Direct Response and Community Giving Manager

Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) Canada; Toronto; Hybrid; CAD 75,000 - 101,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

RRSP contribution

Vacation 4 weeks

Health Spending Account

Professional Development budget

Employee & Family Assistance Program

Job summary

MSF Canada in Toronto is seeking a Direct Response and Community Giving Manager to lead offline fundraising campaigns, including direct mail, face-to-face, and tele-fundraising, while overseeing third-party events and peer-to-peer efforts.

You will lead a team of three, guide creative direction, supervise fundraising agencies, and ensure campaigns align with MSF Canada’s brand guidelines and strategic goals, delivering strong revenue and donor experiences.

Qualifications

• Professional experience in offline direct response fundraising.
• Experience managing fundraising agency partnerships.
• Progressive experience in people management with cross functional teams.
• Experience managing large, complex budgets.
• Excellent communications and presentation skills with attention to detail.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications.

Responsibilities

• Manage and implement key strategies for direct mail, face-to-face and tele-fundraising campaigns, and oversee the community giving portfolio.
• Lead a team of three direct reports and establish trust, accountability, and high performance.
• Provide creative guidance, project management, and support to ensure campaigns deliver on time and meet objectives.
• Manage fundraising suppliers and agencies to achieve objectives.
• Collaborate across the Mass Marketing Unit to integrate campaigns and maximize revenue.
• Stay aligned with MSF Canada brand guidelines and industry best practices.

Skills

Direct fundraising

Agency partnerships

People management

Budget management

Communications

MS Office

Education

Fundraising / direct marketing education

Job description

At the core of Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) Canada’s identity is a commitment to medical ethics, independence, neutrality, and impartiality. We go where people’s medical needs are greatest. These ideals have driven every aspect of our work – from medical care and logistical coordination, to finance and communications – since MSF was established in 1971.

Impact Statement

MSF Canada’s Fundraising Department is responsible for raising private funding, predominantly from individuals, by integrated direct response campaigns, major gifts, and legacy and planned giving vehicles to support our operations in the field and our activities in Canada. The department now generates over $100 million annually and has an ambitious plan to grow as part of the 2025-2028 strategic plan. Fundraising team members are in Toronto and Montreal and work in collaboration with suppliers and vendors across Canada.

The Direct Response and Community Giving Manager is responsible for managing offline direct response channels including direct mail, face-to-face and tele-fundraising, as well as overseeing third-party events and peer to peer fundraising as part of the larger Mass Marketing unit. This portfolio is responsible for raising ~$9M annually and supporting acquisition, conversion, reactivation and stewardship of monthly donors (MSF’s monthly giving program raises ~$30M in annual monthly revenue). This role is also responsible for managing relationships with several fundraising agencies. The Direct Response and Community Giving Manager will work closely with the Senior Manager Fundraising and Development to support our strategic fundraising plan and will manage a team to execute on activities and reach goals.

Our values:

• Our work is guided by the humanitarian principles of impartiality, neutrality, and independence, rooted in universal medical ethics.
• We bring these principles to life through the way we treat each other, work, and relate to the global MSF movement:
• Respect, Integrity, Inclusion – fostering a workplace grounded in equity and belonging
• Discovery, Learning, Boldness – embracing curiosity, innovation, and courageous action
• Impact, Transformation, Shared Responsibility – driving meaningful change and collective accountability

These values shape our culture and guide everything we do to uphold MSF’s social mission.

MSF Canada is looking for someone who will be responsible for the following:

• Manage and implement key strategies and execution of direct mail, face-to-face and tele-fundraising campaigns, as well as oversee the community giving (third party event and peer-to-peer) portfolio.
• Lead a team of 3 direct reports to implement workplans and achieve their goals, establishing trust, respect, recognition and mutual accountability in a high performance, collaborative environment.
• Provide creative guidance, project management, and support to ensure campaigns are delivered on time and meet objectives.
• Manage fundraising suppliers and agencies to achieve strategic objectives.
• Work collaboratively to support the execution of integrated campaigns, seeking opportunities for offline channels to play a part in the larger multi-channel fundraising effort that support various portfolios.
• Stay abreast of MSF Canada’s brand guidelines and industry developments and best practice to ensure fundraising activities adhere to these standards.

