Portrait of Azuz Al-Rubaye

Fundraising · Donor Relations · Project Management

Azuz
Al-Rubaye

I connect people with the causes they care about. I have 6+ years of experience across international NGOs, research and operations. Today I'm at Pearson College UWC, helping raise $5M+ a year so students from around the world can study on scholarship, as I once did.

📍 Victoria, BC, Canada Arabic · English · French UBC Political Science MA in progress · Athabasca
Scroll
every dot is a country · move to connect them
0raised each year with the Pearson fundraising team
0donors & partners worldwide
0student scholarships funded every year
0countries in my community

About

A fundraiser who likes bringing people together.

I've built a career in project management, fundraising and operations, with more than six years across international NGOs, research projects and fast-paced operations. I'm fully bilingual in Arabic and English, and I've led teams that work across many cultures.

It started in Amman, Jordan, where I supported humanitarian programs for refugees with the Jesuit Refugee Service. A full WUSC/Pearson scholarship brought me to Pearson College UWC on Canada's west coast, and a Centennial Scholars award took me to UBC. I finished a four-year Political Science and International Relations degree there in three years.

Now I'm back at Pearson, building relationships with donors who fund the next generation of scholars. I'm also doing a part-time Master's on how leadership and organizational strategy can help with complex global problems.

A scholarship opened the world to me. Now I help open it for 75+ students every year.Pearson scholar, 2017 · Donor Relations, 2023 to now

Fundraisers aren't salespeople. They're advisors to people who want to make a difference.A lesson from the AFP Compass conference, Calgary

Logbook

Work & service.

Tap an entry to see more.

Now
May 2023 – present

Donor Relations Coordinator

Pearson College UWC
Victoria, BC · Full-time
  • Work with the fundraising team to secure annual operating and development contributions of more than $5 million.
  • Build and maintain partnerships with 2,000+ donors and foundations around the world, steadily growing the annual fund.
  • Design and run large public events that fund international scholarships for 75+ student leaders each year.
  • Manage executive workflows, prepare detailed briefs for international travel, and lead volunteer teams.
+
Now
2025 – present

Board Member & Mentorship Chair

Association of Fundraising Professionals, Vancouver Island
Victoria, BC · Volunteer board
  • Chair the Mentorship Committee, running programs that help members grow.
  • Provide strategic governance and oversight for the chapter's growth across the region.
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Jan 2023 – Apr 2024

Research Assistant 3 contracts

Youthful Cities
Vancouver, BC · Remote, part-time
  • Collected, cleaned and analyzed 900+ measurements for the national Urban Work Index and Real Affordability Index, which rank which Canadian cities are best for young people to live and work in.
  • Co-developed a data-driven migration app that guided thousands of Afghan newcomers through settling in their new regions.
  • Used specialized platforms to map organizational ecosystems across Canada and turned raw data into app features.
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Sep 2022 – May 2023

Store Manager

The Shoe Company · Designer Brands Canada
Victoria, BC · promoted from Assistant Manager
  • Ran day-to-day store operations and hiring, and coached a team of 8 direct reports.
  • Introduced local business-development and customer-service strategies that grew store revenue by 9% in 6 months.
  • Managed inventory, store layout planning and weekly sales forecasts.
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2018 – 2019

Vice President, WUSC Local Committee

Pearson College UWC
Victoria, BC · Student volunteer
  • Helped incoming scholarship students settle in by handling logistics, setting up bank accounts, and registering for government services such as a SIN.
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Jun 2016 – Aug 2017

Administrative & Project Assistant

Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) Jordan
Amman, Jordan
  • Managed field logistics and administration for an international humanitarian program, supervising 5 instructional staff.
  • Oversaw daily operations and intake for a facility serving 500+ clients each month.
  • Wrote daily operations and risk reports for directors, leading to changes that increased service capacity for refugees by 30%.
  • Ran educational workshops that helped 150+ students pursue international scholarships.
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Nov 2016 – Jul 2017

Translator

Kiron Open Higher Education
Amman, Jordan · On-call
  • Translated professional and technical course materials from English into Arabic for digital-literacy programs.
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Toolkit

What I bring to the table.

Project & Operations

Agile methodsCross-functional teamsEvent designExecutive support

Data & Policy Analysis

Grant writingQuantitative researchQualitative researchMarket reporting

Stakeholder Engagement

Donor relationsPublic speakingCross-cultural communicationMentorship
3

years in Raiser's Edge

Queries, gift processing and record maintenance in the sector's main donor database.

Languages

Arabic
Native
English
Fluent
French
Beginner

Learning

Always studying something.

CLASS OF 2028 · IN PROGRESS

Athabasca University

Master's in Interdisciplinary Studies, majoring in Work, Organization & Leadership

CLASS OF 2022

University of British Columbia

BA in Political Science & International Relations, completed in 3 years instead of 4

UBC Centennial Scholars Entrance Award (over $80,000)
CLASS OF 2019

Pearson College UWC

International Baccalaureate Diploma

Full WUSC/Pearson scholarship ($104,000)
2015 – 2017

Regis University

Diploma in Liberal Arts & Sciences (online, interdisciplinary)

＋ Google AI Essentials certification: using generative AI responsibly and productively at work.

＋ AFP Fundamentals of Fundraising course, Vancouver Island Chapter

Off the clock

On the pitch, on the water, on the move.

Outside work you'll find me on the soccer pitch, paddling an outrigger canoe, out on my bike, mentoring, or planning my next trip.

مرحبا
Arabic
Hello
English
Bonjour
French
01Outrigger canoeing
02Soccer
03Biking
04Traveling
05Mentoring

Let's connect

Have a cause worth caring about?

Whether it's philanthropy, mentorship, UWC, or a good coffee in Victoria, I'm always happy to talk.

Email me ✉ Connect on LinkedIn →