Senior Alumni & Development SpecialistStatus: Full Time
Hours: Monday – Friday, 35 hours/week
Home Campus: Fennell (hybrid work arrangements available)
Rate of Pay: Payband 10 ($88,983 - $111,230 per year)
Vacancy Status: 1 vacancy available
Posting Date: October 23rd, 2026
Closing Date: November 9th, 2026 at 7:00 pm EST
We believe the rich diversity among our students and the communities we serve should be reflected within our workforce. As educators, we believe it is important to act and show leadership in advancing the principles of reconciliation, equity, diversity, and inclusion in our community.
Job summary:
The Senior Alumni & Development Specialist plays a key role in advancing Mohawk College’s philanthropic priorities by strengthening the alumni giving pipeline and deepening donor relationships.
Reporting to the Director, Engagement & Stewardship, the incumbent works closely with the Director, Development, College leadership, faculty, and Advancement colleagues to develop and implement engagement and fundraising strategies that inspire ongoing investment in the College’s priorities and campaigns.
The Advancement team at Mohawk College is committed to fostering a strong, organization-wide culture of philanthropy built on authentic, transformative relationships with donors, alumni, volunteers, and community partners. In this context, the Senior Alumni & Development Specialist is instrumental in planning and executing engagement and fundraising programs that support the College’s strategic, academic, and fundraising priorities.
As a senior member of the Advancement team, the incumbent operates in a dynamic, fast-paced, and highly collaborative environment, managing multiple priorities and deadlines. This role requires a motivated, innovative, and results-oriented professional with a strong donor focus and exceptional relationship-building skills. The Specialist ensures an outstanding donor experience through meaningful engagement and effective stewardship that demonstrates the impact of philanthropic support.
What you’ll be doing:
Fundraising
- Lead and execute the College’s annual giving strategy, with a focus on alumni engagement and participation.
- Manage and grow a portfolio of mid-level, leadership-level ($1,000+), and planned giving prospects.
- Develop and implement strategies to identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward donors to meet or exceed revenue targets.
- Upgrade existing donors through personalized engagement and strategic asks.
- Support major gift development by identifying and qualifying high-potential alumni and community prospects.
- Participate in prospect review and strategy meetings to promote a team approach to fundraising.
- Develop and implement plans and strategies to acquire new donors.
- Achieve successful engagement by building, stewarding and maintaining high level relationships with donors, prospective donors and senior volunteer leaders.
- Develop fundraising plans designed to advance donor support, interest and engagement.
- Oversee the execution of targeted donor engagement activities for high-value constituent groups.
- Lead face-to-face donor meetings, develops strategy for priority areas, and stays abreast of industry trends.
Planning and Strategy
- Develop and implement integrated engagement and fundraising strategies aligned with the College’s strategic and campaign priorities.
- Build and sustain a strong alumni giving pipeline through data-informed planning and segmentation.
- Analyze donor trends, pipeline performance, and engagement metrics to inform decision-making and strategy refinement.
- Contribute to campaign planning, including identifying opportunities for growth in leadership, planned, and alumni giving.
- Identify and advance opportunities to engage alumni business owners and community partners.
- Manage projects in collaboration with cross-functional teams, ensuring initiatives are completed efficiently and effectively.
- Work with the Director, Engagement & Stewardship to develop revenue and expense budgets.
Relationship Management/College Relations
- Build and maintain meaningful, long-term relationships with alumni, donors, volunteers, and community partners.
- Engage and collaborate with College leadership, faculty, and internal partners to support donor cultivation and solicitation.
- Act as a key liaison between Advancement and the broader College community to strengthen a culture of philanthropy.
- Represent the College at events, meetings, and external engagements to enhance relationships and visibility.
- Foster strategic partnerships that support donor engagement, retention, and philanthropic investment.
- Ensure assigned volunteers are appropriately engaged in their roles by effectively mobilizing them with information and other tools to optimize their contributions of time, support and connections.
- Develops and executes cultivation and stewardship Annual Giving activities like annual mid-level events.
Communications/Stewardship
- Develop and deliver personalized solicitation, cultivation, and stewardship strategies that enhance donor experience and retention.
- Ensure timely, impactful communication with donors, demonstrating the value and outcomes of their contributions.