The successful candidate will bring to MSF Canada:

Direct Response Fundraising strategy, execution, and analysis; Advanced knowledge of direct mail, face-to-face canvassing, telemarketing and third-party event/peer to peer campaign strategies, development, implementation and best practice.

• Implement strategy and execution of MSF Canada’s direct mail, face-to-face and tele-fundraising campaigns, as well as oversee the community giving (third party event and peer-to-peer) portfolio.
• Identify opportunities across offline direct response channels to maximize revenue and deliver strong return on investments.
• Manage implementation of creative direction in line with broader organizational themes ensuring best practice for fundraising in each channel (through scripting, copy development, external team trainings).
• Support analysis through reporting on campaigns to ensure that set revenue objectives, targets, return on investments and other key performance measurements are being met; work with Senior Manager, Fundraising and Development to course correct as needed.
• Ensure donation processing through channels in portfolio offer an excellent donor experience and propose efficiencies in process when applicable.
• Collaborate with other members of the Mass Marketing Unit and Fundraising team to ensure seamless integration of campaigns.

Fundraising Agency Management; Strong project management skills, with the ability to turn complex projects into clear and manageable workplans, timelines, and deliverables; and analytics skills, with the ability to oversee technical contracts and ensure brand adherence/fundraising best practice:

• Oversee implementation for campaigns within portfolio, ensuring alignment with annual strategy.
• Work with agencies to support the Senior Manager, Fundraising and Development in developing the Fundraising department’s Annual Plan and ensure alignment with overall strategic planning priorities.
• Plan and monitor budget and results with agencies to maximize income and course correct as needed.
• Ensure vendors are all aware about key performance measurements and are actively part of discussions to reach targets, increase income and deliver strong return on investments.
• Ensure adequate training, messaging, updates on campaign themes and communication priorities are delivered promptly to agencies to enable aligned and on brand public communications. Actively monitor and manage quality of communications and fundraising.
• Play supporting role in RFPs to identify new vendors as needed to ensure value for investment.

People Management and Leadership; Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills, working with multiple stakeholders:

• Supervise three direct reports to implement workplans and achieve their goals, establishing trust, respect, recognition and mutual accountability in a high performance, collaborative environment.
• Conduct regular check ins and hold team status meetings to review program performance and coordinate deliverables.
• Work alongside fundraising colleagues and other MSF Canada departments to ensure campaign integration and cross-departmental collaboration.
• Build relationships with key individuals in the non-profit sector, specifically direct marketing and offline channels to gain intelligence, expert advice and assistance.

Other

• Support the Mass Marketing and Philanthropy teams with projects and campaigns
• Stay current with research, fundraising trends, and areas of development for channels in portfolio.
• Keep up to date with industry innovation and development, testing new channels, content, and messaging, where possible, to ensure that the correct mix is implemented - keep up to date with developments and trends in fundraising / non-profit sector.

Knowledge and Experience

• Professional experience in offline direct response fundraising (direct mail, face-to-face canvassing, tele-fundraising and/or community giving).
• Experience managing fundraising agency partnerships.
• Demonstrated progressive experience in people management roles with cross functional teams and demonstrated ability to develop team members
• Understanding and experience in managing large, complex budgets.
• Excellent communications and presentation skills with attention to detail
• Demonstrated computer skills with experience in Microsoft Office applications

Education, Certifications and Languages

• Education or training in fundraising, direct marketing or a related field or a combination of relevant experience and training
• Proficient in English, with strong copy-editing skills
• Proficiency in French an asset

Working conditions:

• Hybrid model: a minimum 40% presence in an MSF Canada officer per week.
• Regular hours Monday to Friday (9 a.m.–5 p.m., core hours 10 a.m.–3 p.m.); occasional evenings or weekends.
• Open-concept office environment with modern workspace.

Job Information:

Position Status: Permanent

Activity Rate: 100% (37.5 hours/week)

Location: Toronto

Salary Grade: Level 16, step 1 on the MSF Canada Salary Grid $87,850. (non-negotiable)

Status: Must be legally entitled to work in Canada; MSF Canada is not able to support or relocate candidates from outside Canada.

• 5% RRSP contribution (no matching required)
• 4 weeks’ vacation annually
• Health Spending Accounts
• Annual Professional Development budget
• Employee & Family Assistance Program (EFAP)

Candidates must be legally authorized to work in Canada; MSF Canada is not able to support or relocate candidates from outside Canada.