S04E06 - Trust Based Philanthropy

How do you feel about working with corporate funders. Some people love it, some people head for the hills and try to avoid sponsorship.

Suzy Wilcox loves corporate fundraising and the unique partnerships they are engaged in at Evergreen Canada.

Suzy has a mix of non-profit, consulting and corporate experience. She loves how fundraising can help bring big, complex ideas to life.  For over twenty-five years she has worked and volunteered with a range of organizations. A common thread throughout her work is building strong partnerships that make a positive difference in and with communities. 

After graduating from Princeton University, Suzy worked in Marketing and Development at several US arts organizations, including the American Dance Festival and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. She earned her MBA at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management before working in research, project management, and client relations at the renowned Toronto sponsorship agency Arts & Communications.

While at Arts & Communications, she analyzed and developed corporate philanthropy and sponsorship programs. She was then recruited by Air Canada to be a Marketing Manager, before moving to Aeroplan in partner relations, primarily with the CIBC Aerogold VISA program. Starting in 2004, Suzy worked for 15 years as a Senior Associate with NetGain Partners. As a NetGain consultant, she had the pleasure of working with a variety of non-profit clients, including MOCA Toronto, Centre of Learning & Development, City of Toronto, and Canada’s National Ballet School, helping them with strategic planning and fundraising. Since 2020 Suzy has led Evergreen’s fundraising team, working to enable cities that are livable, green and prosperous.

When not working, Suzy hangs out with her family, dances, swims, and tends her wild garden. She used to be a mime but decided the rope and the wall could only get her so far.

In this episode Suzy shares how her organization is changing the way they build partnerships with corporations, volunteers, staff and community to advance trust based philanthropy.

Thank you for joining us. I hope you are inspired to rethink how you build relationships with your funders and your volunteers. Please remember to like, share or review this podcast. Let’s keep widening the circle and inviting more people into the conversation.