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Individual Giving Assistant

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
1 day ago
Full-time
On-site
Montreal, Canada Canada

Deadline for Applications

July 27, 2026

Grade

GS4

Staff Member / Affiliate Type

General Service

Reason

Temporary > Temporary Assignment/ Appointment

Hardship Level

H (no hardship)

Family Type

Family

Residential location (if applicable)

Target Start Date

2026-08-01

Target End Date

2026-12-31

Standard Job Description

Private Sector Partnerships Individual Giving Assistant

Organizational Setting and Work Relationships

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is mandated to lead and coordinate international action to protect and assist refugees and other persons of concern (POC).

Private Sector Partnerships Service (PSP) sits within UNHCR's Division of External Relations (DER) and is responsible for mobilizing resources from the private sector for refugees. UNHCR has developed a Private Sector Fundraising Strategy focusing on both Individual Giving and Private Sector Partnerships, identifying priority fundraising markets and regions.

Individual Giving (IG) is targeted at the general public to secure the support of individuals through regular, unrestricted donations, cash appeals and legacies. The aim is to generate both monthly and one-time donations from individuals using various channels and methods including direct mail, face-to-face fundraising, telemarketing, digital fundraising, DRTV and emergency fundraising, with focus on strong donor loyalty and lifetime value.

The purpose is to maximize the donor base from the individual giving (IG) for UNHCR, those with the ability to provide donations of between $1 to $10.000 (depending on local market conditions, as well as scope of responsibility) per year to UNHCR.

The PSP Individual Giving Assistant contributes to the IG team development, providing technical expertise and operationality to enable the team to operate to their full potential.

All UNHCR staff members are accountable to perform their duties as reflected in their job description. They do so within their delegated authorities, in line with the regulatory framework of UNHCR which includes the UN Charter, UN Staff Regulations and Rules, UNHCR Policies and Administrative Instructions as well as relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, staff members are required to discharge their responsibilities in a manner consistent with the core, functional, cross-functional and managerial competencies and UNHCR’s core values of professionalism, integrity and respect for diversity.

Duties

General

  • Work on the implementation of the acquisition, donor retention and development programmes as per approved annual plan(s).
  • Work on donor servicing and communications to provide a best-in-class donor care with best practice standards (welcome, information, thank you letters, donor monthly newsletter, in-bound and out-bound donor emails and calls, complaints, etc.).
  • Work on campaigns such as upgrade, conversion, acquisition, welcome, recapturing, loyalty, thank you, one-off calls, marketing research, upgrade middle donors, middle donors one-off and others.
  • Monitor and report on progress against the work plan, expenditure, budget and targets.
  • Work on the donor database management and any activity related to the donor data care, ensuring data entry accuracy, and provide analysis of data upon request.

Donor Acquisition

Work to develop cross channel fundraising campaigns such as F2F, Digital, DRTV, Multichannel, Direct mailing, etc. and in particular for:

a) Face to Face

  • Assist in working with partners, contractors, and suppliers to implement the program(s).
  • Assist in working on high quality of data monitoring to analyse all performances per frontliner, per city, per team, per area,

per location etc… in order to make the programme data driven.

  • Work on the drafting of guidelines, manuals, and policies to ensure a solid Face to Face programme (in-house model) led by best practices.
  • Work on location strategy to acquire new locations, and to keep and upgrade the existing ones.
  • Support the drafting of marketing briefs to create specific Face to Face campaigns based on improving the connection between the donor and the cause.
  • Work as requested in the procurement process for all supplier relationships linked to new agencies or suppliers.

b) Digital, DRTV and Multichannel

  • Assist in preparing the online content as well as in implementing digital marketing and fundraising campaign initiatives.
  • Assist in implementing lead generation programmes (including telemarketing) with channels integration to maximize ROI.
  • Assist in the procurement process for all supplier relationships linked to new donor acquisition through digital channels.
  • Assist with reporting related to digital fundraising, including quarterly reports, mid-year, and year end reports.

