Maria Farrier Email & Phone Number

Toronto, On, Ca

Greater Toronto Area, Canada

Windmill Microlending is Canada's only national charity providing affordable loans to help skilled immigrants and refugees re-enter their professions and contribute to the Canadian workforce.-Partner with top corporate donors across Canada (six and seven-figure donors) to build customized employee engagement opportunities for their team members to engage with our work and our clients directly via volunteer service and employee-giving campaigns. Manage or co-manage key relationships with corporate funders.-Identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward funding commitments from corporations, foundations, and individuals & write compelling proposals (up to mid six-figures)-Lead the strategy and engagement with Windmill alumni (5,000+ former clients)- including media relations opportunities, speaking engagements, and written alumni success stories-Grow the organization's annual giving program, in collaboration with Marketing team -Manage Windmill’s Mentorship program and the Community Success Hub platform to ensure corporate partners, mentors, and mentees have a positive experience with Windmill through the program

Denver Metropolitan Area

-Managed resource development, outreach, and communications for a refugee resettlement agency with an annual operating budget of up to $14 million. Supervised two full-time staff members & additional interns.-Led the successful grant application process & writing for a $9M state grant focused on wraparound refugee services & a $1.1M state grant focused on legal services -Led donor cultivation, retention, and recognition. Collaborated with the Database Manager to implement automations in Salesforce for individualized stewardship plans. -Managed Mailchimp newsletter contacts and created monthly newsletters and impact stories, achieving over 40% open rate (increased average open rate by over 10%).-Oversaw project management for the grant application process including researching, writing, managing, & reporting. Secured multiple six figure grants and gifts from private foundations. -Increased the number of annual individual donors by 57% & grant funding by 343% (CY2020 to CY2022). -Created a strategic communications plan and oversaw content creation across platforms: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, & Mailchimp email marketing. Initiated the creation of a blog to increase website traffic.-Represented the organization on the statewide Welcoming Communities workgroup on a weekly basis. Sat on the steering committee for the Colorado Refugee Speakers Bureau & increased statewide reach of the bureau.-Planned small intimate events for donors & large-scale community events (up to 800 people-Refugee First Thanksgiving and up to 300 people-World Refugee Day storytelling events).-Led the development and content creation for the organization's annual impact reports -Built and maintained relationships with corporate donors and coordinated logistics of large donation pick-ups and drop-offs-Participated in weekly Management meetings and continual improvement processes for the organization-Liaised with contractors and vendors to coordinate payments and logistics

Greater Denver Area

-Improved social bridging and social bonding experiences for newly arrived refugees by recruiting, training, supporting, & matching volunteers for ACC's mentoring program (First Friends). -Led program development activities for First Friends, including communications materials, volunteer management platform (Volunteers for Salesforce), & program evaluation-Collaborated with the Volunteer Manager to pilot a new Community Sponsorship program in 2021. Created an implementation plan, led staff and volunteer focus groups, and piloted several sponsorship groups by the end of 2021. -Promoted weekly Financial Literacy class to clients and coordinate referrals to partner organization (International Rescue Committee). -Supervised a 6-hour Cultural Orientation class for all newly arrived refugees (over 60 adults from 2/2020-3/2021) & train interns/volunteers as additional instructors. Responsible for maintaining curriculum, tracking compliance, and administering assessments. -Coordinated and trained a team of volunteers to assist in virtually applying for LEAP (Low-Income Energy Assistance Program) for over 50 families from Nov. 2020- April 2021. Provided biweekly supervision for team of volunteers and technical assistance. -Manage key partnerships with external community organizations & network of contracted interpreters

Greater Denver Area

I connected over 200 refugee and asylee clients each year to necessary health services by partnering with local contracted clinics and CRSP (Colorado Refugee State Program). This included coordinating medical appointments for new arrivals, coordinating medical case management for ongoing care, and effectively utilizing Salesforce to maintain updated case notes for compliance with CRSP and ORR. Resolved complex medical bills and Medicaid coverage by effectively working with county public benefits systems. Trained and supervised one intern each quarter.

Greater Denver Area

APDC is an integrated center of wellness serving primarily Asian American, Pacific Islander, immigrant, and refugee communities in Aurora. Within the YLA (Youth Leadership Academy), I supported adult mentors and ensured compliance with our funder. Responsible for recruitment, interviewing, onboarding, and supervising mentors. Worked closely with school counselors to provide wrap-around support for our students. Developed partnerships with other non-profits in the Aurora community.

