Director, Finance & Database – Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada

The Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada is seeking a Director, Finance & Database to provide leadership to financial and data management, ensuring meaningful information is available and maintained for decision making, performance measurement, compliance, reconciliation, and taxation. This position will report to the Chief Operating Officer and will lead a team of up to four Finance and Database professionals. The new Director will be a member of the Senior Management team and work closely with the Senior Executive Team to help Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada meet its overall goals as well as to build capacity to expand its reach and impact.

Posted On: 2021-09-24
Closing On: 2021-10-21
Location: Toronto, ON
Effective:
Website: https://www.cafdn.org/
Employment Type: Full-Time
Level: Senior
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Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada is our country’s leading charity committed to standing up for children and families involved in the child welfare system and standing alongside youth with lived experience. Our initiatives meet the immediate and urgent needs of children, youth, and families in vulnerable situations, helping them to build brighter futures for themselves, ultimately strengthening our communities.

The Foundation has an ambitious agenda for growth and is currently executing the $75M Stand Up for Kids: Futures Transformed Campaign, which will bring long term growth and funding stability to important child welfare programs across the country. Our staff members are a dynamic and highly committed team of professionals who are dedicated to delivering excellence and maximizing the social value of donations and volunteer contributions to child welfare in Canada.

About Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada

Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada is our country’s leading charity dedicated to improving the lives of children, youth and families involved in the child welfare system.

Our Vision:

A future where the children and youth we serve have the strength and resilience to create a lifetime of their own unstoppable successes.

Our Mission:

Not all children have access to the love, care, and opportunities they need to thrive. Together, we can change that.

As an ally and an advocate:

We remove barriers that limit the potential of children who have experienced or are at risk of experiencing abuse, neglect, and abandonment.
We provide access to the opportunities these children need to become contributing members of society who enjoy healthy relationships of their own.

Our Impact

Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada raises, and grants funds and delivers a wide range of high-impact programs and services in partnership with over 104 child and youth-serving agencies across the country that support more than 46, 500 vulnerable young people and 12,300 families annually.

Supporting Children and Families at Risk

Nationwide, 300,000 children and youth living with their families are considered at risk of abuse and neglect and are under the close watch of child protection agencies. Children come into care for complex reasons, through no fault of their own. Often, it’s as the result of a family struggling with issues like poverty, the legacy of a parent’s childhood trauma, domestic violence, mental health issues, or addiction.

We know that children do best when raised by loving, caring forever families instead of the government. When families in crisis receive the support they need, they have vastly improved chances of keeping their family together. This is why we fund high-impact programs and services through agency partners who support families at risk, to help ensure fewer children and youth grow up in the care of the child welfare system.

Supporting Children and Youth in Care

While Canada’s child welfare agencies do everything in their power to help the young people in their care thrive, children and youth who grow up in government care are significantly more likely to experience adverse outcomes compared to their peers – particularly when it comes to their education. In Ontario, as an example, young people in care graduate high school at a rate of 46% compared to 83% of the general population. Without a high school diploma, and struggling with the impacts of instability and trauma, these young people face a lifetime of lost potential, underemployment, and low income.

Through the programs we fund, children and youth in care can access supports to help them succeed in school such as tutoring, access to technology, and funding to help meet personal needs such as eyeglasses. They are also able to connect with peers and strengthen their physical and mental health and well-being through extracurricular activities and enrichment programs.

Supporting Youth Transitioning Out of Care

Each year, approximately 2,300 youth in care “age out” of the child welfare system – some as young as 18, depending on their province – and must leave government care. Suddenly confronted with navigating life on their own, young people leaving care are expected to assume responsibilities like finding employment and a place to live, achieving a post-secondary education, paying rent and cooking meals – often facing barriers such as not having a high school diploma or a support network of any kind.

For many youth in transition, these significant challenges are further exacerbated by the ongoing impacts of childhood trauma. Feeling isolated, alone, and ill-equipped to manage life on their own, too many young people leaving the care of the child welfare system are simply unable to find the stability they need to build successful, independent lives.

Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada empowers youth who “age out” of care by providing essential resources related to education, housing, employment, life skills and social support so they are better able to successfully navigate independence and create a brighter future.

Our Flagship Programs:

Additional Information

Key Duties & Responsibilities

Overall responsibilities of this position include:

To manage the operations of the finance department, ensuring an organizational structure adequate for achieving the department’s and organization’s goals and objectives.
To lead and manage the data integrity, functionality of, and reporting from the Raiser’s Edge database, the Foundation’s main information source of donor/prospect activity and gift acknowledgement and receipting.
To proactively architect and maximize the use of Raiser’s Edge to support the Foundation’s growth objectives.
To oversee the Foundation’s online fundraising platforms and data/donations integration into Raiser’s Edge, Financial Edge, and Gifts.

