Christine is passionate about planned giving, the power of philanthropy, and balancing the art and science of fundraising. Over the past few years she has confirmed over $13.5M in estimated future revenue. She manages a complex portfolio comprised of prospects, confirmed planners givers, endowments, and major gift and midlevel giving donors. In addition to working on all stages of the fundraising cycle at the donor and program levels, she also has experience working on strategies for life insurance, professional advisors, digital marketing, and building a new prospect management system. Christine has held progressive roles at SickKids Foundation and is currently Associate Director, Gift & Estate Planning. She is active as a mentor, peer support worker, and employee resource group member for BIPOC staff at her organization. She previously co-chaired a legacy roundtable bringing together planned giving professionals across Toronto for professional development. Prior to discovering her love for gift planning, Christine previously worked in the financial services sector where she held various roles in reporting, strategy, communications, and project management.
I accidentally fell into it, and then I fell in love with it. I started my career in financial services but always wanted to work in the nonprofit space. I moved over to SickKids Foundation seeing it as a foot in the door to the charity sector but not expecting to go down the fundraising route. Then I discovered the world of gift planning and the rest is history.
Working in healthcare philanthropy has positively shaped my worldview. It keeps me grounded, helps me stay cognizant of the privileges and blessings I've been given, and pushes me to never take a single day for granted. I also feel that this career exposes us to some of the best of humanity through generous donors who genuinely care about giving back and colleagues who are driven and passionate about our causes. Plus I've never been bored a single day that I've worked here!
Not being afraid to start over in a second career to pursue what is important to me without certainty that I would like it or be successful. I took a risk to switch into the nonprofit sector from financial services by taking an entry-level position. I've since been extremely fortunate to have supportive leaders and be in the right place and time to take advantage of opportunities to learn, develop, and demonstrate what I am capable of in the fundraising space.
My faith defines who I am and the way I live my life. It provides purpose and hope to how I run this race of life. I strive to use my gifts to impact those around me in a way that aligns with my value system, including nurturing generosity and helping others, hence the fit with healthcare philanthropy!
It is an immense privilege to build a career in healthcare philanthropy-remind yourself of the vision of your organization and the why of this when there are moments, days, or even seasons that seem tough. You get to pour yourself into making the world a better place-cliché but true. And never underestimate the power of a strong personal brand.
I high-fived Ryan Reynolds while filming a commercial for SickKids.