Content warning: The following column discusses sexual violence and harassment.
Three in four women in fundraising have experienced sexual harassment. Seven per cent of men have experienced harassment. LGBTQAI+ and racialized fundraisers experience severe forms of harassment and abuse – AFP Workplace Climate Survey.
Pretty alarming, isn’t it?
As I reflect on these statistics from the National Day of Conversation, I think about my own work experiences, realizing that I have been in similar circumstances all too often. Was I ever propositioned? No. Was I ever touched inappropriately? Thankfully, not. But have I been on the receiving end of comments and looks that made me uncomfortable? Yes. Have I had to think twice about meeting with donors in their homes and in private venues? Yes. Have I had to do joint donor visits, so I was not alone on a call? Yes. Have I had to be mindful of what I wear at work events, so I don’t get unwanted comments or looks? Yes. And have I made sure to text my husband or coworker before and after stakeholder calls? Yes. And all because I am a woman.
As a woman, I’ve also been on the receiving end of assumptions – assumptions that have challenged the core of who I am. The greatest one of which is the assumption that I am straight, simply because I am married to a man. It bothers me tremendously, but I don’t challenge it. Why? Because it is easier than having to explain something that is deeply personal to who I am. And that, my colleagues, is why the National Day of Conversation matters.
Feeling unsafe at work – whether it be safe from comments, looks, harassment or even assumptions that deny who you are, is not only unfair, but also unacceptable. Yet, in our profession, we have come to accept it. We’ve gotten used to it. And sometimes, we inadvertently participate by denying it, ignoring it, or failing to support our colleagues who are affected by it. We do this because we feel we must; because not to, we believe, could compromise our jobs.
Taken directly from their website, the National Day of Conversation is a virtual day of conversation to raise awareness and educate about the issue of sexual harassment in fundraising. I invite any of you interested in learning more, to join Executive Director, University-Wide Development, Meredith Meads, who will be hosting an informal, voluntary information session at 12:00 pm EST on Wednesday, Nov. 30. The session will be safe space to share your experiences, insights, and learnings.
And if this is not the right forum for you, please know that you can always reach out to me, another member of Advancement's Leadership Team (ALT), Human Resources, or your team lead if you just want to be able to share experiences.
Working in a safe space is not a nice-to-have, it is your right and our collective responsibility.
QUAA Gala Awards – Nominations open until Dec. 12
On behalf of the Queen's University Alumni Association (QUAA) Board, we would like to encourage staff to consider the incredible alumni you work with in the call for Gala Award nominations. Please note, the preference for this nomination process is by alumni, for alumni. As a Queen’s staff member, you are welcome, and encouraged, to identify deserving alumni, assist alumni in creating the nomination package, or provide supporting documentation. This is an excellent opportunity to engage your donors and prospects!
The QUAA Board, including Director - Alumni Awards, Elaine Wu, Artsci’98, MIR’00, Law’03, is looking to encourage a diverse slate of nominations for all awards. We wanted to highlight three in particular:
Herbert J Hamilton Volunteer Service Award – for volunteer service to QUAA
Marsha Lampman Volunteer Award – for volunteer service to/in a regional branch, chapter or reunion
Outstanding Student Leader Award – for a current Queen’s student who has made a significant impact in connecting alumni and students
Information and nomination forms are available online. Closing of the 2023 Gala Award nomination cycle is on Monday, Dec. 12 at 11:59 pm. The date of the Gala is to be announced, but is slated for early June 2023, in Kingston.
If you have any questions regarding the Gala Awards, nomination process or you would like to share the name of a potential nominee, please reach out to Lindsey Kull - Alumni Officer, Volunteer Liaison.
Advancement’s year-end gathering
The Marketing, Communications, and Donor Relations team (MCDR) is excited to share more details regarding Advancement’s annual year-end gathering. This is an employee-organized and driven event that we hope will offer all Advancement staff an enjoyable and fulfilling experience.
We’ll kick things off at 12 pm ET on Dec. 8 with lunch at Mackintosh-Corry Hall, D201. This is an opportunity for Advancement staff to gather in person and connect with colleagues in a casual environment. Show your spirit and don’t forget your ugly sweater!
