Welcoming 2023 with a commitment to supporting others

I wanted to take a moment to welcome everyone back.

It can be difficult to return to work from a break. For some of you, it was just a few days, but for others, I know it was an extended holiday. Either way, you may be feeling a little off balance. The holiday decorations are coming down (if they’re not down already), bills are coming in, and we can no longer deny that winter is here. It’s not always an easy time as we tend to stop looking back and, with all our new resolutions, begin to look forward. And it can be daunting to look at the unspoiled pages of the calendar and contemplate all we have yet to do.

But I want you to take heart – and a deep breath – and focus on all the positives that are coming our way.

With the gifts booked in December, we are going to have a record-breaking fundraising year. This is also the year the persona project is going to help us redefine how we interact with alumni. This is the year we are going to really see our Toronto and young-alumni strategies begin to take hold, and that we will take our events to the next level. Homecoming is back, and we’re going to build on the incredible template from 2022 to make it even bigger and better. For advancement professionals, all these things should make our hearts skip a beat.

And then, there are the surprises. I know – for many, the unexpected can be stressful. But remember that often the things that catch us off guard are good things – new opportunities, new donors, new chances for our team to shine. These are the detours for which we cannot prepare, but that can suddenly take us to new and exciting places. Let’s be open to them when they happen.

We ended 2022 providing support for organizations in the Kingston community. This team shines brightest when our actions embody our values. As in this case, when our actions demonstrate our commitment to service – service to the communities around campus, service to our alumni, donors, and volunteers, and service to colleagues. In addition to remaining open to all the possibilities the next year holds, I hope this commitment to supporting others is a hallmark of 2023.

The calendar that lies before us is nothing for us to fear – it is simply an unwritten story. Let us choose to make it a success story – and, starting today, fill it with dedication, and imagination, and support for one another. 

2023 webinar series with Donor Relations Guru 

Ready, set… learn!

Donor Relations is pleased to offer complimentary registrations for our Advancement colleagues to the Donor Relations Guru (DRG) monthly webinars with the Discovery & Enchantment series for 2023. DRG has expanded their professional learning series to two webinars per month. We hope you are ready to dive into the magical world of the 4 Pillars of Donor Relations and the 4 Pillars of the Donor Experience to discover strategies and tactics that will help you build stronger relationships with donors. 

The Discovery & Enchantment series begins in January 2023 and ends in December 2023. 

We have an easy-to-register link that will blanket register you for all webinars. Even if you cannot attend one of them, you will get the recording and slides direct to your inbox within 24 hours of the broadcast to enjoy at your convenience! 

We invite you to review the catalogue of webinars for a taste of what will be offered over the coming year. 

If you would like to register for the webinars individually, please email us with the session, date, and topic title for which you’d like to register, or register now for the complete series and use “Queen's University” as the company.

The Flynn Award Recipient 

The T. Geoffrey Flynn Advancement Champion Award is presented annually to honour a member of the Queen’s community who has made a significant contribution to linking Queen’s University’s advancement activities with research and teaching excellence at Queen’s.  
 
The 2022 T. Geoffrey Flynn Advancement Champion Award recipient is Patrick Legresley, Executive Director of Finance for Smith School of Business.
 
Patrick recognizes the importance of alumni engagement, donor, and fund stewardship, and is always willing to strengthen the essential link between Queen’s and Smith’s academic priorities and our advancement work to support these priorities.
 
Patrick often helps create cases for support providing “power tools” that include statistics and data. A faithful advocate of advancement work, Patrick is always quick to note that the return on investment (ROI) for adding resources to Smith’s advancement team is worthwhile, as he sees the impact of advancement work on the school. From the Goodes Hall expansion to engaging alumni as mentors and speakers, growing Queen’s endowment, student award funding, and supporting research and centres, Patrick goes above and beyond.
 
Pat has been an incredible partner and is instrumental in our ability to maintain effective oversight and reap the benefits of the long list of funds at Smith School of Business that have been established by donors over the years. He helps educate our academic partners alongside us on the importance of stewardship of our donor funds. This past year, Patrick came up with an idea and has been a critical champion in launching a strategic investment to create a $4-million matching campaign at Smith in support of Equity, Diversity, Inclusivity, and Indigenization initiatives. In partnership with Advancement, he helped gain the support of the Dean to action this unique campaign, which will significantly contribute to our EDII work at Smith and Queen’s commitment to EDII. It wouldn’t have been possible without Patrick’s idea, leadership, and collaborative efforts with our Development team.
 
Thank you, Patrick, for your leadership, drive, and passion.  

John J. Heney Award Recipient 

By: Colleen Walas, Officer, Stewardship & Events 

Last month, the Office of Advancement announced Pat Galloway as the 2022 recipient of the John J. Heney Award – now feels like a great opportunity to share a little more about Pat with all of you.

I thought it would be fitting to share a quote from Pat’s nomination for this award: “It is rare to meet someone who embodies the value of service so naturally. And yet day in and out, despite vast amounts of pressure, steep learning curves, and intense timelines, Pat’s instinctive embrace towards service remains unwavering. Rather than a list of Pat’s achievements related to projects, products, and solutions (as incredible as they are), I will point to something more difficult to achieve:  Daily leadership - marked not by title or praise, but through stewardship of the team, acts of compassionate service, and an effortless integrity.” 

The above quote sums up Pat perfectly. He is a master of collaboration, a customer service expert who listens with intention and compassion. He comes to the table with clear logic and strategy when faced with a problem, and always with a smile on his face. Pat is genuinely someone who every person in Advancement looks forward to working with – he is patient, kind, thoughtful, and adds tremendous value to any project or team he works with. 

Colleagues across Advancement heartily endorsed Pat’s nomination for the Heney Award, which speaks volumes to the impact that Pat has made through his work in Advancement over a number of years – his devotion and dedication to his work and the Office of Advancement has been nothing short of incredible. 

Let him know you absolutely agree by congratulating Pat as the 2022 recipient of the John J. Heney Award! 

Your perspectives on our hybrid work pilot

Queen’s advancement professionals were invited to take part in a survey in November to learn current perspectives on our hybrid work pilot. Thirty-nine individuals completed the survey before it closed on Nov. 29, and ALT received the survey results in December. 

Survey results were posted to QUIRC on Dec. 13. In the event you missed the posting or would like to review the results again, ALT would like to remind everyone that the survey results are still available for review on the I: DRIVE (please log into the VPN to access): ADV Common\2020-2025 Advancement\Building a Better Workplace\Hybrid Work Assessment_SurveyResults December 2022.pptx. 

Employee spotlight

The Employee Spotlight celebrates the arrival of our new and existing 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. 

In mid-December, we welcomed Erica Walters, Senior Development Officer, Major Gifts. Learn more about Erica and what fictional family she would like to be part of. 

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 Ferreira Rodrigues or the hiring manager for the position you are interested in.