As I write this newsletter today, I’m stuck by how upside down our world feels. I’m also amazed and very proud of how quickly the Advancement team has moved to a business continuity model. It hasn’t been easy, but we are supporting each other and making progress. As we move forward, I find that I’ve had to put some of my natural instincts and tendencies aside. I’m goal-oriented and driven by action so it is uncomfortable to be taking a quieter approach to our marketing and communications efforts and to be cancelling our alumni events. It’s taking some getting used to, but I’m convinced our approach is valid. That said, it feels quite unnatural and I expect many of you share that feeling! Below, I’ve outlined how the AR&AG team is approaching our new reality and embracing this time.
Like many across Advancement, the Alumni Relations team is focused on the stewardship of our alumni leaders, volunteers, and donors with personal outreach. Annual Giving has an ambitious project underway to reach out to all 6,000-plus annual donors. Many of you will have received an email from Lisa Riley, and we look forward to your response by April 17 (Friday). Annual Giving has also been working to reimagine what Annual Giving looks like in the year ahead, considering opportunities for stewardship and engagement, and collaborating with our Annual Giving stakeholders to ensure alignment.
Looking to the future, we are also working with our alumni engagement partners across Advancement, to form quick and focused “SWAT” teams for the next two weeks to research, brainstorm, and compile ideas for programming through COVID-19 times and beyond. This has presented us with an opportunity for increased cross-collaboration across Advancement. We are taking this opportunity to envision what alumni engagement looks like and how we can integrate virtual engagement.
Our teams are buzzing with new ideas. We are watching and learning from other institutions. As we develop our year ahead, lead SWAT teams, Tiger teams, and much more, I challenge you to think critically and ask yourself how and if a proposed initiative will advance Queen’s? Does it support our mission? Does it drive forward our strategic plan? If the answer to those questions is unclear or a definitive no, then give yourself permission to let those initiatives go and move on to other ideas, even if it feels unnatural. We have many great opportunities ahead of us.
Help Define Our Values
In the April 6 newsletter, we asked you to help define the values of the Office of Advancement.
All our discussions over the past year and the research completed to inform our new strategic plan provide a good benchmark of our current culture. And, of course, we are all now familiar with the strategic objectives included in Forward, Together. The first step to define the values of the Office of Advancement is to consider the organizational culture/values we need to achieve this plan and, ultimately, to achieve our mission to foster relationships that advance Queen’s and contribute to a better world.
To stimulate your thinking, you may want to review examples of some corporate values.
Next, we invite you to submit up to five values you think are important for the Office of Advancement (in no particular order). Don’t worry about what other people submit, just tell us what values you think are important for the Office of Advancement by the end of the day Friday, April 17. This exercise will generate a long list of potential values, but to begin this process we want the full inventory of values deemed important by the entire team.
Over the next few months we will complete a variety of activities to confirm our values, define what they mean, and consider how to build them into our regular work. These activities will be virtual, but we hope you will place the same level of importance on this effort and contribute to the discussion as much as you would have if we rolled out those in-person interactive activities.
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 vacancy 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 Katelyn, Carla, or the hiring manager for the position you are interested in.
Available Position:
| POSITION | UNIT AND DEPARTMENT | CLOSING DATE | GRADE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Director, Strategic Content and Publications | Communications, Marketing, Events and Donor Relations | April 22, 2020 | 11 |
Fun Fact
Beamish-Munro Hall, located at the corner of Union and Division streets, is named in honour of the families of Robert Beamish, Sci'60, and Donald Munro, Sci'52. It is the home of the Integrated Learning Centre and Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science.
The building opened in May 2004, and in 2005 it was selected as one of the most environmentally advanced buildings in Canada.
The facility itself is instrumented as a working laboratory – where students can see structural elements of the building that are usually hidden and monitor systems like air quality, heating, lighting, and cooling using specially designed software – showing how sustainable practices can be incorporated into building design.