Key Responsibilities include the following:

Financial Direction and Oversight

Ensure the effective and efficient operation of the financial and database functions of the organization within the general policies and guidelines of CAFC.
Provide oversight and leadership to the Senior Executive Leadership team and the Management team related to financial matters.
Act as the CAFC staff lead and provide staff support to the Finance and Audit, and Investment Committees.
Ensure all relevant legislation, regulations, and guidelines are met relative to the Finance and Database functions of the organization.

Team Leadership

Supervise the Finance and Database team of up to four direct reports, including the Financial Analyst, Finance Co-ordinator, Finance Clerk, and Database Manager positions. Ensure each position’s reporting and gift entry responsibilities are managed with accuracy and the position has a service-oriented approach.
Structure the team effectively and recruit, coach, train, and supervise the incumbents to encourage the members’ and team’s success.

Finance and Accounting Functions and Processes

Establish and maintain internal controls to ensure compliance with financial policies and procedures.
Perform financial activities related to the issuance of monthly financial statements, which include:
- Approving and confirming all journal entries.
- Developing and maintaining timely and accurate financial statements and reports that are appropriate for all stakeholders/users and in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP).
Develop, implement, and ensure compliance with internal financial and accounting policies and procedures.
Lead and manage the annual audit, ensuring an effective and smooth process.
Prepare annual Charity Information Return (T3010) ensuring timely submission.
Prepare all documents for any potential Canada Revenue Agency audit.
Provide leadership in managing endowment funds, ensure all policies related to funds are adhered to.

Database Management Functions

Develop the functionality of the Raiser’s Edge database to enhance fundraising efforts. Work closely with the Database Manager and Finance Co-ordinator to develop guidelines for users to adhere to.
Oversee the use of the Raiser’s Edge database, according to established guidelines, by adding codes as required, ensuring all codes correspond with Financial Edge.
Lead/convene an internal Raiser’s Edge user group to develop coding structure, policies, operations, and procedures manuals.

Budgets, Reporting & Analysis

Use software tools to produce reports to meet the needs of the Foundation team, including management, the Board, and other external parties, as required.
Ensure annual donor reports are prepared accurately for Endowment Fund donors.
Support the Management team in the preparation of annual budgets.
Support the Management team with year-end annual forecasting, including providing oversight and producing variance reports.
Support the Finance and Audit, and Investment volunteer committees and participate in all meetings.

Funder and Partner Management

Cultivate positive relationships with finance and database management function-related external partners such as Blackbaud, investment managers, bank managers and CRA representatives.
Provide relevant information and impact stories to the Development team to assist in securing and stewarding donors and partners.
As the Foundation is a fundraising organization, participate in certain foundation events.

Qualifications & Competencies

A University degree and a recognized Canadian accounting designation such as CPA are required.
Experience in a non-profit environment is required.
A minimum of 5-7 years progressive experience in similar functions with donor databases, financial systems, and spreadsheet software, preferably with Raiser’s Edge, Crystal Reports, Financial Edge, and Excel is required. Experience with Gifts Database is an asset.
Experience working with and presenting to senior executives and board members.
Demonstrated understanding of CRA guidelines for income tax receipting and experience advising fundraising staff, volunteers, and donors on CRA Receipting Guidelines and best practices.
Solid team leadership experience in recruiting, training, and effectively managing direct reports.
Excellent written and verbal communications skills, including strong presentation skills.

The successful candidate will also possess an optimal combination of the following personal characteristics:

Strategic thinker.
Solution-driven with a constant desire to make things more effective and efficient.
Strong interpersonal skills.
Service-oriented and professional with all levels of staff and external stakeholders.
Commitment to fostering a work and service delivery environment that is inclusive and reflective of the diversity in the community.
Able to manage competing deadlines.
Excellent organization and coordination skills.
Detail-oriented with excellent analytical skills.
A commitment to the highest standards of professionalism, confidentiality, and sensitivity.

For More Information

KCI Search + Talent has been retained to conduct this search on behalf of Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada. For more information about this opportunity, please contact Sylvie Battisti, Vice President KCI Search + Talent by email at CAFC@kcitalent.com.

Interested candidates are invited to send a resume and letter of interest to the email address listed above by October 21, 2021.

The hiring salary for this position is $105,000 – $125,000 per annum.

All inquiries and applications will be held in strict confidence.

To view the full Position Brief, please visit: www.kcitalent.com

Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada provides equal employment opportunities to employees regardless of their gender, race, religion, age, disability, sexual orientation, or marital status. We offer a family-friendly environment that allows for flexible work arrangements to support staff diversity and ensure a healthy work-life balance.

Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada has made it a priority to meet with and hire from a diverse pool of candidates. We encourage applications from all interested candidates and believe that a range of lived experience, voices and perspectives directly contribute to the success of our team.