Written by: Janet Sailian
A historic partnership
Across a quarter of a century, the profession of educational advancement—as well as 62 new professionals and the educational institutions where they immersed for a year—have benefited greatly from the TD Insurance Meloche Monnex Fellowships in Advancement. Created in 1998, funded by Meloche Monnex and TD Bank Financial Group and administered by CCAE, these Fellowships have popularized and strengthened a unique profession that undergirds support for Canadian education.
Like ripples on a pond, TD Insurance Meloche Monnex Fellowships in Advancement have extended outward to touch institutions Canada-wide, reflecting and enhancing the scope and sophistication of educational advancement. The Fellowships provide exceptional opportunities each year for two emerging professionals to gain practical experience in at least two major areas of advancement, including advancement services, alumni relations, development and marketing / communications.
“The TD Insurance Meloche Monnex Fellowship program is extremely valuable,” says Tom Meadus, Director of Advancement at New Brunswick Community College and mentor to 2020 – 21 Fellowship recipient, Miruna Timotin.
“Although rewarding and full of potential, advancement careers remain a hidden professional segment where specific effort is required to build awareness and attract new talent. The TDIMM Fellowship program continues to serve this purpose of bringing new people to the field.”
In a precursor program operating from 1991 to 1998, the McConnell Foundation provided five advancement Fellowships per year, valued at $25,000 each, supporting 35 Fellowships over seven years. The need and the benefits were evident for both budding professionals and the universities, colleges, schools and institutes where they learned about and contributed to advancing education.
For the following decade, from 1998 to 2008, TD Insurance Meloche Monnex stepped up to fund three Fellowships per year, valued at $25,000 each. Starting in 2009, TDIMM increased the value to $37,500 per Fellowship, awarded to two individuals per year.
Each TDIMM Fellowship recipient presents their accomplishments, new connections and lessons learned at the end of their Fellowship year at the CCAE National Conference. The glow of professional satisfaction and personal gratitude to their mentors demonstrates the career-building, life-changing value of these extraordinary Fellowships.
CCAE is deeply grateful to TD Insurance Meloche Monnex for its ongoing partnership, and for supporting these Fellowships that mark advancement as a profession of caring and capacity building.
Your career path starts here
As an undergraduate at the University of Saskatchewan in 1998, Julian Demkiw didn’t consider the advancement of education as a potential career path. He had studied engineering, and took up the offer to apply for a TDIMM Fellowship to broaden his skills.
“[Advancement] was not on my radar at all; I didn’t even know you could work at a university if you weren’t a professor,” Julian recalls. “The TD Fellowship opened my eyes to the idea of working in the higher-education sector as a career, and I’ve never looked back.”
As one of the first three TDIMM Fellowship recipients, Julian says:
“The focus of my work was ‘Young Alumni’ and I was tasked with trying to keep those most recent grads engaged. It fit well, as I was in that very position myself. The most interesting piece was the opportunity to travel to other institutions to see how they worked. I was exposed to higher ed across Canada and got a real feel for how different institutions were set up.”
The most significant lessons? “The importance of relationship building really has stuck with me. I also learned the importance of getting out of your ‘own skin’, whether that be your office, role, or university.”
Julian has worked for his entire career to date at the University of Saskatchewan, where he served during the first Fellowship year of 1999 – 2000. He points out that in 2023, “recipients are being given this Fellowship who weren’t even born yet when I did mine!”
He started out as Alumni and Development Officer, became Alumni Relations Coordinator and then Development Officer, and for ten years served as Chief of Staff to three successive presidents of USask. He then crafted a new role as Senior Strategist.
“Most recently, I’ve been appointed as University Secretary and Chief Governance Officer. In this role I am responsible for our three governing bodies, institutional policies, and ceremonial and protocols of the institution.” Julian is also in the final stages of pursuing a Ph.D in Educational Administration with a focus on university governance.
The TDIMM Fellowships often create a continuing career focus on philanthropy and community engagement—whether at an educational institution, in the arts, in communities or in health care.
25 years strong, and still growing
Athena Kreiner, who received a TDIMM Fellowship at the University of New Brunswick during the Fellowship’s 1999 – 2000 inaugural year, has enjoyed an ever-upward career trajectory in advancing education, health sciences and community. In September 2022 she accepted a new position as Chief Executive Officer of the Thunder Bay Community Foundation.