c) Cold Mailing

  • Assist in the production process of each DM activity in line with planned timing, quantity and quality of service and coordinating with the suppliers on all technical aspects.
  • Work on donors’ data extraction from the database to secure names file delivery to suppliers.
  • Work on campaigns reporting systems and setting report templates to monitor supplier performances.
  • In case of emergency, assist in developing and implementing production procedure.
  • Work on other direct marketing acquisition activities if requested (i.e. inserts production, press ad, take ones, etc…)

Donor Retention and Development

Work to develop cross channel donor cultivation activities to maximise acquisition investment and improve donor Life Time Value (LTV), such as:

  • Work on donor journeys according to planned schedule, conduct testing among journeys, implement donor engagement activities.
  • Work on supporter experience initiatives and retention programs continuously assist in fine tune and customize existing approaches.
  • Support in donor development communications plans and fundraising activities, such as newsletter and special appeals.
  • Assist in liaising with external agencies/consultant on email marketing performance optimization including the design of new email templates and email assets.
  • Work on donor retention communication materials and activities for existing donors and for emergency appeals.
  • Assist in developing the design and production of the donor care materials.
  • Work with telemarketing suppliers.
  • Work on donor care activities in compliance with requirements of local legislation, regulations, and codes of practice.
  • Work on recapturing by emails/mails, thank-you to donors on a regular (weekly/monthly basis).
  • Handle any in-bound donor communications resulting from the donor development activities.

  • Support the identification and management of risks and seek to seize opportunities impacting objectives in the area of responsibility. Ensure decision making in risk based in the functional area of work. Raise risks, issues and concerns to a supervisor or to relevant functional colleague(s).
  • Perform other duties as required.

Minimum Qualifications

Years of Experience / Degree Level

For G4 - 1 year relevant experience with High School Diploma; or Bachelor or equivalent or higher

Field(s) of Education

Not applicable.

Certificates and/or Licenses

Public Administration, Business Administration, Economics,

or other related field.

(Certificates and Licenses marked with an asterisk* are essential)

Relevant Job Experience

Essential

Knowledge or experience in private sector fundraising, sales, client/donor communication, marketing, or journalism. Participation in fundraising campaigns in profit or non-profit industry. Ability to maintain databases and software in fundraising.

Desirable

Understanding of the non-profit sector. Knowledge of database migration and setting up a Contact Relationship Management (CRM) system. Project management experience. Vendor management experince.

Experience in data analysis and segmentation.

Functional Skills

PS-Direct Marketing and Direct Response Fundraising

PS-Private sector fundraising and partnerships

PS-Fundraising-face to face, mass appeal, digital, emergency, DRTV, etc.

CO-Cross-cultural communication

CO-Drafting and Documentation

(Functional Skills marked with an asterisk* are essential)

Language Requirements

For International Professional and Field Service jobs: Knowledge of English and UN working language of the duty station if not English.

For National Professional jobs: Knowledge of English and UN working language of the duty station if not English and local language.

For General Service jobs: Knowledge of English and/or UN working language of the duty station if not English.

Competency Requirements

All jobs at UNHCR require six core competencies and may also require managerial competencies and/or cross-functional competencies. The six core competencies are listed below.

Core Competencies:

Accountability

Communication

Organizational Awareness

Teamwork & Collaboration

Commitment to Continuous Learning

Client & Result Orientation

Managerial Competencies:

Judgement and Decision Making

Cross-Functional Competencies:

Planning and Organizing

Analytical Thinking

Technological Awareness

All UNHCR workforce members must individually and collectively, contribute towards a working environment where each person feels safe, and empowered to perform their duties. This includes by demonstrating no tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse, harassment including sexual harassment, sexism, gender inequality, discrimination, and abuse of power.

