Professional Experience
Regional Private Philanthropy Officer - UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency
December 2022 - Present Brussels, Belgium
Associate Private Sector Engagement Officer - UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency
June 2021 - November 2022 Copenhagen, Denmark - UN City
Marketing & Emergencies Section with Private Sector Partnerships Service
Strategy for 40+ global markets to engage High Net Worth Individuals, Foundations, and Companies
Risk Management, Communications, and Due Diligence for potential partners
Fundraising Coach - CAMH Foundation
February 2021 - June 2021 Toronto, Ontario
• Led fundraising efforts for a new $5 Million Campaign to support mental health research and treatment
• Played critical role in strategic donor engagement to secure $2.5 Million, exceeding fundraising targets by 394%
• Advised participants how to maximize fundraising efforts, increase individual and team donations, and engage their community through outreach and stewardship
• Empowered and motivated prospective donors and corporate sponsors through various personal touchpoints
• Business development for potential sponsors, including multinational corporations and Board engagement
• Managed social media community engagement for Sunrise Challenge campaign
• Identified trends and prospective proposal options for Peer to Peer, Community Fundraising & Events team
Consulting Agent - New Canadian Immigration Services
November 2020 - Present
• Responsible for processing non-immigrant and immigrant visas, renewals and applications for immigration to Canada including coordination with outside counsel, universities/college, business partners, and employees
• Preparing and filing petitions/applications for clients from different background and cultures
• Research and evaluate accuracy of documents, Edit as necessary
• Ensure proper filing of legal documents within required deadlines
• Evaluate suitability of host family and student visa recipients to participate in the program
• Maintain compliance with legal regulations and industry standards
Associate Director, Strategic Partnerships - WE Charity
October 2018 - May 2020 Kenya, Toronto, Los Angeles
Partnership Management
• Guided relationship management and stewardship of all aspects of partnership with Unstoppable Foundation, a key partner of WE Charity and $1.5 million+ USD annual donor to projects
• Responsible for COVID-19 Global Relief Fund Strategy and secured $500,000 USD in donations
• Managed fulfillment of all deliverables, monitoring project implementation, reporting, creating partner resources
• Led monthly meetings in Los Angeles to train Foundation to fundraise for international campaigns
• Facilitated quarterly trips to Kenya to showcase programs and hosted female program beneficiaries at galas and women’s empowerment events in Los Angeles
Program Management
• Collaborated with Country Offices, International Operations, and Headquarters to provide strategy, oversight and management of all elements of the important partnership
• Managed Scholarship Program at a new College in rural Kenya for 120+ young women
• Ensured timely execution of projects related to Education, WASH, Health, Food, and Alternative Income
• Responsible for ideation and execution of activities to deepen partner engagement and cement partner loyalty
• Facilitated trips to East Africa to monitor and report on projects, ensure program quality, and collect M&E Data
Financial Reporting and Budgets
• Regularly generated budgets, proposals, implementation plans, and tracked funds of $1.5-2 million annually
• Led the reporting, project planning and tracking of all partnership deliverables and milestones
• Reconciled over $7 million USD in financial tracking for the past 10 years and singlehandedly identified a funding gap of $600,000 in donations.
