Manager, Legacy Giving and Stewardship

Department: Major Gift Advancement

This position is represented by the agreement between the Professional Staff Association and the University of Guelph
 

Temporary full-time from 02/28/2025 to 06/12/2026 
Temporary Absence of the Regular Incumbent

If you are a current employee of the University of Guelph you must apply on the internal Career Page in order to be considered as an internal applicant. 
 Career Opportunities (sapsf.com) 

General Purpose

At the University of Guelph, fostering a culture of inclusion is an institutional imperative. The University invites and encourages applications from all qualified individuals, including from groups that are traditionally underrepresented in employment, who may contribute to further diversification of our Institution.

In our work, we advance the mission of the University of Guelph by building lifelong relationships with our community: alumni, donors, and friends. Our vision is for the University of Guelph to be personally relevant in the lives of our community members. Through these relationships, we amplify the impact of philanthropy to create unique solutions for the challenges facing our world. As a member of this campus-wide team, the Manager, Legacy Giving and Stewardship epitomizes the department’s shared values of respect, empowerment, integrity, appreciation, and forward focus.

Duties and Responsibilities

Reporting to the Senior Manager, Legacy Giving, the Manager, Legacy Giving and Stewardship (MLGS) is responsible for legacy giving fundraising (gifts in wills and estates). The MLGS is expected to personally generate a minimum of $1 million in future revenue annually through the confirmation of 10 legacy gifts. The MLGS works to secure future revenue with an external audience ranging from alumni, donors, and friends of the University of Guelph. This occurs through donor qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship. More specifically, the responsibilities of the MLGS include:

• Undertake complex legacy giving (planned giving) discussions with donors, friends, and alumni in order to promote legacy giving as a means to achieve the University of Guelph’s fundraising priorities and create future revenue for the university while creating a legacy for donors on campus
• Personally manage a robust pipeline of 75+ university-wide donor relationships with individuals interested in confirming a new legacy gift to benefit the University of Guelph.
• Complete a minimum of 8 - 10 in-person meetings per month with legacy giving prospects
• Build strategies to manage personalized outreach to donors requesting information about legacy giving
• Create strategies to engage historically identified legacy giving leads and new leads which fit a legacy giving profile.
• Provide an exceptional level of service to these complex and sensitive conversations.
• Connect with lawyers, financial advisors and estate planners to discuss their clients’ plans.

The university is currently stewarding confirmed deferred gift expectancies from over 600 donors, with deferred/future gift expectancies currently valued at over $90 million.

Specifically, the MLGS is responsible for the following:

Personal Stewardship

• Personal stewardship of assigned prospects, meet to learn more about the estate gift and deepen donors’ relationship with the University to encourage the growth of the estate gift and explore giving opportunities during their lifetime.

Mass Stewardship

• Create innovative personal stewardship outreach for identified members of the J.D. MacLachlan Society members including VIP members with gifts $250,000 +. This includes mass mailings and events.

Finally, the MLGS is responsible for making sure legacy giving conversations are documented accurately.  Accurately recording the information about a legacy gift is an important task which helps in the eventual administration of the gift when it is received (sometimes decades later).

Requirements

• A Undergraduate degree in a related field, along with three and a half (3.5) years fundraising experience with a proven track record in legacy/estate giving fundraising, ideally in a higher education setting.
• Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) designation is preferred
• Familiarity with CAGP (Canadian Association of Gift Planners) and the resources, training and guidelines they provide. Preference for attendance in CAGP courses: Gift Planning Fundamentals and/or Original Canadian Gift Planning Course
• Extensive knowledge of legacy giving, the complex gift vehicles and the tax consequences of these gifts
• University or other public sector fundraising experience, with a proven track record of success securing legacy gifts and other philanthropic gifts
• High levels of emotional intelligence and empathy during delicate conversations and ability to navigate emotional conversations with sensitivity.
• Awareness of death literacy and the psychology of legacy giving.
• Superior interpersonal communications skills, including effective relationship building
• Ability to think and act quickly and effectively under pressure, exercising tact, diplomacy, discretion and good judgment.
• Proven ability to interact effectively with lawyers, financial advisors and other experts who are involved with legacy gifts
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Microsoft Office Suite of programs
• Excellent demonstrated analytical, communication and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to multi-task.

Employee Type: Cover
Position Number: 10394079 
Classification: P&M FT- Band 04    
Professional/Managerial Salary Bands 
 

At the University of Guelph, fostering a culture of inclusion is an institutional imperative. The University invites and encourages applications from all qualified individuals, including from groups that are traditionally underrepresented in employment, who may contribute to further diversification of our Institution.

Posting Date:  01/09/2025  
Closing Date:  01/27/2025