Development Director

Headquartered in Calgary, AB, Honens is Canada’s international piano competition. The triennial event, considered one of the most prestigious of its kind in the world, awards its Gold Laureate $100,000 CAD as well as a three-year comprehensive, customized Artist Development Program which supports the development of a sustainable and meaningful career in classical music. In addition to community initiatives, the annual Honens Festival presents a dynamic mix of ticketed and free concerts and events, engaging audiences of all ages, backgrounds, and levels of musical experience.

Honens is seeking a Development Director—an individual who is passionate about the arts, values meaningful relationships, and is motivated to play a key role in shaping the organization’s future. Reporting to the President & CEO, the Development Director leads and manages all aspects of individual giving, including Laureate Circles across Canada, the Annual Campaign, and special events, while contributing to the organization’s overall fundraising strategy and long-term sustainability.

This role works closely with the President & CEO, Board of Directors, and internal team to strengthen revenue streams and deepen engagement with donors, sponsors, and partners. Both strategic and hands-on, the Development Director is responsible for building strong relationships, advancing key initiatives, and ensuring all development activities reflect Honens’ values of excellence, integrity, belonging, creativity, and collaboration.

This is a full-time, permanent position based in Calgary, with some flexibility for remote work. The role requires a willingness to work occasional evenings and weekends in support of events, performances, and donor engagement activities.

This job description outlines the primary responsibilities of the position and is not intended to be all-inclusive.

CORE RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Contributes as a key member of the organizational leadership team, supporting cross-functional alignment and decision-making
• Leads the development and execution of Honens’ fundraising strategy, including individual giving, sponsorship, and institutional funding
• Collaborates with the President & CEO to support long-term growth, campaign planning, and strategic initiatives
• Builds and manages a strong donor pipeline, including identification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship
• Oversees grant activity, including prospecting, application development, and reporting
• Leads cross-departmental projects, ensuring alignment across development, communications, and programming
• Develops and refines systems and processes to support effective fundraising, tracking, and reporting
• Monitors performance through data, reporting, and evaluation
• Ensures integrity of donor data and adherence to organizational processes and timelines

Donor Relations

• Builds and stewards strong relationships with current and prospective donors nationwide, leveraging regional markets to support national engagement and growth
• Leads donor engagement and retention strategies to support long-term growth
• Secures major gifts and sponsorships, overseeing related development activities
• Develops and delivers donor benefits, ensuring all commitments are fulfilled
• Develops and advances growth strategies for Laureate Circles across Canada
• Works with the President & CEO to advance a planned giving program

Corporate Sponsorships

• Develops and executes strategies to secure and grow corporate sponsorships aligned with Honens’ artistic and community programming
• Identifies and cultivates relationships with corporate partners, aligning opportunities with organizational priorities
• Works with the Communications Manager to develop tailored sponsorship packages and proposals
• Ensures fulfillment of sponsorship benefits and long-term partner stewardship

Donor Acknowledgement

• Oversees donor recognition across all materials, ensuring appropriate and accurate acknowledgement of funders and sponsors
• Ensures donor information is current and consistent across the Honens website, other platforms, and publications
• Works with the Communications Manager to develop and maintain donor recognition materials

Events & Stewardship

• Produces and leads delivery of all donor and fundraising events in accordance with Honens’ standards of excellence
• Curates meaningful donor experiences, collaborating with artists and the Artistic Planning Director on programming
• Oversees planning and execution of donor events, working closely with the Events & Logistics Coordinator and other team members
• Attends key donor and fundraising events, and contributes to welcoming and closing remarks as appropriate

Renewals & Individual Campaigns

• Oversees all aspects of individual giving membership programs and renewal campaigns
• Works with the President & CEO and Communications Manager to develop renewal strategies and materials
• Collaborates with the Controller & Administration Manager on timely acknowledgement and receipting
• Leads follow-up strategies to support renewal and retention
• Works with internal teams to plan and deliver individual giving campaigns
• Supports the development of related written and digital communications

Grants & Institutional Funding

• Leads the development and execution of Honens’ grants activity, aligned with organizational priorities
• Researches and identifies funding opportunities from foundations, government, and other institutional funders
• Builds and maintains a grants pipeline and calendar, tracking deadlines, submissions, and reporting
• Oversees grant applications and reporting in collaboration with the Communications Manager and internal stakeholders
• Ensures compliance with funder requirements and tracks outcomes

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE:

• 5 – 8+ years of experience in fundraising, development, or a related field, preferably within the arts, culture, or a mission-driven organization
• Demonstrated success in major gifts fundraising and donor relationship management
• Experience developing and executing fundraising strategies, campaigns, and donor engagement initiatives
• Experience securing and managing corporate sponsorships and / or partnerships
• Experience coordinating or supporting grant applications and reporting processes
• Strong project management skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities, deadlines, and stakeholders
• Exceptional interpersonal and relationship-building skills, with a high level of professionalism and discretion
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively on donor and grant materials
• Experience working with CRM systems (experience with Spektrix considered an asset)
• Financial literacy and experience managing budgets related to fundraising initiatives
• Experience leading or contributing to a capital or endowment campaign is considered an asset
• Understanding of the Canadian philanthropic and granting landscape is an asset
• Experience working with volunteers, boards, or donor committees is an asset
• Ability and willingness to work occasional evenings and weekends for events and donor engagement

APPLICATION DETAILS:

• Start Date is negotiable - ideally mid-November, with the possibility of part-time availability in advance
• Ideally available 10 to 13 September 2026 for the Honens Festival