As individuals and as managers, all must be proactive in preventing and responding to inappropriate conduct, support ongoing dialogue on these matters and speaking up and seeking guidance and support from relevant UNHCR resources when these issues arise.

This is a Standard Job Description for all UNHCR jobs with this job title and grade level. The Operational Context may contain additional essential and/or desirable qualifications relating to the specific operation and/or position. Any such requirements are incorporated by reference in this Job Description and will be considered for the screening, shortlisting and selection of candidates.

Desired Candidate Profile

Individual Giving Assistant – Montreal, Canada

Applicants must be legally eligible to work in Canada at the time of application. This includes individuals with one of the following statuses:
• Canadian citizen
• Permanent Resident of Canada (with valid documentation)
• Holder of a valid work permit or other written authorization under the federal Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.

Private Sector Partnerships Service (PSP) sits within UNHCR's Division of External Relations (DER) and is responsible for mobilizing resources from the private sector for refugees. UNHCR has developed a Private Sector Fundraising Strategy focusing on both Individual Giving and Private Sector Partnerships, identifying priority fundraising markets and regions.

Individual Giving (IG) is targeted at the general public to secure the support of individuals through regular, unrestricted donations, cash appeals and legacies. The aim is to generate both monthly and one-time donations from individuals using various channels and methods including direct mail, face-to-face fundraising, telemarketing, digital fundraising, DRTV and emergency fundraising, with focus on strong donor loyalty and lifetime value.

The purpose is to maximize the donor base from the individual giving (IG) for UNHCR, those with the ability to provide donations of between $1 to $10.000 (depending on local market conditions, as well as scope of responsibility) per year to UNHCR.
The role of PSP Individual Giving Assistant will report to the Donor Relations Manager. This position is vital to ensure overall donor satisfaction, by acting as the first point-of-contact to UNHCR’s supporter base. The position will be required to respond to donor inquiries in a timely manner through the monitoring of our donor care inbox, as well as outbound and inbound call management. Attention to detail is an essential in this role, as the accuracy in maintaining donor records within the CRM (Raiser’s Edge and/or Salesforce) is a primary functionality within the role. This role will also work collaboratively with a variety of stakeholders outside of our donors, including third-party vendors, our bureau office in Ottawa, our HQ colleagues, our greater PSP Canada teams (IG, Major Gifts, Data team, Comms team), therefore strong communications skills is essential. This role will also look to support multiple teams in their bespoke needs, including gift processing, coding and tracking of gifts, reporting and assistance in data work as needed. Bilingualism in French is a preference for this role.

