Direct Response Specialist

Surrey Hospitals Foundation; Surrey; On-site; CAD 65,000 - 75,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive benefits including health, dental, disability and life insurance

Supportive work culture and professional development

Participation in the British Columbia Municipal Pension Plan

Four weeks of vacation to start

Job summary

Surrey Hospitals Foundation seeks a Direct Response Specialist to enhance direct response fundraising efforts. This role is pivotal for growing donor relationships and increasing annual giving while developing a sustainable pipeline for major and legacy gifts. Candidates should have at least three years of experience in fundraising, excellent project management skills, and expertise in donor relations. The position offers competitive salary and comprehensive benefits, ensuring a meaningful contribution to healthcare initiatives in the community.

Qualifications

• Minimum of three years of progressive experience in fundraising, donor relations, or marketing.
• Experience with direct response fundraising is an asset.
• Strong knowledge of the philanthropic landscape in Surrey and surrounding areas.

Responsibilities

• Lead and monitor a comprehensive direct response fundraising program.
• Collaborate with teams for donor acquisition and cultivation.
• Analyze campaign performance and optimize strategies for revenue growth.

Skills

Annual giving

Direct response fundraising

Project management

Analytical skills

Donor stewardship

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Communications, Business, Non-Profit Management or related field

Tools

Raiser’s Edge/NXT

Microsoft Office (Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint, Word)

Job description

ORGANIZATION OVERVIEW

Since 1992, Surrey Hospitals Foundation has worked to ensure that every investment leads to better care, better access and better outcomes across the South Fraser region.

As the recognized health care foundation for the City of Surrey, Surrey Hospitals Foundation unites donors, health partners, and community to drive innovation and improve care across all major health facilities—including Surrey Memorial Hospital, the Jim Pattison Outpatient Care and Surgery Centre, and the new Surrey hospital now under construction among other specialized sites.

To learn more about us, please visit Surrey Hospitals Foundation.

We acknowledge that we operate, live and work on the traditional territories of the Semiahmoo, Katzie, Kwantlen, Kwikwetlem, Qayqayt, Tsawwassen First Nations and Metis Nations.

JOB SUMMARY

Surrey Hospitals Foundation is looking for a resourceful and experienced Direct Response Specialist with expertise in multichannel direct response fundraising. This role plays a critical part in ensuring donors understand their vital role in transforming healthcare and are meaningfully engaged across all giving levels.

The Direct Response Specialist is responsible for strengthening and growing a base of annual donors that provides support for key funding priorities, while also building a sustainable pipeline of prospects for mid-level, major and legacy giving. Working collaboratively with our internal teams, this role helps align annual giving strategies with engagement opportunities to foster long-term donor relationships and inspire ongoing support.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Direct Response Fundraising

• Lead the planning, execution and monitoring of a comprehensive direct response fundraising program, including quarterly appeals, special campaigns, and integrated multichannel solicitations.
• Work closely with external direct response consultants to execute fundraising strategies, overseeing mailing lists and schedules, production, vendor coordination and campaign effectiveness.
• Use donor data, analytics to create targeted, personalized appeals that improve response rates, donor retention and average gift.
• Act as an internal liaison to facilitate effective and efficient cross team collaboration to support execution of the direct response program.
• Draft communications campaigns that integrate direct response with email, social media and other marketing channels.
• Monitor campaign performance, analyze results, and provide clear recommendations to optimize revenue, donor value and long‑term growth.

Philanthropy

• Collaborate with Development and Engagement team to implement effective acquisition, cultivation and solicitation strategies that support the growth of the Annual Giving portfolio.
• Ensure donor communications clearly convey impact, appreciation and opportunities for deeper engagement.
• Participate in donor stewardship initiatives as required to support Annual Giving program needs.

Monthly Giving Program

• Work collaboratively to implement a robust monthly giving program, focused on increasing donor acquisition and retention.
• Develop and execute targeted conversion strategies to grow the pipeline of monthly donors to mid‑level and major gift portfolios.
• Facilitate face‑to‑face, tele‑fundraising, and other campaigns to acquire new monthly donors and reactivate lapsed donors.

Prospect Management

• Conduct prospect research and collaborate in developing donor strategies, focusing on annual giving donors who have capacity to increase their level of support.
• Work collaboratively with the Development team to strengthen donor pipelines.
• Use data insights and segmentation to prioritize prospects and support targeted engagement and stewardship strategies.

Donor Engagement and Representation

• Represent Surrey Hospitals Foundation through donor meetings, community presentations and Foundation events.
• Communicates the Foundation’s mission, funding priorities, and impact in compelling written and verbal formats.

SKILLS & ABILITIES

• Demonstrated experience in annual giving, and/or direct response fundraising, preferably in a healthcare or nonprofit environment.
• Strong donor‑centric approach with a clear understanding of Annual Giving audiences, and motivations.
• Excellent project management skills with the ability to manage multiple campaigns and deadlines simultaneously.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret data and translate insights into actionable strategies.
• Exceptional attention to detail, ensuring accuracy and consistency across all campaigns.
• Knowledge of fundraising best practices, donor life cycle, and stewardship.
• Professionalism in handling highly sensitive and confidential donor information.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively within a team environment.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

• Minimum of three (3) years of progressive experience in fundraising, donor relations, or marketing, with a strong emphasis on direct response fundraising.
• Direct response fundraising experience is an asset.
• Bachelor’s degree in a related field such as Communications, Business, Non‑Profit Management, or a related field.
• Strong knowledge of the philanthropic landscape and giving opportunities in Surrey, surrounding cities South of the Fraser and the Lower Mainland.
• An understanding of donor behaviour, fundraising cycles and pipeline development.
• Experience working with external vendors or consultants, including direct response agencies.
• Proficiency with donor database systems, preferably in Raiser’s Edge/NXT.
• Intermediate skills in Microsoft Office, including Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint and Word.

WORKING CONDITIONS

This is a Full‑Time position based out of the Surrey Hospitals Foundation office located at Surrey Memorial Hospital.

SALARY

$65,000 to $75,000

WHAT WE HAVE TO OFFER

A career at Surrey Hospitals Foundation offers the opportunity to make a meaningful impact by connecting donors with life‑changing healthcare initiatives.

Our total compensation and benefits package includes:

• Competitive salary commensurate with your experience and skills.
• Comprehensive benefits including extended health, dental, disability and life insurance.
• Supportive work culture and opportunities for professional development.
• Participation in the British Columbia Municipal Pension Plan (MPP).
• Additional paid time off through wellness days and our nine‑day fortnight program.
• Four weeks of vacation to start.

Surrey Hospitals Foundation actively encourages all qualified individuals to apply, including those with historical and/or current barriers to equity. We are committed to upholding and fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion in our workplace and strive to reflect in our team the diversity of the region that we and our health care facilities serve. We value the contributions and experiences that each person brings and welcome those who can further contribute to the rich diversification of knowledge and skills at our Foundation.

If you face any barriers to employment and/or require accommodations during the recruitment process, please feel free to contact our People and Culture team in confidence.

APPLICATION PROCESS

If you are interested in this career opportunity, we encourage you to apply and become part of our growing team, please submit your cover letter and resume by Wednesday, June 3, 2026.

We thank all applicants for their interest in this role. However, only candidates under consideration will be contacted directly.

Recruitment Scam Alert: We will never request software downloads or financial information; all communication will come directly from our People and Culture team via official channels—please ignore and report suspicious messages.