“I don’t think I would professionally be where I am today if I hadn’t received the TDI Meloche Monnex Fellowship in 1999. As a recent university graduate with a Kinesiology degree, I had no knowledge of or interest in the nonprofit / advancement sector. Because of my involvement with the Alumni Office while I was a student, I was chosen to apply for the Fellowship.”
Athena’s Fellowship year was intense and exciting, occurring during millennial celebrations at UNB that saw a record 3,000 alumni return to campus. As the Small Group Reunion Coordinator, she worked with individual alumni groups to organize and mesh events over the four days of Homecoming 2000. “In total, there were 106 small group reunions! I coordinated all of them,” she recalls with pride.
Post-Fellowship, Athena worked in alumni relations at UNB for three years and, when her family moved to Thunder Bay, Ontario, in alumni relations at Lakehead University for four years. Her career at the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Foundation, starting in 2007, saw her move into fundraising and culminated in ten years as Director of Annual Giving.
Athena says,
“Accountability and transparency are very important in today’s advancement sector… Being able to communicate and show donors how their generous gifts are benefiting and enriching the lives of people in our community is of utmost importance.”
She credits her mentors, Bob Skillen and Ruth Henry-Dickinson, with setting her on the course to a successful advancement career during her TDIMM Fellowship. “They were instrumental in providing me with the best experience for my first real adult job, and showed me what a healthy work environment looks like. They demonstrated the importance of building and maintaining relationships, being professional and having knowledge and confidence in what you do.”
Advancing medical education
Jenna Kirker parlayed a 2019 – 20 TDIMM Fellowship at Lakehead University into her current role as Advancement Coordinator for the Northern Ontario School of Medicine University, Canada’s newest and only independent medical university.
“The TDIMM Fellowship helped solidify my passion for work within the advancement sector … Working in the student caller program allowed me to experience first-hand what kind of work went into advancement and the impacts it had on an organization’s success. From donor relations to communications, event planning and alumni relations, I built a valuable skill set that has helped me in my professional career.”
Her Fellowship year included many high points and also the impacts of a notorious virus. “From hosting events in Ottawa and Vancouver, to planning a virtual homecoming and the curveballs of COVID-19, my experience was as diverse as it was fun.”
Lessons that stick with Jenna include: “Learning that sometimes the best laid plans can result in either an amazing success or total disaster was one of my biggest takeaways. Flexibility, adaptability and always having an emergency kit on hand are things I will always keep in my arsenal.”
Jenna credits her mentor, Mark Tillbury (Director, Annual Fund and Alumni Engagement, University Advancement at Lakehead University), with “professionalism, dedication and hard work” that ignited her zeal for advancement. “Having a voice and contributing to success as a team is something I will always carry with me.”
Diversifying advancement
Anne-Marie Aguilar has held several key roles at the University of Alberta since her 2017 – 18 TDIMM Fellowship there, starting as Stewardship Coordinator with the Office of Advancement.
“I organized and successfully launched the U of A’s ThankView stewardship program and managed the program for two years … In 2020, I completed a secondment as Communications Coordinator with the University of Alberta’s Faculty of Rehab Medicine. Then, I transitioned to the role of Partner, Communications and Marketing for the Faculty of Engineering.”
During her TDIMM Fellowship, Anne-Marie focused on developing an engagement plan for GOLD (Grads of the Last Decade) alumni. Says her Fellowship mentor, Lynn Hruczkowski—Senior Consultant, Alumni and Development at the University of Alberta: “Her work with colleagues in Alumni Relations, Annual Giving, Strategic Communications and Marketing, Information Services and Student Financial Support was instrumental in building greater awareness across the campus of the impact of donor relations programs,” says Lynn.
After her Fellowship, Anne-Marie completed a Master of Arts in Communications and Technology at U of A. “My research focused on equity, diversity, inclusivity and decolonization (EDID) in nonprofit / advancement communications. The TDIMM Fellowship inspired my Master’s research.”
She also credits the Fellowship program for giving her “the confidence to reshape the university’s stewardship practices. ThankView is now used to send 1:1 messages to donors and is also used to distribute endowment fund reports.”
Of her mentor, Anne-Marie says: “Lynn encouraged me to challenge myself and taught me so much about the importance of building and maintaining relationships in the nonprofit / advancement sector. I will always be so grateful for her leadership, mentorship and support.”
Lynn was already familiar with her new Fellowship recipient’s proactive attitude and skills.
