Job Title: Donor Relations Director (Canada)
Department: Constituency Relations (CORE)
Reports To: Chief Marketing, and Philanthropy Officer
Status: Full-Time, Exempt
Location: Burlington, ON with Hybrid options
Salary Level: I
Last Updated: July 18, 2025
PURPOSE:
To lead and scale donor engagement and development efforts across Canada and the United States by
cultivating relationships across a diverse donor base, overseeing strategy and reporting, managing
high-performing teams, and supporting the execution of major fundraising campaigns. This role is
responsible for supervising regional Donor Relations teams, managing donor administrative systems,
and partnering across borders to align global fundraising efforts.
We do not discriminate based on disability, culture, ethnicity, or gender, and welcome and encourage
people from diverse backgrounds to apply.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
Strategic Leadership & Team Oversight
- Collaborate with the counterpart Donor Relations Director to jointly lead and develop global donor engagement strategies.
- Provide strategic leadership, performance management, and oversight for regional Donor Relations teams comprised of major, mid-level, and planned giving staff.
- Facilitate annual planning and establish performance objectives aligned with World Renew's priorities.
- Identify and respond to trends affecting donor engagement and fundraising strategies.
- Ensure implementation and continuous improvement of donor development plans.
- Manage regional Donor Relations budgets and ensure alignment with strategic goals.
- Support team member development through coaching, training, and performance feedback.
- Establish scalable systems and performance metrics to ensure team effectiveness.
Donor Portfolio Management
- Manage a portfolio of approximately 75 major donors.
- Develop and implement customized engagement plans to deepen donor relationships.
- Prepare and present proposals and case statements to individuals, families, businesses, and donor groups.
- Report on the impact of gifts to increase donor understanding and affinity.
- Ensure timely and personalized gift acknowledgments.
- Collaborate with Marketing & Communications to create compelling donor materials.
Donor Segmentation and Engagement
- Develop and oversee tailored engagement strategies for each donor tier—major, mid-level, planned giving, and mass donors.
- Lead strategies to retain newly acquired mass donors, including onboarding, engagement, and conversion to sustained giving.
- Ensure personalized stewardship and long-term retention across all donor segments.
Comprehensive Fundraising Campaign (CFC) Participation
- Represent Donor Relations on the CFC Task Force.
- Align donor strategies and activities with campaign priorities and goals.
- Collaborate with partners such as Christian Stewardship Services and the Barnabas Foundation on estate giving initiatives
- Monitor, evaluate, and respond to fundraising trends that may impact donor engagement and campaign performance.
- Perform other duties as assigned.
Legacy Giving & Planned Giving Initiatives
- Serve as the primary point of contact for planned giving and estate inquiries in respective regions.
- Lead the development and promotion of the Joseph Stewards Legacy Giving Society.
Data-Driven Fundraising
- Leverage data analytics and CRM systems to monitor donor engagement, forecast giving trends, and inform strategic decisions.
- Ensure the integrity and effective use of donor databases and segmentation tools.
Innovation and Continuous Improvement
- Foster a culture of innovation and continuous improvement in donor engagement practices.
- Test and iterate new approaches to meet evolving donor expectations and philanthropic trends.
Fundraising Strategy & Trends
Additional Responsibilities
SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES:
This position supervises the Canadian Donor Relations team, including:
- Regional Donor Relations Managers
- Mid-level and Sustaining Donor Manager
- Donor Retention and Administrative Specialist
- Volunteers and contracted support as needed
- CFRE (Certified Fund Raising Executive) or CCNL (Credentialed Christian Nonprofit Leader)
KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, ABILITIES REQUIRED:
- Able to respect and support the mission, vision and values of World Renew.
- Demonstrated commitment to Christ and be able to recognize this position as one that contributes to the work of His Kingdom.
- Familiarity with the Reformed faith and tradition as practiced by the CRCNA.
- Demonstrated commitment to contribute to and promote a work environment that values diversity, inclusion and equity.
- Committed to working towards gender equality, equity and justice in all aspects of our programming, plans, policies and organizational structure
- Proven knowledge of donor development principles: cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship.
- Experience managing budgets and evaluating ROI of development efforts.
- Strong leadership, interpersonal, and coaching skills.
- Excellent written and verbal communication; comfort presenting to varied audiences.
- Strong organizational, time management, and multitasking abilities.
- Ability to handle sensitive information with discretion and confidentiality.
Preferred Certifications
preferred, or a demonstrated commitment to obtaining certification.
EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE:
- Bachelor's degree required; preferred fields include nonprofit management, business, marketing, or related disciplines.
- Minimum 5 years of progressive experience in fundraising, including major donor development.
- At least 3 years of experience in supervising or leading a team is preferred.
- Experience or knowledge of international community development is an asset.
- Fluency in English, with strong verbal and written communication skills.
LANGUAGE SKILLS
Physical Demands & Work Environment
The work environment encountered and physical demands described here are representative of those that
must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.
Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the
essential functions. This position requires:
- Approximately 25% travel within Canada and occasional travel to the United States.
- Work may include meetings during non-business hours and occasional overnight stays.
- Reasonable accommodations will be made for individuals with disabilities.
With World Renew's commitment to Core Humanitarian Standard and Safeguarding responsibilities, as part of the recruitment process, a successful candidate can expect to go through a thorough background check.
World Renew is its own 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and is governed by its U.S. and Canadian Boards of Directors.
Please note that the tentative application deadline for this position will be EOD August 13 2025 for External Applicants and Internal Applicants, depending on application volume We encourage all interested candidates to apply before this deadline as we move candidates through our hiring process on a continuous basis.