- Collaborate on the development of compelling cases for support, donor proposals, and impact reporting.
- Create meaningful engagement opportunities that connect donors to the College’s mission and priorities.
- Champion a donor-centric approach across all interactions, ensuring consistency and excellence in stewardship.
- Develop and write fundraising communications materials such as proposals, presentations, cases for support, briefing notes, progress reports, gift agreements, letters, impact reports, and other documents/materials.
- Work with Director, Engagement & Stewardship and Director, Development Initiatives to create inspiring Campaign Cases for Support.
- Demonstrate ability to inspire and raise donor sights, articulate aspirational goals and institutional priorities, and effectively presents philanthropic and partnership opportunities to corporate leadership.
- Build and maintain strong relationships with existing major donors, ensuring their continued engagement and support.
- Work collaboratively with the Marketing & Communication team and Director, Engagement & Stewardship to enhance the donor journey, leading best practice communications strategies.
Administration
- Monitor and report on portfolio performance, fundraising progress, and key metrics.
- Ensure compliance with institutional policies, procedures, and fundraising best practices.
- Support planning and execution of events, campaigns, and engagement initiatives.
- Manage competing priorities effectively in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment.
- Provide regular reports on fundraising activities, including progress towards fundraising goals, donor engagement metrics, and revenue projections.
- Prepare, monitor, and manage budgets pertaining to areas of responsibility.
- Maintain and update donor records in the Raiser’s Edge database including contacts with donors, mail, and email correspondence, thank you calls, event attendance, and meetings.
Other duties as assigned.
What you’ll bring to the role:
- Bachelor’s degree or equivalent combination of related education and business experience.
- A certificate or diploma in fundraising would be an asset. CFRE professional designation or affiliation with AFP, CASE or CAGP would be an asset.
- More than 5 years of experience in a major gift fundraising and/or comprehensive sales environment.
- Experience with MS Word, Excel and PowerPoint as well as Constituent Management Software such as Raiser’s Edge.
- Experience with Mail Chimp, AKA Raisin or other mailing and online giving platforms.
- Experience with creating webpages and social media posts would be an asset.
- Demonstrated ability to effectively forge, manage and maintain long-standing constituent relationships.
- Experience working with senior volunteers.
- Demonstrated track record in major individual and annual giving gift cycle activity.
- Highly developed analytical skills with ability to conduct research and use independent judgement to problem solve.
- Ability to influence, negotiate and manage contentious issues to resolution.
- Ability to coordinate and modify projects, and work with a group of external volunteers.
- Proven ability to take initiative and carry projects to completion with minimum supervision.
- Excellent teamwork, interpersonal and constituent service skills including the ability to work respectfully and inclusively with a diverse employee population and multiple stakeholders.
- Strong communication skills (both written and verbal).
- Demonstrated commitment and understanding of human rights, equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility.
- The ability to communicate and work effectively with diverse students, employees, and communities.
What we offer:
- Progressive vacation plan starting with 22 vacation days per year plus holiday closure.
- Defined Benefit pension plan (CAAT) with contributions matched by Mohawk College.
- 93% top up of maternity and parental leave pay for 52 weeks.
- Annual employee performance incentive program.
- Comprehensive benefits package including health, dental, vision, paramedical services (massage therapy, acupuncture, naturopath, psychotherapy and psychology), short-term and long-term disability.
- Ability to take courses at a reduced rate for employees and dependents.
To find out more about working at Mohawk College, including our Employee Value Proposition, please visit https://www.mohawkcollege.ca/about-mohawk/careers-at-mohawk
We are committed to reconciliation and nurturing an inclusive, diverse, equitable, and accessible (IDEA) environment for everyone who learns and works at Mohawk College. We welcome applications from racialized persons, women, Indigenous people, persons with disabilities, 2SLGBTQIA+ persons, and others who may contribute to the further diversification of ideas.
The College is committed to fostering inclusive and barrier-free recruitment and selection processes. If you require accommodation during any stage of the recruitment process, please contact Human Resources.
To learn more about Mohawk College’s commitments, please visit the Mohawk College strategic plan webpage: https://www.strategicplan.mohawkcollege.ca/