Greater Denver Area

Within the Adult Education department, I instructed one class of adult English-language learners (Level 0-1) three evenings per week. My students were primarily from the refugee community; thus, I focused on literacy and life skills. I also prepared students for the CASAS test.

Ticheville, France

During the peak tourist season, I provided personable customer service in both French and English to clients visiting from across Europe in a fast-paced, fine-dining context. I trained new servers and interviewed with a French radio station, "France Bleu," to educate listeners on the unique garden-to-table concept of the restaurant.

Sciacca, Sicily, Italy

In this Sicilian private language school, I instructed individual or small group lessons to Italian children and professional adults for 3-5 hours per day and collaborated with other teachers to bring in U.S. cultural components and American vocabulary to lesson-planning.

Toulouse Area, France

The Teaching Assistant Program in France aims to strengthen English language instruction in French public schools by introducing a native speakers into classrooms who may also serve as U.S. cultural ambassadors. I taught beginner-intermediate level (ages 11-15) English courses in two middle schools for French students from diverse cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds in a priority-education zone. My main focus areas included providing concentrated instruction in verbal expression and pronunciation, creating lessons about U.S. culture, and engaging students in extra-curricular English clubs.

Greater Denver Area

Spokane, Washington Area

My main task in this student leadership role involved re-designing on-campus programming for National Hunger & Homelessness Awareness Week in November. I gained experience in project-management, event-planning, and promotions as I planned for a week's worth of advocacy and awareness events. Accomplishments from the week included bringing in a speaker on criminal justice reform, designing and selling over one-hundred advocacy t-shirts, and hosting an Oxfam Hunger Banquet in partnership with campus dining services. My second responsibility involved co-leading trainings and reflections for our twenty-five Homeless Outreach volunteers. I also served on the leadership team three weekends throughout the year for Urban Plunge immersions. An Urban Plunge is a 20-hour overnight immersion into the issue of homelessness where students are led on a walking tour around downtown Spokane to discover the work of local organizations and also hear stories from individuals who have been homeless. As one of the leaders, I assisted in planning all logistics for groups of students, coordinating with community partners, and leading small-group reflections.

Gonzaga University

Students selected as Global Peer Ambassadors work up to fifteen hours per week at the front desk in the Center for Global Engagement and in other special outreach projects on or off campus. At the front desk and through our main phone line, I enjoyed delivering personalized customer service to prospective study abroad students, international students, parents, and visitors to campus. Other office management duties included uploading student files to study abroad applications in StudioAbroad, a TerraDotta software, responding to emails, and managing the calendars of ten full-time staff members.In my time away from the CGE office, I led a weekly Global Conversations group of international students, assisted in an upper-level ESL classroom, facilitated reflections each semester for groups of students preparing to leave for study abroad, and represented the Study Abroad office at fairs and in classroom presentations.

Spokane, Washington Area

World Relief is an international humanitarian aid organization and is one of nine national refugee resettlement agencies recognized by the U.S. government. The Spokane office serves 1000 refugees and immigrants annually. As an intern in the Employment Programs Department, I worked part-time under a team of four Employment Specialists and gained exposure to governmental programs like TANF and LEP and learned to navigate Washington State unemployment benefits. A typical day could involve coaching clients in job search techniques, assisting with hiring paperwork, prepping a client for an interview (and often accompanying/transporting them to the interview), or networking with local employers at a hiring fair.

Spokane, Washington Area

Greater Denver Area

For four summers, I worked as a lifeguard and swim instructor at a swim and tennis club in Denver. Through this position, I learned how to work as a team of lifeguards to conquer daily tasks as well as how to manage conflicts/ emergencies in the workplace. I also built strong relationships with the parents of children in my swim classes & provided tailored lessons to each skill level. Summer Seasonal Position: June-September, 2011-2014

Greater Denver Area

I started my first official summer job at age 15, welcoming clients of a private swim & tennis club at the front desk. Beginning a customer service role at such a young age allowed me to develop strong verbal communication skills and relationship-building skills that I have carried with me in my career.

Bachelor Of Arts - Ba, International Relations & French ; Minor: Entrepreneurial Leadership

Activities and Societies: Gonzaga University Concert and Chamber Choirs; Spring Break Immersion Trips; Global Conversations; Homeless.

French And International Relations

Overseas Study Program - Advanced French Language & International Relations coursework (B2-C1 level)