Come to work with a senior development officer
![Feature image A portrait of Dylantha Fernando](https://healthsci.mcmaster.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/FHS-Come-to-work-with-me-Dylantha-Fernando-2024MAR12-19-56ff42003626cde5bd08ae0488509444-1080x608.jpg)
McMaster University’s Faculty of Health Sciences is powered by nearly 1,500 staff members. In the series “Come to work with,” we’re profiling staff across the faculty and the critical work they do.
Dylantha Fernando is a senior development officer supporting the Faculty of Health Sciences. As a McMaster graduate who benefited from bursaries, he knows first-hand the impact a donor’s generosity can have. We spoke with Fernando about his journey to fundraising, the friendships he’s made along the way, and why he believes he gets to see “the best of McMaster.”
What is your role with McMaster’s University Advancement?
I’m a fundraiser for the Faculty of Health Sciences, with a focus on major gifts – which is anything more than $25,000. From the outside, fundraising can seem very transactional, but the fundraising that we do at McMaster, specifically major gifts, is so much more about relationship-building. I’ve become much more comfortable with soliciting donors – it would be very weird to ask a random stranger for $10, but you would feel more comfortable to ask your friend for $10. We’re building genuine, sincere friendships and creating advocates for McMaster. I essentially get to connect with alumni, faculty and community members to see if they’re interested in the opportunity to give back to Mac.
What was your journey to this role?
I’m a proud McMaster graduate, and during my time as a student I worked with Housing and Conferences Services. After I graduated I was looking at possible career opportunities and remembered that I really enjoyed working for the university. It’s just such a dynamic place to work with great people.
When I was here as a student I received a bursary. I remember using those bursaries to pay my rent and the cheques said, “Class of ‘57 Bursary” and I didn’t really pay too much attention to it, to be honest. My thought at the time was “McMaster gave me $1,000” – but that wasn’t the case, it was actually several generous individuals from the class of ‘57. Maybe they gave a dollar, a hundred, or a thousand – but they chose to give back because they had a good experience at Mac and their generosity benefited me greatly – it helped relieve some the financial pressures of being a student. Now through my role with University Advancement, I get to help others give back and explain the impact of their gifts – that it can help students like it helped me.
What is a typical day like for you at McMaster?
I review who has recently made a gift and I like to give them a call and personally thank them. I like to understand why they give and what their connection is to McMaster. Sometimes it’s a family connection, sometimes it’s because of their personal connection, and sometimes they’re faculty and staff, and that’s always so interesting to me because staff give their time during work hours, and then some of them choose to give back through a donation which is incredible.
McMaster has something so special with our alum and our community – people really do “bleed maroon.” They really love McMaster and want to see it succeed and invest in its future.
Part of the job is stewardship and demonstrating the impact of people’s giving. I like to share the thank you letters we get from students who received bursaries with our donor base. I work closely with our Communications teams – Health Sciences recently profiled Anthony Levinson, psychiatrist and professor in the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioural Neurosciences. Someone called me who had never given before because they saw that feature of the important work he is doing in the dementia space and they donated $25,000.
What do you like most about your job?
I get the privilege of seeing the best of McMaster.
Something that is important to me is the accessibility to a postsecondary education. Post secondary education can truly change the trajectory of someone’s life and career. Historically, when we look at equity of access to postsecondary education, it hasn’t been available to everybody. And so one thing that I’m very passionate about is finding opportunities through student bursaries and scholarships to lower the barriers of entry to postsecondary education.
McMaster is one of Canada’s most research-intensive universities. And research is expensive. I’m so grateful to have the chance to interact with these researchers who are doing such incredible things. It’s incredible to be a part of changing the trajectory of a disease, of curing it.
I support the Centre for Discovery in Cancer Research led by Dr. Sheila Singh, which works to develop new and improved ways to diagnose, treat, and manage people with cancer. Many people who have sadly lost their lives to glioblastoma have donated their brains to the CDCR. Through their donation, they’ve been able to help advance cancer research in a way that government grants can’t. When people think of philanthropy, they usually think someone is going to ask them for money. But sometimes people’s time and their advocacy can be just as valuable. It’s incredible that in a time of such sorrow and loss they and their family are thinking about how they can invest in the future and help others avoid a similar tragic outcome. The fact that they choose McMaster means we have a responsibility and a privilege of working with them to find a cure.
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