Algonquin College is turning to a veteran university fundraiser in an effort to expand its donorship base.
Mark Savenkoff will join the college in the newly created position of vice-president of advancement effective Dec. 16. Savenkoff comes to Algonquin after 14 years at Carleton University, where he served for the past decade as the school’s director of alumni and donor relations.
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Most recently, Savenkoff helped spearhead Carleton’s Collaborate Campaign, which ended earlier this year after raising more than $308 million. The largest single fundraising drive in Ottawa’s history, the campaign attracted 29,000 donors and led to the creation of 404 new student scholarships and 191 FutureFunder projects.
In a letter to Algonquin faculty announcing the appointment, president Claude Brulé called Savenkoff “a strategic thinker and a seasoned professional in corporate management of fundraising and donor relations, including proven success in securing major gifts and corporate sponsorships.”
Savenkoff’s hiring is part of Algonquin’s plan to revamp the way it raises money from alumni and other donors.
The school recently shifted oversight of its fundraising efforts from the arm’s-length Algonquin College Foundation to a newly created Advancement Office administered by the college. In his new role, Savenkoff will take over duties previously delegated to the foundation’s executive director.
Brulé said the change was designed to “support the college’s evolving needs and reliance on external partners.”
A recipient of OBJ’s Forty Under 40 award in 2016, Savenkoff earned a bachelor of commerce degree from the University of Saskatchewan. He spent two years at his alma mater working in the areas of student recruitment, student retention and alumni relations before joining Carleton in 2005 as co-ordinator of its alumni association.