“Anne-Marie was working on a contract position as a Stewardship Coordinator. She continuously displayed an eagerness to learn about advancement, communications and donor relations. Her infectious personality and talent for interpersonal and written communication helped to enhance our Donor Relations programs.”
The support of the TDIMM Fellowship was irreplaceable, Lynn notes. “The Fellowships are instrumental in developing new Advancement professionals. From our perspective, were it not for the support from TD, we would not have had the financial resources to retain an outstanding young professional.”
The value of partnerships
“The experience I got while working as a TDIMM Fellowship recipient at New Brunswick Community College [in 2020 – 21] has prepared me for what I currently do,” reflects Miruna Timotin, who is now the Partnerships and Communications Coordinator in the Faculty of Engineering at University of New Brunswick. “It has given me the knowledge and confidence to work in the field and continue to build up my skills.”
Her Fellowship year was busy and productive, as her mentor at NBCC, Tom Meadus, outlines. “She researched and developed an alumni engagement model that provided for quantifiable scoring and mapping, including action plans and strategic segmentation of our alumni. She researched and proposed a model for student giving at NBCC and worked to promote the plan to students. Finally, she facilitated the research, proposals, acquisition and implementation of a new donor content relationship management system for NBCC in advance of a major campaign.”
Miruna’s key take-away from her Fellowship:
“It takes a village to develop and complete a project, and it is very important to have good research done and a supportive team.” She remarks about the broad value of the TDIMM Fellowship program: “Having more professionally prepared workers is very advantageous. Through these Fellowships, CCAE and TD guarantee the creation of many new generations of skilled professionals.”
Finding a Fellowship candidate who is a student or alumnus / alumna was a key goal for NBCC, says Tom Meadus. He advises: “Set tangible goals for the recipient with specific projects that you can monitor and manage. This will not only ensure that they get the most benefit, but also provides well-defined marketable experience and increases their potential of remaining in the field.”
Adds Lynn Hruczkowski at University of Alberta: “Look for someone who is a self-starter. Our recipient was a new grad with lots of energy and enthusiasm, as well as a keen interest in making a difference. She particularly excelled in the areas of report design and writing, and connecting with student scholarship recipients.”
Building and sustaining the advancement profession
Bringing new faces and new ideas to advancement while training future professionals are key benefits of TDIMM Fellowships, say past mentors and recipients. It’s a winning formula that has given 62 alumni of Canadian institutions a jump-start on rewarding careers. TDIMM Fellowships have publicized, demonstrated and enhanced the value of advancement Canada-wide.
“TD has created a network of recipients over the years, each one creating their own network to bring others into the field,” says 1999 – 2000 TDIMM Fellowship recipient, Julian Demkiw. “This program creates a lasting impact within the organization and within the individuals who take part.”
Says 2019 – 20 TDIMM Fellowship recipient Jenna Kirker: “When the opportunity of a Fellowship came, I was excited to learn more about different areas of philanthropy and advancement. Allowing up and coming advancement professionals the opportunity to work in an area they feel passionate about, while giving them access to the resources from CCAE, is a fantastic way to encourage growth in the field.”
Adds 2017 Fellowship recipient Anne-Marie Aguilar: “As North American post-secondary institutions become more and more reliant on the nonprofit / advancement sector, it is increasingly important that young professionals are given the opportunity to gain experience and confidence early into their careers.”
As one of the first TDIMM Fellowship recipients, Athena Kreiner says:
“I would like to thank TD Meloche Monnex for their vision and implementation of this program and for their continued support of this Fellowship over the last 25 years! They have made a significant financial commitment, demonstrated social responsibility and shown leadership in promoting the advancement sector throughout Canada. Their impact is priceless.”
From the mentor’s viewpoint, Lynn Hruczkowski states: “I am aware of many TDIMM Fellowship recipients who, over the years, have continued to work– and excel—in the Advancement profession. This cadre of recipients has been a boon to our profession.”
CCAE President and Chief Executive Officer, Mark Hazlett, thanks TD Insurance Meloche Monnex for the enriching impacts on advancement from a quarter-century of support for the TDIMM Fellowships.
“TD has made an investment in the present and future of advancement that continues to strengthen our growing, diversifying profession. And the strength of advancement builds the strength of education all across Canada. On behalf of all CCAE members, we sincerely thank our valued National Partner, TD Insurance, for supporting these Fellowships across 25 years.”
Related resources:
TDIMM Fellowship Recipient Archives