Associate Director, Major Gifts – WE Charity
November 2017 - October 2018 Canada, USA, Ecuador (Amazon Rainforest), Kenya
• Managed portfolio of $800,000+ with a focus on Major Gifts, Corporate donations, with majority of gifts ranging from $25,000- $150,000
• Developed and executed year-round engagement and retention plans for high-priority VIP and celebrity donors
• Responsible for prospecting, cultivation, conversation, ongoing engagement and retention
• Managed team of staff focused on Fundraising Groups and Events
• Built donor loyalty through personalized engagement, increasing average gift and involvement in giving
• Liased with internal teams including Business Development, Executive, Partner Relations and Events to manage stakeholder relations and ensure consistent communication
• Organized signature events and fundraising galas in support of WE; attend and represent WE at fundraising and networking events with the aim of identifying additional prospective donors
• Facilitated VIP Corporate and Family trips to Kenya and Amazon to translate and engage donors in projects, facilitating unique connections with the communities they support and further engagement
Manager, Communications & Outreach - One Woman
January - July 2018
• Handled inquiries for 40+ women’s empowerment events held across major cities in North America
• Organized volunteers for each event and communicate applicable duties
• Assisted in organization of events of 650+ attendees with a focus on women’s issues, leadership capacity building, inspiring speakers, and connections amongst local women
• Worked with Founder on strategic communications plan for new markets and international trips engagement
• Communicated impacts of charity donations to members, including reports on Kenya girls’ scholarship program
Manager, Donor Engagement – WE Charity
October 2014 - November 2017 Canada, USA, Nicaragua, Ecuador (Amazon Rainforest), Kenya
• Engaged Major Gifts donors ($10,000- $150,000) from around the world, ensuring a compelling donor experience and ongoing contributions to international projects
• Grew portfolio to increase from $400,000 to $600,000 in revenue over the course of my position
• Created highly detailed reports and engage donors such as Sheryl Sandberg (CEO, Facebook), Nelly Furtado, Hanson Brothers, Kardinal Offishal, Chris Hadfield, and other celebrity donors
• Proactively identified prospective donors, including background research, and strategized to grow donor base
• Facilitated VIP Corporate and Family trips to Kenya and Amazon to translate and engage donors in projects, facilitating unique connections with the communities they support and further engagement
Senior International Trips Coordinator – Me to We Social Enterprises
January 2012 - April 2014 Canada, USA, Nicaragua, Ecuador (Amazon Rainforest), Kenya
• Managed portfolio of 300+ clients participating in humanitarian trips to Kenya, Nicaragua, and rural China
• Risk Management for 300+ travelers during Kenya terrorist attack, Nairobi Airport fire, Ghana Ebola Crisis
• Account manager for clients such as Microsoft, Madonna, RBC, Degrassi, Virgin Atlantic
• Facilitated volunteer trip featured on Sep. 2013 MTV Documentary: Degrassi in Nicaragua
• Led VIP trips to Nicaragua and Ecuador communities to translate and engage stakeholders in projects
celebrity donors
• Proactively identified prospective donors, including background research, and strategized to grow donor base
• Facilitated VIP Corporate and Family trips to Kenya and Amazon to translate and engage donors in projects, facilitating unique connections with the communities they support and further engagement
Manager, Marketing Centre - University of Toronto Division of Advancement
September 2008 - August 2011
• Managed Alumni Marketing Center with over 40 employees, supervise campaigns, train new hires
• Contacted alumni about ongoing programs and campaigns at the University, ensured positive alumni relations
• Fundraised for scholarships and bursaries, portfolio included $25,000+ donations
• Provided campaign analysis and maintained project files for various faculties
• Responsible for employee payroll, scheduling, project and financial reports for each campaign
Research & Compliance Analyst - G8 and G20 Research Groups
September 2008 - June 2011
• Published author for G8 and G20 Reports with University of Toronto Press (2009, 2010, 2011)
• Researched upcoming topics on the agenda for the G8 and G20 Summits. Reported findings on progress made by specific countries and ranked their compliance with commitments at previous G8/G20 Summits
• These case studies were then used as benchmarks by heads of state and leading politicians at annual G8 and G20 Summits in L’Aquila, Seoul and Muskoka
• Language skills in Spanish, French, and Italian proved a useful asset to provide in-depth analysis on issues
Publications
G20 & G8 Reports, University of Toronto Press
2009, 2010, 2011
Research & Compliance Analyst Reports
Each year since 1996, the G8 Research Group has produced a compliance report on the progress made by the G8 member countries in meeting the commitments issued at each summit. These reports monitor each country’s efforts on a carefully chosen selection of the many commitments announced at the end of each summit. They serve to make the work of the G8 more transparent and accessible, and to provide scientific data to enable the meaningful analysis of this unique and informal institution.
I have published works in the following G8 and G20 Research Reports:
http://www.g20.utoronto.ca/compliance/2010seoul-interim/2010seoul-interim-07-comp.pdf
http://www.g8.utoronto.ca/evaluations/2010compliance-final/index.html
http://www.g8.utoronto.ca/evaluations/2009compliance-interim/index.html
http://www.g8.utoronto.ca/evaluations/2009compliance-final/index.html
http://www.g8.utoronto.ca/evaluations/2010compliance-interim/02-10-interim-health-funding.pdf
https://www.scribd.com/document/97009589/Seoul-Final-Compliance-Report
Attache Journal of International Affairs
30 September 2011 (Tara Stankovic)