Meet Ross W. Marsh Consulting Group

With 30 years of Advancement experience in Canada and internationally, Ross Marsh has worked with over 250 clients on Advancement projects and campaigns with goals from $500,000 to $300 million, as well as a myriad of other projects spanning the education, health, religious, arts and culture, environmental, sports and social service sectors.

His work has been recognized with numerous awards and accolades from industry groups, fundraising professionals and others.

Ross is the President of Ross W. Marsh Consulting Group, where he leads a team of 10 Associates with approximately 250 years combined experience in fund development, communications, sponsorship and non-profit management.

Ross is also the founder and Past President of Sponsorship Connections. Founded in 2010, Sponsorship Connections quickly became one of Canada’s top sponsorship sales agencies, with clients across Canada. He sold that company in 2016, and it now carries on successfully as Stream Sales and Marketing Inc.

In 2015, Ross formed a consortium of investment banking expertise, private equity / private placement experts, as well as a sales and marketing team to facilitate investment in emerging and established private companies and land development projects, with a primary focus on the development industry in British Columbia and Alberta.

In terms of Advancement, Ross’s diverse fundraising, sponsorship and management background has generated success in many types of projects. From 1990 to 2004, Ross was with DVA Navion, an international fundraising consulting firm. Ross progressed all the way through DVA Navion's ranks to become President of the Canadian division, overseeing all aspects of client services and management of the business. In 2004 Ross established Ross W. Marsh Consulting Group to provide the charitable sector with something new; personalized, senior-level, hands-on service in collaboration with other senior practitioners to organizations in Western Canada and Ontario.

 Ross’s practice has focused extensively on working with independent schools. Ross has personally led projects for more than 20 of Canada’s leading independent schools, including:

• Vancouver College

• Mulgrave School

• Shawnigan Lake School

• Glenlyon Norfolk School

• York House School

• Queen Margaret’s School

• Athol Murray College of Notre Dame

• West Island College

• Fraser Academy

• Master’s Academy and College

• Meadowridge School

• Calgary Jewish Academy

• St. George’s School of Montreal

A graduate of the University of Toronto, Ross has sat on a number of for-profit and not-for-profit boards, including the Beta Theta Pi Foundation of Canada, Hillandale Corporation, LinkAGES Foundation (where he chaired the fund development committee), Sage Theatre (where he chaired the fund development committee) and is a founding trustee of the Dave Williams Leadership Fund at the Edmonton Community Foundation and a volunteer with numerous other organizations, such as Inn from the Cold, and serves on the Fundraising and Stewardship Committee of Grace Presbyterian Church in Calgary. Ross was also a volunteer member of the Sponsorship Cabinet for the United Way of Calgary and Area for 2017 and 2018.

He is a sought-after presenter and facilitator, has taught at Conestoga College in Kitchener, Ontario, Mt. Royal University in Calgary, Alberta and Swinburne University's Graduate School for Entrepreneurship in Melbourne, Australia. Ross is also a regular speaker and presenter at conferences and workshops for the Association of Fundraising Professionals, the Association of Healthcare Philanthropy, Canadian Association of Gift Planners, Canadian Accredited Independent Schools, Canadian Council for the Advancement of Education and others. He is an active community volunteer, is a mentor through the Association of Fundraising Professionals, and has authored a number of published articles on industry issues.