Celebrating Talent: Selene Hur

Jan 2026

As Canada’s leading consultancy to the non-profit sector, at KCI we measure our success through the success of our clients. It’s energizing to look back at 20 years of KCI Search + Talent candidate ‘placements’ to see what the leaders we’ve placed have accomplished for organizations all across our country.

It’s also gratifying to see that many people ‘placed’ by KCI have stayed and thrived in their roles long past the average tenure that we see in the sector. These are people whose loyalty, expertise, and passion for the mission drives long-term impact for their organizations, and the people and communities they serve.

We are celebrating these individuals through this ‘Celebrating Talent’ series of short profiles and interviews. We hope you enjoy reading about these inspiring sector leaders and celebrating their success along with us!

Celebrating Selene Hur, Manager, Prospect Development & Research, YMCA of Greater Toronto (YGTA)

Why did you originally consider joining YMCA GTA?

I’d been at Canada’s National Ballet School for a few years, mostly in a stewardship-focused role that gradually expanded to include prospect research, something I’d recently discovered and really enjoyed. When the opportunity at YGTA came up, a few people encouraged me to apply because they thought the unique research and stewardship role would be perfect for me. It felt like a great chance to learn from the “big fish,” given YMCA’s international presence and long history.

During the interview process, I realized that despite its size, Y’s fundraising approach was still fairly grassroots and YGTA specifically was looking to build out its major gifts program to support long-term growth. The idea of helping create something from scratch was exciting, especially as I was still in the early part of my career. And, of course, YGTA’s mission and values resonated with me, and still do all these years later.

What’s kept you with YMCA GTA for 16 years?

I’ve stayed for 16 years mainly because of the people. I’m surrounded by an incredible group of colleagues, especially within the Fundraising team. As the team has grown and evolved over the years, we’ve been lucky to welcome new colleagues who bring fresh perspectives and make us even stronger. I could not ask for a better team culture – everyone is hard-working, collaborative, fun, compassionate, and mission-focused. It’s a great environment to work and grow in.

What are you most proud of accomplishing during your time there? Other accomplishments or “proud of’s”?

I’m really proud of being part of the team that’s helped transform how YGTA fundraises across the spectrum – from major gifts to events to broad-based giving. We’ve made huge strides, and there’s still so much potential ahead, which is exciting.

My biggest personal accomplishment has been building out the prospect development function. When I started, it didn’t exist, and I was given the freedom to create our prospect research and prospect management systems from the ground up. Over the years, I’ve been able to continually refine and evolve those systems as the needs of the team and the organization have grown.

I’m also proud of my long-standing volunteer work with Apra Canada and Apra International. My involvement and representation of YGTA has helped raise YGTA’s visibility in the broader community and increased awareness of the important work we do.

What’s Next for YMCA GTA? What do you want people to know about the work that YMCA GTA does?

YGTA is a charity that ignites the potential in people, helping them grow, lead, and give back to their communities. Based on that mission focus, YGTA just launched a new strategic plan (2025-2030) with 3 priorities:

Programs – Growing, reimagining spaces, innovating and engaging more volunteers to ensure everyone in our communities has the chance to reach their potential.
Partnerships – Joining forces with others by sharing our knowledge, influence and resources to create the policies, support systems and actions that turn a good community into a great one.
Resilience – Investing even more into our people, planning, technology and climate action so we’re ready for whatever comes next.

Fundraising will play a major role in bringing these priorities to life. We’re currently in a feasibility study to better understand our philanthropic potential and how we can scale our impact in the years ahead.

One piece of career advice you’d give to others?

Don’t be afraid to step outside your comfort zone. For me, networking and presenting definitely didn’t come naturally, but I slowly gained confidence by saying “yes” to new opportunities and volunteering for projects that challenged me in different ways. Those experiences not only shaped my career path, but also connected me with incredible people and fueled my desire to keep learning and growing.