COWICHAN VALLEY HOSPICE SOCIETY  

DEVELOPMENT & COMMUNICATION ASSISTANT JOB DESCRIPTION  

  

Position Summary: 

Cowichan Hospice is seeking a new member for our fundraising team. 

In this role, you will support the design and implementation of fundraising activities and communication to develop and sustain community engagement and philanthropic support of Cowichan Hospice services. 

You are a confident communicator with skills in building strong and authentic relationships with our community and donors.  

Training and coaching will be provided to help you grow into an impactful role that may include project  management, leading research projects, proposal development, creative direction, database management,  oversight and reporting.  

Developing a donor-centric understanding of fundraising will be key in this role. 

Under the direction of Development Coordinator, your responsibilities will include:  

  

Communication 

• Maintaining a social media presence through Facebook and Instagram  

Regularly develop and post content, respond to comments on each account, link community partners or sponsors and create posts for advertising campaigns as needed 

o Help build brand awareness 

o Keep up-to-date with social media community-building and fundraising best practices 

o Review the efficiency of our communication activities and suggest improvements

• Maintaining electronic email contact lists 

• Helping to write, design and produce community, donor and fundraising communication materials such as brochures and posters, blog posts, social media posts and e-blasts 

• Updating the Cowichan Hospice website  

• Developing and maintaining relationships with local media outlets to ensure consistent visibility of the organization in the public sphere (not including media interviews) 

• Drafting of press releases as required and distributing to appropriate media channels

Fundraising 

• Maintaining donor database  

o Accurately process and track donations 

o Prepare receipts 

o Record notes 

o Conduct analysis of internal data  

o Prepare donor-related and financial reports 

• Ensuring timely communication with donors  

• In collaboration with Executive Director and Development Coordinator:  

o Research gift/grant prospects

o Draft grant applications and grant reports 

o Support project evaluation and draft related reports 

• Keeping up-to-date with best practices and solutions regarding community-centered fundraising 

• Participating in planning and organizing fundraising and community events  

• Supporting third-party fundraising (such as the Cycle of Life Tour, Reel Alternatives Cowichan), in collaboration with local organizations through social media posts, posters and other written materials as needed 

• Assisting with identifying and cultivating corporate sponsorship opportunities  

• Expanding digital marketing/fundraising  

Required education and experience:  

• Completion of a two-year related certificate or diploma (e.g. communications, marketing, fundraising) or two years of related experience in fundraising in a not-for-profit environment, or an equivalent  combination of training and experience 

Required knowledge, skills and abilities:  

• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, both verbal and written 

• Commitment to a client-centered environment, and to Cowichan Hospice values: Compassion, Respect,  Integrity, Collaboration, Diversity, Honouring Life, Equity, Accountability 

• Excellent skills in Microsoft Office, with experience in database management, PowerPoint, Teams,  Constant Contact, Wix, Outlook, InDesign, Canva and Photoshop an asset 

• Ability to maintain confidentiality 

• Ability to work both independently and as part of a team in a collaborative environment • Flexibility and availability for occasional evening and weekend work 

• Valid BC Driver’s License 

• A second language is an asset 

A successful applicant will be expected to:  

• Complete Cowichan Hospice volunteer training and Association of Fundraising Professionals’ “Fundamentals of Fundraising” course 

• Learn fundraising principles and practices, key fundraising metrics, and segmentation methods

• Learn about CRA guidelines for charitable receipting, Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) and Canada Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL) 

Please provide a cover letter and two references with your resume.    

$26 an hour/ 35-37 hours per week, with pension plan and extended benefits upon successful completion of  three-month probation. 

For more information, please email frontdesk@cowichanhospice.org or phone 250-701-4242

The PDF of this job posting can be found here