We’ll also present the John J. Heney Award, T. Geoffrey Flynn Advancement Champion Award, and the Service Recognition Award to this year’s recipients.
At 12:45 pm ET, we’ll shift gears and have shuttle buses waiting to take Advancement staff to a variety of volunteer experiences in the Kingston community. Please choose an organization you would like to volunteer with that day.
Signing-up for one of the volunteer experiences is highly encouraged.
Martha’s Table (15 spots available)
Martha’s Table provides a unique home where respect, compassion, caring, and social interaction can occur in an atmosphere of mutual support, with nutritious meals and snacks in comfortable dining and lounge facilities. Martha’s Table provides opportunities for volunteers to give back, gain skills, and make a meaningful contribution to the community.
Partners in Mission Food Bank (Five spots available)
Partners in Mission Food Bank’s food hamper program uses monetary and food donations to nourish local families. The organization also donates surplus provisions to 16 local hot-meal and shelter programs in the Kingston area.
Kingston Humane Society (10 spots available)
The Kingston Humane Society is focused on improving the lives of animals within our community by working with reputable and established rescue groups province wide. An affiliate of the OSPCA, the Kingston Humane Society receives no government funding and is the only open shelter in the region.
St. Vincent de Paul Society of Kingston (20 spots available)
The St. Vincent de Paul Society of Kingston offers hot, lunchtime meals five days a week, all year long. The organization also operates an emergency food pantry, and a warehouse that provides free household items and clothing to those who visit its facility.
Loving Spoonful (15 spots available)
Loving Spoonful connects people across the city and the greater Kingston area with good food. Loving Spoonful is working toward a healthier, more connected community by providing programs and championing policies affecting food security, poverty, social inclusion, and community health.
Lily’s Place – Family Shelter (15 spots available)
Lily’s Place believes that everyone should have a warm bed to sleep in, food to sustain them, and the dignity and right to have a place to call home. Serving vulnerable youth, families in distress, and single adults, Lily’s Place provides individual supportive and wraparound services through case managers, supportive and transitional housing, emergency shelters, a youth services hub, a housing help center, and permanent housing.
Card making for Fairmount Home (15 spots available)
Fairmount Home is a licensed long-term care facility in the Kingston-area. Fairmount Home provides resident-centered quality care in a safe, respectful, and compassionate home. If you sign-up for this volunteer experience you won't have to leave campus. Cards, stationary and a place to create will be made available at Mackintosh-Corry Hall. And if staff have little ones who love to color and craft, please bring your pre-made holiday card creations to Mackintosh-Corry Hall on Dec. 8. All cards will be collected and dropped off at the long-term care homes later that day.
For all volunteer experiences, you'll spend approximately two hours volunteering on location. At 3:15 pm shuttle buses will pick up Advancement staff and return to campus. Please use the registration form to sign up for the volunteer opportunity of your choice.
Due to organizational capacity limits, you may not be able to modify your selection once you have submitted your registration, so please, choose carefully. You can also use the registration form to notify event organizers of your dietary and accessibility requirements. The deadline to register is Wednesday, Dec. 2.
We hope you will find the day fun and rewarding!
Donations for the Comfort Bag program
In the spirit of giving back to the Kingston community, donations to the Family and Children’s Services of Frontenac, Lennox & Addington’s Comfort Bag program will be accepted at the year-end gathering. Comfort bags are given to children who have been removed from the home (even if temporary) and might be missing personal items. Required items must be new, and include:
- New backpacks
- Fuzzy blankets
- Baby items
- Fuzzy socks
- Personal hygiene items like toothbrushes, toothpaste, hairbrushes, deodorant, dental floss
- Colouring books
- Crayons, markers, pencil crayons, erasers, blank notebooks
- Children’s books (newborn to age 18)
We are also accepting Walmart gift cards on behalf of the Family and Children’s Services of Frontenac, Lennox & Addington’s Tree of Hope program. The program assists parents and caregivers with purchasing holiday gifts for their children.
Donations can be brought to the year-end gathering in Mac Corry Hall on Thursday, Dec. 8.
Holiday coverage for 1-800 phone line
As in previous years, the Office of Advancement requires that the 1-800 phone line be answered during the university's holiday closing to serve alumni and friends who may call to make an end-of-year donation or have other questions.
