Director Major Gifts

Stella's Place; Toronto; Hybrid; CAD 99,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental and vision benefits

3 weeks vacation and 15 personal days

Job summary

Stella's Place in Toronto is seeking a Director of Major Gifts to lead donor engagement, cultivate relationships, and drive a high-impact fundraising program. You will manage a portfolio of major gift prospects, supervise staff, and partner with executives to secure transformative gifts.

The role focuses on strategic donor cultivation, stewardship, and partnership-building to support young adults and mental health initiatives in a fast-paced environment. Hybrid work, 3 in-office days per week.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 5 years of progressive fundraising experience with a track record of closing 5- and 6-figure gifts.
• Experience in leading and mentoring fundraising staff and volunteers.
• Ability to structure complex gifts for sophisticated funders and build foundation partnerships.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute major gift strategies with annual targets of $1.5M–$2M.
• Manage a portfolio of 100–150 major gift prospects with moves management.
• Lead complex solicitations including securities, life insurance, grants, and multi-year gifts.
• Prepare tailored proposals, briefing materials, and gift agreements.
• Coach senior volunteers and provide strategic fundraising guidance.
• Research and cultivate foundation and corporate partnerships for gifts $50,000+.
• Lead donor events and craft cultivation pipelines; collaborate with senior leadership.
• Oversee database management and produce impact reports for major donors.

Skills

Organization & planning

Analytical thinking

Oral & written communication

Public speaking

Donor relations

Strategic thinking

Education

University degree or college diploma in fundraising or related field

Tools

Raiser's Edge NXT

Job description

Position Title: Director, Major Gifts

Location: Toronto - Hybrid 3 days/week in office

Reports to: Chief Development Officer

Salary: $99,000-$110,000/ year

Closing Date: November 20, 2026.

Position Description

Reporting directly to the Chief Development Officer, the Director, Major Gifts, is responsible for leading and executing innovative major-gift fundraising strategies that generate transformational philanthropic support for Stella's Place, thereby advancing its mission and building meaningful, lasting relationships with passionate donors and community champions. This dynamic senior-level role encompasses strategic donor engagement, creative relationship-building, and inspiring team leadership, with a strong emphasis on securing game-changing gifts and partnerships, as well as managing development staff and thriving in a vibrant, fast-paced organizational environment. The successful candidate will cultivate and manage an exciting portfolio of major-gift donors and prospects, including visionary individuals and impactful foundations, who share our commitment to supporting young adults in living their lives as they choose. The ideal candidate is a relationship-building superstar with 5+ years of progressive MG fundraising experience, a proven track record of closing 5 and 6-figure gifts, natural team leadership abilities, a talent for navigating complex environments with diverse stakeholders, experience building strong foundation partnerships, an entrepreneurial approach, skills in uncovering compelling prospect opportunities, and exceptional expertise in donor relations and stewardship that turns supporters into lifelong advocates.

Responsibilities

Major Gift Fundraising and Leadership -- 80%

• Develop and execute major gift strategies across identification, qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship, with annual targets of $1.5M–$2M.
• Manage a portfolio of 100–150 major gift prospects and maintain accurate moves management.
• Lead complex major gift solicitations, including securities, life insurance, grants, multi-year agreements, and transformational gifts.
• Prepare strategic, tailored proposals, presentations, briefing materials, correspondence, and gift agreements.

Volunteer Management And Partnership

• Partner with and coach senior fundraising volunteers, providing orientation, prospect briefings, and strategic guidance on cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship.
• Develop and implement customized donor journeys to support donor management and stewardship strategies and activities

Foundation And Corporate Relations

• Research, qualify and manage relationships with individuals, major foundations and corporate partners for gifts of $50,000+
• Write and prepare major proposals and multi-year partnership agreements
• Meet regularly with foundation program officers, corporate executives, and major individual donors to support the programs and strategic initiatives of Stella's Place

Community Engagement And Strategic Networking

• Actively lead and attend high-level community events and major donor engagement opportunities
• Cultivate impactful event plans and follow-up engagement opportunities
• Research event attendees in advance and develop sophisticated strategies and executions to build cultivation pipelines.
• Brief senior leadership and volunteers with comprehensive briefing notes and follow-up plans
• Collaborate with the Chief Development Officer to create strategy and lead the execution of major gift cultivation and stewardship plans
• Partner with and mentor other fundraising staff to execute comprehensive revenue generation strategies focused on Stella's Place priorities

Planning, Administration and Team Leadership: (20%)

Strategic Planning

• Collaborate with the Chief Development Officer to set annual and long-term major gift revenue plans and goals.
• Stay informed on Stella's Place projects and strategic initiatives to effectively discuss them with donors and prospects

Database Management And Reporting

• Maintain accurate records. Write and submit customized impact reports for major donors

Team Collaboration

• Manage direct report(s) in strategy, goal setting and execution
• Participate actively as a member of an integrated development team; engage positively with other stakeholder groups and cultivate strong professional relationships with members of other departments
• Assist in other duties as assigned in advancing the goals of the development team and Stella's Place

Qualifications/Required Experience

• Minimum of 5 years of progressive experience in fundraising with a demonstrated track record of closing 5 and 6-figure gifts required
• The ability to structure complex financial gifts for sophisticated funders
• Experience in team-building and managing direct-report relationships

Essential Skills

• Excellent organization, planning and time management skills combined with a strong attention to detail
• Superb critical and analytical thinking, decision-making and problem-solving skills with an ability to tell a story through metrics
• Excellent oral and written skills with a demonstrated ability to write effectively and persuasively, and present to diverse groups. Experience with public speaking/presentations is an asset
• Strong computer skills, including experience with Google Docs and online applications
• The ability to conduct high-level discovery calls and sophisticated donor meetings
• Strategic thinker and exceptional listener, genuinely interested in others

Please note that preference will be given to candidates with Education and Certifications:

• A university degree or college diploma in fundraising, or a related field, OR 5+ years' experience in a major gift role
• Gift Planning courses and/or a CFRE designation are an asset

Additional Preferred Qualifications

• Experience developing and implementing major gift and campaign strategies
• Strong understanding of Raiser's Edge NXT or equivalent donor/CRM database;

proficiency with Raiser's Edge is preferred

• Interest in or lived experience in supporting young adults and/or mental health
• Existing experience managing and mentoring development staff

Workplace, Hours & Reporting

Stella's Place is an innovative, award-winning, designed facility located in the vibrant neighborhood of Queen West and Bathurst. This is a full-time, hybrid, senior leadership position working 40 hours per week, Monday to Friday, including 3 in-office days per week. As a key leader of the development team, occasional weekend and evening work will be required in response to events, donor needs, and strategic initiatives.

Salary & Benefits

$99,000-$110,000/ year - commensurate with experience

• Stella's Place offers a competitive annual salary, and professional development, to support your career growth.
• We offer a comprehensive rewards package including medical, dental and vision health benefits, which start immediately.
• Stella's Place offers 3 weeks of vacation and 15 personal days in year one, increasing to 4 weeks of vacation in year two.

Diversity, Equity, And Accommodation

Stella's Place is committed to having a workforce that reflects the diversity of the City of Toronto in general and of our participants in particular. Stella's Place is committed to inclusive, barrier-free hiring practices. Stella's Place commits to supporting persons with disabilities in applying and will provide reasonable and appropriate accommodation at all stages of the hiring process, in accordance with the Ontario Human Rights Code, to ensure the equal and fair assessment of all job applicants. Applicants are asked to make any accommodation requests in advance.