By: Leigh Kalin, Associate Vice-Principal, Alumni Relations & Annual Giving

A few words about inclusion

Over the past few months Advancement has worked hard to identify our values. Today I am writing about Inclusion and my efforts to ensure my actions behaviours and words support this value on a day-to-day basis. Our action statements for inclusion are below. I take the time to learn about the diversity of opinions and perspectives because:

• I recognize they are important to help us all increase our knowledge and expertise.
• I take responsibility for becoming more self-aware and for learning and educating myself about Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion.
• I commit to tolerance and inclusion, to inviting feedback and to acting on that feedback in a way that makes my colleagues feel heard and respected.
• I show a genuine interest in and appreciation of others’ perspectives, knowledge, skills, and abilities.
• I create a space where everyone feels safe to speak up.

I feel strongly that diversity and inclusion are the foundation of creativity. I have to be intentional about creating an inclusive environment.  For example, I work at a fast pace, take action quickly, and I don’t hesitate to share my opinion and views.  I realize however, that not everyone interacts this way. I must remind myself to invite others to participate and to seek out perspectives in a manner that is comfortable for all.  I use a simple technique, the “round-robin method,” in meetings to honour everyone’s ideas. Reminding myself to “round robin” is an easy way of ensuring that each individual is given equal air-time to participate and share, and that each team member is provided with a level playing field. I’m aware that I don’t always nail this, but I am committed to improving!   I would love to hear how you practice inclusion.

Canadian Association of Gift Planners (CAGP)

By Carmen Vanderlinde, Associate Director, Gift Planning

Last month, I attended the Canadian Association of Gift Planners (CAGP) 27th national conference.  The plenary session on Day 2 was a powerful and thought-provoking speech by Senator Ratna Omidvar titled “Creating a More Inclusive Sector.”  I wanted to share the YouTube link to Sentaor Omidvar’s speech (25 minutes) for any colleagues that are interested to watch it.  Senator Omidvar sets the stage by stating her observations (that reminded me of White Fragility for those that recently participated in this book club): 

1. Accept that systemic racism is part of the Canadian experience. 
2. Even though we may not be individually racist, many of us have benefited from the legacy of privilege.

With these observations in mind, she challenges the audience with “What then of philanthropy and our role?” She discusses her views, including that the very definition of charity in Canada from the Income Tax Act is from the “Elizabethan times” and includes expressions of systemic racism.  Her speech closes with five ideas for fundraising professionals to bravely transition from gift planners to warriors for justice.  

QUAA updates 

by Natalie Minnema, Administrative Assistant, Alumni Relations and Annual Giving

The QUAA Board of Directors has been busy planning for the year ahead. For the second year in a row, the QUAA Assembly held their annual AGM virtually on Saturday, Apr. 24. A total of 37 participants tuned in. With a total of 41 voting Assembly members, the Board was thrilled to see this level of virtual participation. Rico presented to the group on  alumni volunteer activity for 2020-21. Principal Patrick Deane joined the group to share a bit about the recent Times Higher Education Impact Ranking announcement and engaged in a roundtable discussion, where there was heavy focus on the current Queen’s student experience and what we can expect at Queen’s, moving forward into a “new normal.” The group started discussions around goals and priorities for the year ahead, which the Board of Directors continued during their annual planning retreat on Saturday, May 1. Key areas of focus identified by the Board for 2021-22 include:

1. Further advancing Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Indigenization efforts
2. The expansion of their Chapters portfolio to create more opportunities for identity-based and special interest-based engagement
3. Doubling efforts to help graduating students with their transition to the workforce
4. Exploring ways to further reach and engage Graduate alumni
5. Fostering a culture of philanthropy among volunteer leaders

If you are interested in engaging with the Board or recruiting alumni volunteers for any upcoming initiatives, please reach out to Natalie Shearer.

Book club discussion feedback

Thanks to everyone who attended our White Fragility book talk.  Overall, the feedback on the session was mainly positive.  Most attendees felt the session met their expectations.  Staff particularly enjoyed hearing the experiences and personal anecdotes from their colleagues. Feedback also indicated that the team felt that it was an important event for Advancement to host and that they were pleased to see a large number of individuals committed to Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Indigeneity (EDII). There was also a shared sentiment that the event allowed them to learn about the work they as individuals needed to do to learn more about the topic.

Areas for improvement focused on a sense that the discussion strayed from the book content and did not relate back to our work in advancement.  This could have been achieved through more specific and directed questions.  If we are to host another book club in a similar forum, we need to ensure that time is dedicated to hearing from those who disagree with the content of the book and also specifically invite opposing opinions. We will take all of this feedback into account as we plan our next event.  

Employee spotlight

The Employee Spotlight celebrates the arrival of our new staff by profiling responses they share through a fun and informal survey that will help us get to know them better. Be sure to review these profiles and use these fun facts and tidbits to find commonalities, embrace differences and spark a conversation.

This week we welcome Yeshi Dolma to Advancement, in the position of Marketing Officer, Marketing & Publications. Learn more about Yeshi and the new hobby she recently picked up.

Jobs with Advancement

We need your recruitment help. Know great talent that would be a good addition to our team? If so, please promote the vacancies below with your networks and let’s find some amazing new team members.

Applications (including a cover letter and résumé) must be submitted through CareerQ. For additional information on this posting, please reach out to either Carla or the hiring manager for the position you are interested in.

Apply Now

Available Position:

Fun Fact

We’re 100!

It seems like just yesterday that we published the first ALTogether Now. So it’s hard to believe that this week’s edition is our 100th. In our first edition, we told you that we hoped the newsletter “becomes a constant source of information that you trust for the most current updates on issues and projects that affect us all.” 

Thank you to everyone who has contributed to our newsletter over the last 100 weeks, ensuring that we live up to our goal and share content that is informative and trustworthy. And thank you for making time to read it each week.