Matthew’s Superpowers:

Empowering charitable organization leaders and volunteers to execute fund development and community engagement roles that advance charitable giving
Creating and articulating compelling fund development priorities that drive donor engagement and support
Identifying and developing approaches to cultivate key prospects that can support charitable organizations and endeavours

To Contact Matthew:

Senior Associate

Matthew Burns is recognized for his thoughtful and collaborative approach serving as both a strategic partner and a coach to the organizations he supports. By combining deep sector knowledge with a people-first mindset, Mathew empowers boards, executives, and development teams to engage more effectively and deliver lasting impact.

Matthew is a seasoned leader in the advancement sector with extensive experience in fund development, alumni and community engagement, campaign strategy, and organizational change. Over the course of his career, he has worked with universities, non-profits, and cultural institutions, consistently helping organizations strengthen their capacity, deepen stakeholder relationships, and achieve ambitious goals.

Most recently, before joining ViTreo, Matt worked as an independent advancement consultant. In that role, he supported a tourism-focused non-profit with enterprise-level and event sponsorship strategy and execution, and a youth mental health organization with overall advancement strategy and the development of a major gift program. Prior to consulting, Matt spent much of his career in post-secondary advancement, where he led enterprise and large faculty development initiatives - most notably driving faculty-level adoption of priorities and enterprise branding for a comprehensive campaign exceeding $1 billion.

A strong community builder with a collaborative approach, Matthew applies his energy and talents to a number of organizations and initiatives. He currently serves as a Director for the Calgary Affordable Housing Foundation, helping raise funds to expand capacity within the city. He also dedicates time towards supporting initiatives such as through the Ranche at Fish Creek Restoration Society and the Trails West Hockey Association. One of Matthew’s most notable volunteer achievements was helping lead the University of Calgary (UCalgary)’s United Way of Calgary Leadership Giving Committee and being a cabinet member from 2016 – 2021. During this time, his efforts contributed to UCalgary receiving Community Builder awards in Leadership Giving as well as an overall Campaign Award of Excellence.