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2023 40 Under 40 Winners

 
 

Associate Director, Major Gifts

 

The Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation

 

Kirstin is an outstanding leader in the community. She has presented at AHP International Conference and AHP Congress 2022.She was an AFP Inclusion and Diversity Fellow in 2019 and received the New Fundraising Professional Award from AFP Toronto in 2019. 

She is Chair of AFP Fundraising Day 2023. She was Vice Chair of AFP Fundraising Day in 2022, Chair of the Education Committee in 2021, and has held several other leadership roles with AFP. 

Her numbers speak for themselves: 

$9.7M pledge and $7.5M cash in FY19-20.
$5.6M pledge and $4.2M cash in FY20-21.
$9.43M pledge and $5.15M cash in FY21-22.
$56.573M pledge and $12.77M cash in FY22-23.

I started my career in international development, focusing on capacity building for children and youth. In 2016, a personal crisis led me to transition to healthcare philanthropy. My father became critically ill and experienced complications from surgery, resulting in a brain injury. Sunnybrook, our local hospital, was our refuge during this challenging time. A few months later, an opportunity arose to work in major gifts at the foundation. After experiencing the healthcare system firsthand as my father’s primary caretaker, I felt compelled to give back and help effect change. Combined with my father having served on the foundation’s board felt like a serendipitous alignment. I haven’t looked back!

My hope is to impact families like mine–navigating the complex healthcare system while caring for loved ones. In Canada, we are proud of our universal healthcare and passionate about working with programs and clinicians that champion equity, inclusion, and equitable access for all. Hospitals are for the community, by the community. It is important that our philanthropic efforts embody a spirit of unity and mutual support.

I had the honour of securing the largest single donation to emergency medicine in Canada-$52M to establish the new Myrna Daniels Seniors Emergency Medicine Centre at UHN that will elevate the standard of urgent care for older adults across the country. Much of my late 20s and early 30s were spent caring for my father, with numerous visits to various EDs across Toronto. It is in profound moments where the dots connect–the personal "whys," the donors' generosity, and the ambitions of an incredible program–converging to create transformational impact.

My greatest passion lies in harnessing the power of philanthropy as a catalyst for equity, justice, and healing, particularly for historically marginalized communities within our healthcare systems. I draw inspiration from the philosophy of envisioning the world we desire, as opposed to the one we endure. For me, fundraising is more than a financial pursuit–it is advocacy to address and dismantle structures of inequities, and a powerful means of engaging and uplifting our community. 

I’m also passionate about sponsoring new professionals, especially those from equity-deserving groups, to better reflect the diverse communities we serve.

Find a team and organization that aligns with your core values and your "why"–a place that will embrace your whole self. This is where the magic happens! Everything else will fall into place. 

Look for sponsors not only within your organization but also across the sector. And remember, when you ascend in your career and find yourself next on this list, don’t forget to "send the elevator back down" to uplift others in their journey too!

Fun Fact

I’m an accomplished curler who’s had the honour of competing at the provincial level during my high school years. I’ve also had the great privilege of using my experience to coach Special Olympics athletes–a role that taught me more than I’ve taught them! In many ways, they’ve been my coaches too.

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