New efficiencies

The Office of Advancement and units across the University regularly work in concert with both internal and external teams to complete a wide variety of audit activities, be they financial, information system, operational or compliance related. While audits are complex undertakings, they can be very useful to better understand the state of your enterprise.   

Several of our staff in Advancement are responsible for maintaining processes that support ongoing audit activities. One of those activities is the upcoming Advance Web Access Audit.  This process was born out of recommendations from a comprehensive IT data-security audit we participated in several years ago and is now common practice across the University. The audit reviews our users’ access to Advance and ensures we are staying on top of any changes to employment and access needs and are following best practices for protecting our data assets. 

We have appreciated your ongoing attention to this important exercise but recognized (supported by your feedback) that the process could be more efficient for our Advancement supervisors and data-governance team. As we prepare for the Winter 2023 Advance Web Access Audit, we are pleased to announce that the audit can now be completed using Adobe Sign, which will allow you to review access, note any applicable changes if required, and approve the audit directly in your browser.

Many thanks to Cheyenne Litt and Barb Lindsay for recasting this process in a more efficient manner. Please look for an email from Adobe Sign this Wednesday, Feb. 1.  We would appreciate having your responses by Wednesday, Feb. 15. Please direct any questions or concerns to Cheyenne.

New Gift Acceptance Form

On Jan. 18, Gift Services launched a new Gift Acceptance/Letter of Intent form at the Development team meeting. This new form combines our previous remittal material with an overall goal to eliminate duplication and reduce the time it takes to reflect donor intentions in our system. The form can be found on the I:Drive (ADV Common\Gift Services\Internal and External Forms). Please direct any questions or comments to Christa Walsh.

Teams’ telephony update

Late last fall, the University upgraded its phone system to Teams Telephony, a Voice-over Internet Protocol (VoIP) solution. VoIP is a technology that allows you to make phone calls using an Internet connection instead of a traditional phone line. Except for a few special cases (e.g., more complex migrations for the 1-800 number, taking credit cards over the phone), many in our staff group are already using this new system. Many of us are familiar with Teams, but Teams Telephony provides a variety of features you may not yet be taking advantage of, including: 

•    Make and receive phone calls through Teams using your existing Queen’s telephone number or extension. 
•    Callers can leave voicemails which are then emailed to you and accessible in Teams.
•    Transfer calls between individuals across Queen’s.
•    Place calls on hold.
•    Use any device to make and receive calls (e.g., laptops, desktops, mobile phones, etc.).
•    Stay connected anywhere – when you place calls when working from home, you will appear exactly as you would while at your desk.

The Telephony Project is ongoing. Solutions for complex migrations are still in exploration through central ITS and we will provide an update when we have more clarity.
If you’re looking for more information on the features available or training opportunities, please visit the Telephony Replacement Program site or reach out to the Advancement Service Desk. If you are on campus and do not have access to a computer or mobile phone, common area phones can be found in Summerhill boardrooms and Rooms 115 and 103. 
 

I-EDIAA announcement

The Human Rights and Equity Office has chosen to adopt I-EDIAA in response to the expressed needs of equity deserving communities at Queen’s.  The first “I”, for “Indigenization”, is separated from EDIAA with a hyphen to foreground responsibilities to honour obligations to Indigenous communities which are separate and distinct from equity and inclusion efforts.  Further, the distinct placement of Indigenization in this formulation encourages more careful reflection and accountability around exactly how the unit/equity initiative is, in fact, addressing Indigenization before a decision to adopt the full acronym is made.

The two “A’s” toward the end of the acronym stand for “Accessibility and Anti-Racism”.  The first “A” is meant to address ongoing and longstanding community concerns about the persistent invisibility of disabled people and voices within equity, diversity, and inclusion work.  Anti-racism was included in the acronym in acknowledgement of our institution’s uniquely stark history of white supremacy and racism, and in recognition of the ongoing contributions campus anti-racism movements have made in positively transforming our institutional culture for the benefit of all.

See the announcement. 

Data governance master class

Please join me in congratulating Cheyenne Litt, Data Stewardship Specialist, Advancement Services, who celebrated her convocation this past December with a Master of Information in Archives and Records Management from the University of Toronto. Cheyenne had been patiently awaiting an opportunity to cross the stage since the pandemic. 

Cheyenne brings her expertise in privacy legislation and records retention daily to the Office of Advancement and we are grateful to have Cheyenne on the team. Congrats, Cheyenne, on this important achievement!

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.