Advancement staff are invited to volunteer for shifts during the closure. There are 12 half-day shifts available, mornings (8:30 am-12:00 pm) and afternoons (1:00 pm-4:30 pm).
Those staff members who volunteer will be given 1 full day of vacation (lieu) for each half-day shift they cover. To allow as many staff as possible to participate, we ask that you sign up for a maximum of two shifts.
Coverage will take place in Summerhill 109. A training video will be provided in advance and a hard-copy manual will be left at the assigned workstation for reference purposes, including a supply of pre-printed gift forms.
Dates requiring morning and afternoon phone coverage are as follows:
- Monday, Dec. 26
- Tuesday, Dec. 27
- Wednesday, Dec. 28
- Thursday, Dec. 29
- Friday, Dec. 30
- Monday, Jan. 2
Please note that a member of Advancement's Leadership Team (ALT) will be available to provide "on-call" support during each shift should assistance be needed.
If you are interested in supporting this important service to our alumni and friends, please contact Amy Offord at amy.offord@queensu.ca. Shifts will be granted on a first-come, first-served basis – kindly respond to Amy by Friday, Dec. 2.
Queen's Lecture Series: Kehoe Lecture in Social Impact
Don’t miss the next installment of the Queen’s Lecture Series with the Kehoe Lecture in Social Impact: Corporate Social Responsibility 3.0
Driven by recent social movements, corporate social responsibility (CSR) 3.0 isn’t just about cleaning up a company’s image, it’s about having an impact on socially relevant issues. On Thursday, Dec. 8, join Dr. Jacob Brower as he looks at the evolution of corporate social responsibility, explores the implications of this emerging new phase of CSR, and discusses real-world examples making headlines today.
Please register in advance: Kehoe Lecture in Social Impact | Queen's Alumni (queensu.ca)
Queen’s nominees recognized at AFP Awards for National Philanthropy Day
As was printed in last week’s newsletter, the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) Awards for Southeastern Ontario took place on Tuesday, Nov. 15 at their annual conference held at St. Lawrence College. Congratulations again to Emily Edwards on her recognition as Outstanding Fundraising Professional! Additionally, two Queen’s nominated philanthropic supporters were also chosen for awards this year:
- The first was Donna Watts and the late Ronald Watts (former Queen’s Principal) recognized as Outstanding Philanthropists. Over the course of their lifetime, the couple generously gave to approximately 15 different important initiatives at Queen’s such as the Ban Righ Centre for Mature Female Students, the Queen’s Rowing Team and the Retiree’s Association of Queen’s Bursary. Outside of Queen’s, Dr. and Mrs. Watts also supported several Kingston community organizations including the University Hospitals Kingston Foundation, Community Foundation for Kingston and Area, Limestone Learning Foundation, Museum of Health Care at Kingston, and United Way KFLA.
- The second was Cunningham Swan Carty Little & Bonham LLP recognized as Outstanding Corporation. For over 40 years, Cunningham Swan has been a generous supporter of Queen’s including the refurbishment of the “Cunningham Swan Carty Little & Bonham LLP Classroom” and Queen’s Legal Aid Clinics supporting vital access to justice for some of the most vulnerable in the local community who receive free legal services at the clinics. At the same time, this support provided experiential learning opportunities and training for law students who help provide legal services at five clinics operating in downtown Kingston including Queen’s Legal Aid and Queen’s Business Law, Elder Law, Family Law, and Prison Law Clinics.
It was wonderful to see our local donors recognized for their incredible support of Queen’s and the Kingston community!
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 talk to Benjamin Seewald, our Student and Young Alumni Officer, Alumni Relations and Annual Giving. Learn the story behind his name, and the one thing he can’t live without.
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.
| Position | Competition number | Closing date | Grade | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Development Officer | J1122-0132 | November 2, 2022 | 8 | Permanent (Continuing) |
| Social Media & Communications Specialist | J1122-0234 | December 4, 2022 | 8 | Permanent (Continuing) |
| Programmer Analyst | J1022-0885 | December 4, 2022 | 8 | Permanent (Continuing) |