIN US!

Though we work to respond to all applicants, at times we may only be able to follow-up with those selected for an interview.