Lead. (Associate Director), Stewardship & Donor Relations, HHHF

Position Title: Lead, Stewardship & Donor Relations

Reports to: Director, Marketing & Communications

Position: Full-time, Permanent

Location: Hybrid – Humber River Health Foundation, Toronto (North York), ON (Tuesday–Thursday in office; Monday & Friday remote)

Salary: $92,029–$109,747, plus comprehensive benefits, HOOPP pension, and four weeks' vacation.

About Hennick Humber Hospital Foundation

Hennick Humber Hospital Foundation inspires philanthropy in support of Humber River Health, one of Canada's leading community hospitals. Through the generosity of donors, corporations, foundations, volunteers, and community partners, the Foundation helps fund leading-edge technology, innovative programs, capital priorities, and exceptional patient care that improve the lives of patients and families across the communities Humber River Health serves.

As the philanthropic partner of Humber River Health, the Foundation is committed to fostering meaningful donor relationships and demonstrating the lasting impact of philanthropy. Every gift helps advance exceptional healthcare and ensures patients have access to world-class care close to home.

This is an exciting time to join the Foundation. As philanthropy continues to grow, the organization is strengthening its stewardship program to create exceptional donor experiences, deepen donor engagement, and build a culture of gratitude that inspires lifelong giving.

The Role

Reporting to the Director, Marketing & Communications, the Lead, Stewardship & Donor Relations provides strategic leadership for Hennick Humber Hospital Foundation's stewardship and donor relations program. This is an exceptional opportunity for a collaborative and strategic stewardship professional who is passionate about creating meaningful donor experiences and advancing a culture of philanthropy across the organization.

Serving as the Foundation's stewardship expert, this role establishes and leads the Foundation's stewardship strategy, defines service standards and key performance indicators, and continually enhances the donor experience. Working collaboratively across Major Gifts, Annual Giving, Events, Marketing & Communications, Finance, and Hospital leadership, the Lead, Stewardship & Donor Relations ensures donors receive exceptional recognition, reporting, communications, and engagement throughout their philanthropic journey.

This position combines strategic leadership with hands-on execution, overseeing donor acknowledgement programs, customized stewardship plans, impact reporting, recognition initiatives, donor experiences, naming opportunities, endowment reporting, and stewardship events. The successful candidate is highly organized, relationship-focused, and passionate about creating meaningful donor experiences that reflect the Foundation's commitment to excellence.

Impact Areas

Stewardship Strategy & Donor Experience

• Lead the development and implementation of a comprehensive Foundation-wide stewardship strategy aligned with fundraising priorities.
• Establish standardized stewardship practices while delivering highly personalized donor experiences.
• Develop stewardship plans for principal, major, annual, legacy, and endowment donors.
• Evaluate and enhance the donor journey to improve donor satisfaction and retention.
• Identify innovative stewardship opportunities that deepen donor engagement and inspire future giving.

Donor Recognition & Acknowledgement

• Oversee all donor acknowledgement programs, ensuring timely, meaningful, and personalized recognition.
• Develop customized stewardship communications, including thank-you letters, impact reports, donor updates, and recognition materials.
• Manage donor recognition opportunities, including naming recognition, donor walls, digital recognition, and commemorative initiatives.
• Ensure recognition activities align with donor intent, organizational policies, and gift agreements.
• Maintain stewardship standards that reflect exceptional donor care.

Impact Reporting & Donor Communications

• Lead the development of customized impact reports that demonstrate the measurable outcomes of donor investments.
• Partner with clinicians, physicians, researchers, and hospital leadership to gather meaningful stories, patient outcomes, and program updates.
• Translate complex healthcare initiatives into compelling donor-centered communications.
• Collaborate with Marketing & Communications to develop stewardship publications, newsletters, annual reports, and donor stories.
• Ensure donors receive regular updates that illustrate the impact of their generosity.

Donor Engagement & Relationship Management

• Develop personalized engagement opportunities that strengthen donor relationships.
• Coordinate donor visits, hospital tours, milestone celebrations, and recognition events.
• Support stewardship activities for Foundation events and major fundraising initiatives.
• Build strong relationships with donors, volunteers, physicians, hospital leaders, and Foundation staff.
• Serve as the Foundation's primary stewardship resource.

