Cat’s Track #60 – Wayne Steer

Welcome to Cat’s Track Episode 60, with guest Wayne Steer.

Fundraising drive for the 12 Stop Ride for Recovery: https://www.12stoprideforrecovery.ca/campaign/132/wayne-s-aka-beaumont-goes-mobile-undercover-4-recovery

Mr. Steer earned his Bachelor of Business Administration Degree in Finance, Economics and Marketing with strong minors in Psychology and Sociology from Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington in 1984.

Wayne was invited to attend a meeting of a community service club called the Canadian Progress Club (CPC), Calgary Bow River with a longtime friend in September of 1984, joined and proceeded to fall in love with helping people and being a volunteer fundraiser. Mr. Steer’s involvement with CPC continued for the next nine years and continued in Edmonton until 1993 when family life was given a more central role.

For two decades, Mr. Steer was employed in the corporate world with careers in retail bank management, business brokerage, downstream oil and gas marketing, hotel and resort marketing, manufacturing and small business until the severe economic downturn of 2004. This prompted Wayne to reevaluate his career outlook and in his search, the skills that he learned and the joy that he derived from helping others and raising funds when he was volunteering for the Canadian Progress Club kept coming to the forefront.

During this time, Mr. Steer discovered and joined the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) – a professional association promoting and adhering to the practice of ethical fundraising. After submitting a few job applications, the ALS Society of Alberta recognized the many transferable skills and took a chance on a fledgling (professional) fundraiser running a one-person shop for the province of Alberta. After a couple of years there and some experience in planned giving, Mr. Steer was hired by the Canadian red Cross to handle the Legacy Gifts in Alberta. In December of 2008, Mr. Steer was hired by Volunteer Calgary just as the Subprime mortgage crisis was reaching its prime and by June of 2009, was unexpectantly without portfolio. In February of 2010, after a lengthy courtship, Wayne was hired by Fresh Start Recovery Centre to head the Capital Campaign for a new 40,000 square foot state of the art building and to continue to source funding for ongoing operations. Wayne has been part of the Fresh Start Recovery Centre team/family since 2010 where e has served as their Director of Fund Development.

Wayne has been a member of AFP since 2004 and has been actively involved as a volunteer member of the Calgary Chapter board until recently when he completed a fourth term as President of the AFP – Calgary & Area Chapter. Other volunteer roles with the local level have included Editor of the AFP – Calgary Chapter Newsletter, Co-chair of the National Philanthropy Day 2008, the Calgary Chapter’s first Diversity and Inclusion Chair, Secretary, President Elect, Chapter President, Past-President and then President again.

In addition to being an active member of AFP at the local level, Wayne has been involved at the national and international (AFP Global – formerly AFP International) levels since 2009. Wayne has served on the AFP Canada Board since inception in January of 2017 and held the position of Secretary and then Chair Elect before resigning to lead the AFP Calgary & Area Chapter due to a leadership vacuum and family issues. Prior to this Wayne served as a member of AFP’s Canadian Council and Government Relations Committee. Since 2017 Wayne has also been active Internationally as a contributing member to AFP Diversity & Inclusion Committee and a member of a small task force charged with redefining Diversity & Inclusion for AFP International which introduced “IDEA” – Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Access. Wayne has been Chair of AFP’s International Development Committee while also serving on the Member Services and Diversity and Inclusion Committees. In 2012 Wayne headed a task force that first explored the role of diversity in the fundraising profession globally and set a new definition and standard of incorporating “diversity and inclusion” in all aspects of fundraising and philanthropy.

Wayne’s passion for helping people in many areas including mental health to make our community a better place to live permeates his day to day activities at work, home and in community.

Wayne’s focus is on connecting people who dream of making the world a better place with causes that will help them achieve their dreams by advancing and sharing the practice of ethical fundraising locally and throughout the world.SHOW LESS