Generosity comes in all shapes and sizes

What a February it has been; this month has truly been exceptional. 

We had the opportunity to celebrate the Bader family’s generosity and see the Agnes Reimagined project take shape once again. On top of that, we are celebrating the extraordinary gift from Bruce Mitchell to support Queen’s in increasing research intensity and graduate-student recruitment. Both the Bader family and Mr. Mitchell are longtime supporters of the university, and the magnitude of their giving is remarkable. Each have their own personal reasons for supporting our institution and their lives were positively impacted by their time at Queen’s. 

On the heels of these two transformative gift announcements, I also had the opportunity to speak to an Artsci ’64 alumna last week, thanking her for her ongoing support of Queen’s and reminding me that the generosity of our alumni comes in many shapes and sizes. This alumna has been an Annual Giving donor for 46 years and was shocked (and thrilled) that I took the time to meet with her, especially with all our “big donations” in the news. She maintained that she cannot make a gift of the magnitude of Bader or Mitchell but that Queen’s will “always be on her list for cheque.” 

While large, transformative gifts are out of reach for most of our alumni, their impact, and the inspiration these gifts and these donors provide to other alumni and donors, is clear. If you have an opportunity to pick up the phone or schedule a Zoom meeting with an annual donor, I encourage you to do it. Share the news of the exciting gifts we have received and thank and show them our appreciation for their own generosity.  

With Love from Queen’s 

In 2021, Donor Relations launched With Love from Queen’s, an initiative aimed at engaging couples who met during their time at Queen’s and continue to engage in the life of the university through philanthropic support or volunteer roles. 

Working with Alumni Relations and Annual Giving partners, a list is pulled and carefully curated, with chosen couples receiving a custom-designed Queen’s frame which includes their yearbook photos and a note honouring their love story and reminding them just how special their history is to Queen’s. The packages are carefully wrapped in tricolour and delivered just before Valentine’s Day. 

Last week, we received a special note of appreciation from one of the couples.

Call for volunteers to help plan Advancement Enhancement Day 

Advancement Enhancement Day (AED) is a beloved annual tradition of the Office of Advancement at Queen’s, a day for employees; organized by employees, which is what makes it so special. 

Each year, AED focuses on one or more of these three pillars:

• Personal wellness
• Professional development
• Team building

Based on an employee survey, AED 2022 focused on personal wellness and team building. 

This year’s AED 2023 will take place on Tuesday, June 13, 2023. Its focus will be on team building, a decision informed by the results of the employee engagement survey and the Hybrid-work Pilot Survey, as well as discussions between managers at the Feb. 3 rapid-improvement meeting. 

The rest of the day will feature other team-building activities and sign-up sessions, all with the focus of team building in mind.

As always, a day for employees organized by employees is not possible without a strong organizing committee. This is the official call to action for anyone willing to help. Please reach out to Bianca Bruni as soon as possible. The framework for AED 2023 may already be decided, but there is still opportunity for the organizing committee to have a real impact on the overall success of the day and to make AED as special as always.

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. 

This week, we spotlight Senior Development Officer, Major Gifts Anna Samulak. Learn what she loves most about her role in Advancement. 

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.