Gift Administration & Stewardship Operations

• Develop and maintain stewardship policies, procedures, and service standards.
• Monitor stewardship schedules to ensure the timely completion of donor acknowledgements, reporting, and recognition commitments.
• Maintain accurate donor records and stewardship tracking within Raiser's Edge NXT.
• Ensure compliance with donor agreements, naming policies, and CRA fundraising standards.
• Track stewardship activities and produce reports that measure stewardship effectiveness.

Program Development & Continuous Improvement

• Evaluate stewardship best practices across healthcare philanthropy.
• Develop metrics to measure donor engagement, retention, and stewardship effectiveness.
• Recommend improvements that enhance operational efficiency and the donor experience.
• Identify opportunities to leverage technology and AI to improve stewardship processes and donor communications.
• Continuously seek innovative approaches that elevate the Foundation's stewardship program.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Collaborate across Philanthropy, Major Gifts, Annual Giving, Marketing & Communications, Events, Finance, and Hospital departments.
• Support fundraising strategies through coordinated donor engagement activities.
• Partner with Finance to ensure accurate gift reporting and donor fund balances.
• Collaborate with Marketing & Communications to ensure consistent messaging and donor communications.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

Requirements

Education & Experience

• 7–10 years of progressive experience in fundraising, donor relations, stewardship, or philanthropy.
• Demonstrated experience developing and leading donor stewardship programs.
• Experience preparing donor reports, impact stories, and stewardship communications.
• Experience working with donor databases, preferably Raiser's Edge NXT.
• Experience in healthcare philanthropy is strongly preferred.
• Knowledge of CRA charitable giving regulations is considered an asset.

Knowledge & Technical Skills

• Strong understanding of fundraising best practices, donor recognition, and stewardship principles.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook.
• Experience using Raiser's Edge NXT or a comparable donor database.
• Ability to leverage technology and AI to enhance stewardship processes and donor communications.

Core Skills & Abilities

• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills.
• Outstanding relationship-building and interpersonal skills with a donor-centred approach.
• Proven ability to manage multiple high-priority projects simultaneously.
• Strong attention to detail and exceptional organizational skills.
• Demonstrated ability to build collaborative relationships across Foundation, Hospital, and community stakeholders.
• Sound judgment, professionalism, discretion, and confidentiality.
• A proactive, innovative mindset with a commitment to continuous improvement.

Benefits

Hennick Humber Hospital Foundation offers a competitive compensation package, including a salary range of $92,029–$109,747, commensurate with experience, comprehensive benefits, participation in the Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan (HOOPP), four weeks' vacation, and opportunities for ongoing professional development.

Additional Information About the Position

This is a full-time, hybrid position based in Toronto, Ontario. The successful candidate will work onsite Tuesday through Thursday at Hennick Humber Hospital Foundation, with the flexibility to work remotely on Mondays and Fridays.

Occasional evening and weekend work will be required to support donor events, stewardship initiatives, Foundation activities, and community engagement opportunities.

This role offers the opportunity to play a key role in shaping the Foundation's donor stewardship program during a period of organizational growth, building meaningful donor relationships that advance exceptional healthcare at Humber River Health.

As part of the selection process, candidates will be required to complete a PI (Personality Index) assessment and a Vulnerable Sector Criminal Background Check.

The Foundation offices are located within Hennick Humber Hospital, providing the opportunity to work closely with hospital leadership, clinicians, and Foundation colleagues.

How to Apply

Hennick Humber Hospital Foundation has retained the services of Charity Search Group to coordinate this search. To apply, please complete the online application. If you require accommodation to participate in the recruitment process, please contact Mariya Yurukova at mariya@charitysearchgroup.com. Please note that applications submitted by email will not be accepted.

Hennick Humber Hospital Foundation is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to building a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace. We welcome applications from individuals of all backgrounds and lived experiences. If you believe your experience aligns with this opportunity, we encourage you to apply.