2.Duties
General
- Provide front-line customer service for all inbound inquiries from donors, through the phone, email and mail and assist donors with gift acknowledgements, refunds, tax receipt requests, tribute and symbolic gift cards, and other donation related issues.
- Develop dashboard and KPI reporting to identify opportunities in order to maximise donor lifetime value to increase revenue.
- Assist in procurements related to IG activities (e.g. Face-to-Face) including preparation of RFQs or RFPs, receipts of quotations, bids or proposals in compliance with the procurement standards and rules.
- Assist in liaising, monitoring and reviewing of outsourced vendor services performance such as data entry, telemarketing, letter shopping services, etc.
- Prepare regular progress reports on the made-on acquisitions and donor care KPIs.
- Liaise with bank and payment platforms to ensure timely and accurate payment collections.
- Support UNHCR’s donor care and fundraising events; track and report on events, attend events when possible and assist with planning.
- Participate in annual campaign goals.
Donor Acquisitions
- Work closely with the supervisor to design, implement, monitor and optimize Donor Acquisition programmes and make sure KPIs are met.
- Conduct telephone fundraising campaign, as/if required.
- Provide necessary support to help ensure KPIs are achieved including provision of quality and timely reporting to the relevant teams.
- Ensure Donor Acquisition (e.g. Face-to-Face) programs achieve the targets, including monitoring and tracking budget and expenditure.
- Compile and analyse data received from regular reports provided by Donor Acquisition (e.g. Face-to-Face) agencies and reports to the manager on regular basis.
- Prepare and participate in the recruitment of Donor Acquisition (e.g. Face-to-Face) fundraisers to fill vacant positions including applications’ review, interviews and tests as well as orientation and induction.
- Monitor the effectiveness of the Donor Acquisition campaign locations.
Donor Relations:
- Respond to donor inquiries, concerns and request promptly and professionally through a variety of channels (phone, email, mail) and identify areas for improvement in donor care processes through management of donor feedback (preference for bilingualism in French for these duties)
- Manage and enhance relationships with existing and prospective donors, ensuring their continued engagement and support with UNHCR’s mission.
- Maintain accurate and up to date donor profiles and records at the CRM level, including address changes, communication preferences updates, donation updates etc.
- Help to ensure effective communication of donor acknowledgments through regular review of thank you letters and overall receipting process, including single gift receipts and annual receipting for monthly donors.
- Assist in the effective management of monthly donor retention and reactivation through the management of in-house donor service letters, outbound calling and email communications, notifying donors of their giving cycle and looking for areas of how to improve overall monthly donor retention
- Collaborate with the Individual Giving team to help create compelling donor-focused content, such as impact stories, testimonials, and appeal communications Work closely with the Donor Care Manager and overall IG team to find areas of improvement for donor experience.
- Stay informed about industry trends, best practices and innovations in donor relations and fundraising

Donor Retention and Development
- Deal with donors’ requests and manage complaints.
- Assist in following up donors by phone, post, electronic mail in relation to donation transactions issues and donor inquiries.
- Support producing online and offline communication to donors to enhance donor loyalty.
- Produce reports and analysis to enhance programme performance, donor retention and understand donor behaviour.
- Support donor service toll free number activities.
- Execute data entry needed by outbound and inbound campaigns.
- Update UNHCR fundraising database with donors’ data, gifts data, fundraising campaigns data when needed.
- Support fulfilment operations for specific campaigns.
- Assist in processing one-off donation transactions
- Support in processing monthly donations (both autopay and credit cards), escalate and advise the supervisor in case of inaccuracy and special occurrence

Data & Administrative:
- Assist in gift processing by facilitating transfer of donations to gift processing vendor and bank in a timely manner and ensuring accuracy of appeal coding details
- Support internal teams on gift tracking and coding processes and reporting for individual team needs
- Provide necessary support to help ensure KPIs are achieved including provision of quality and timely reporting to the relevant teams (including Individual Giving and Major Gifts).
- Assist in the management of third-party vendors through effective monitoring of performance on a daily basis as well as through regularly scheduled update calls
- Assist in management of office based administrative duties, including management of inventory related to individual giving programs (ie – welcome and monthly donor programs), processing of inbound and outgoing mail
- Perform other duties as required.

This is an essential role to support the donor care and data administration portfolio for IG and PPH teams in Canada. The candidate must have a proven experience in a fundraising or sales environment working on donor/customer care or fundraising. Proven experience of managing donor or customer records with a customer relationship database. Experience in a donor service role at a charity or non-for-profit. Experience in data processing. Experience working in a customer service. The candidate must be fluent in French and English.

Functional Clearance

This position doesn't require a functional clearance

Required languages (expected Overall ability is at least B2 level)

French

,

English

,

Desired languages

,

,

Additional Qualifications

Skills

CO-Cross-cultural communication, CO-Drafting and Documentation, PS-Direct Marketing and Direct Response Fundraising, PS-Fundraising-face to face, mass appeal, digital, emergency, DRTV, etc., PS-Private sector fundraising and partnerships

Education

Bachelor's, High school diploma (Required)

Certifications

Business Administration - Other, Economics - Other, Public Administration - Other

Work Experience

UNHCR Salary Calculator

https://icsc.un.org/Home/SalaryScales

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