Director of philanthropy

About the role

Location : Anywhere in Canada, remote (with an option to work from an office in Victoria, Vancouver, Edmonton or Toronto)

Hours : 37.5 hours per week (Flexible, open to a shorter week with pro-rated salary)

Starting salary :$123,600-$133,900 FTE

Type : Full-time, permanent

Start date: Negotiable, ideally January 2027

Application deadline: 11:59 p.m. PT, Friday, October 2, 2026

Over the past eight years, The Narwhal has pioneered non-profit journalism in Canada, growing our revenue ten-fold, building a thriving membership program of 7,500 recurring donors and earning the support of more than a dozen philanthropic foundations. Now with an annual budget of more than $4 million, we are hiring our first Director of Philanthropy, who will help to build the relationships needed to sustain and grow our independent journalism.

Working closely with The Narwhal’s co-founder and executive director, the Director of Philanthropy will lead The Narwhal’s revenue strategy and fundraising operations with a focus on growing foundation giving and major gifts. (The Narwhal’s audience department is primarily responsible for its thriving membership program.)

The Director of Philanthropy will oversee development strategy and execution, including institutional philanthropy, major gifts, donor communications, events strategy, grants management and revenue forecasting. Prior journalism experience is not required — we are excited to hear from candidates in adjacent fields with applicable strategic and fundraising experience with a passion for independent media.

Responsibilities

Strategic Planning and Leadership

Work collaboratively with the Executive Director, Director of Operations and Finance and Director of Audience, to develop an annual fund development plan and calendar to coordinate all fundraising activities to maximize results

Partner with the Executive Director and leadership team to create and implement new initiatives to achieve the organization’s impact goals and attract financial support

Lead cross-departmental collaboration to align organizational priorities and fundraising opportunities

Track and analyze fundraising metrics to test and learn, implementing lessons

Manage, mentor and support the Development Coordinator, setting clear priorities and supporting their professional growth

Ensure fundraising practices uphold The Narwhal’s values, donor privacy and editorial independence

Revenue Strategy

Evaluate The Narwhal’s current fundraising capabilities, identify strengths and gaps and build a map of future revenue potential

Working with the Director of Operations and Finance, develop fundraising revenue forecasts and budgets, monitor performance and provide regular reporting to the Executive Director and leadership team

Develop a diversified fundraising portfolio that is resilient, recession- and loss-resistant and sustainable, spanning legacy gifts, donor-advised funds, foundation giving and major gifts

Foundation grants

Build and maintain relationships with a wide range of foundations, aligning funding priorities with The Narwhal’s goals

Establish and develop relationships with new foundations to grow the organization’s grant revenue

Lead all stages of grant development and management, from prospect research and project scoping to grant writing, budgeting and reporting

Develop and maintain an institutional giving pipeline and calendar, with rigorous follow-up and stewardship

Establish internal grant-writing processes, templates and workflows to strengthen efficiency and consistency

Major Donor Cultivation

Develop goals and strategies for cultivation, solicitation and stewardship for major donors, with a goal to increase revenue

Oversee prospect research and identify opportunities to bring new supporters into the organization and increase giving from existing donors

Support the Executive Director’s donor engagement and carry out direct engagement with donors and prospects as necessary

Oversee the planning and management of strategic cultivation and stewardship events

Required skills & experience

You have a minimum of 10 years’ senior-level experience working directly for a foundation or successfully fundraising from foundations and major donors for an organization with annual revenue of at least $3 million

You’ve raised money from both individuals and foundations and you can point to donor and funder relationships you built rather than inherited

You have a track record of personally cultivating, soliciting and closing major gifts and multi-year foundation commitments, with a portfolio in the range of $2 million+/year

You write well, whether it’s a proposal, email or a briefing note for tomorrow’s meeting

You have experience managing, mentoring and supporting fundraising staff and/or cross-functional teams

You have built and led effective teams during periods of organizational growth and evolution

You are comfortable representing an organization in high-level external settings and capable of building trust with a broad array of stakeholders

You can see the long-term strategic picture while also building the systems required to deliver results

You have a proven track record in writing successful grant proposals and grant reporting

You are experienced with fundraising databases and project management tools. (Bonus points for Salesforce and Airtable experience!)

You’ll stand out if

You can explain why journalism matters to someone who’s never thought about it, even if you’ve never worked in journalism

You are well-connected to foundations and donors who care about the environment

You have your CFRE certification

Working Conditions

Regular computer-based work, including donor and prospect research, reporting and written correspondence

Regular communication with donors, foundations, staff and other external partners by email, phone video conference and in-person meetings

Occasional evening or weekend work may be required for fundraising, donor stewardship and events

Regular travel within Canada is required for donor and foundation meetings, organizational meetings and special events

We offer the following benefits

Group health, vision and dental benefits and a health spending account

A flexible workplace with a vibrant, collaborative culture

Work-from-home stipend or work from a shared office in Victoria, Vancouver, Edmonton or Toronto

GRSP base contributions after three months

Four weeks of vacation per year, plus your birthday off

10 personal days per year

Organization-wide holiday shutdown

Professional development opportunities and fund

Two-month top-up program for EI-protected leaves

When it comes to compensation, research shows wide disparities in how candidates negotiate, which is partially responsible for wage gaps between groups of people. At The Narwhal we have a transparent and competitive salary grid for our entire team. We developed this approach because we wanted to remove the guesswork around compensation and put everyone on an equal footing. The posted salary range is in line with our grid and is not negotiable.

How to apply

To apply, please submit a cover letter and résumé by 11:59 p.m. Friday, October 2, 2026, at the latest . Please include your full name in the file name of any attachments you submit. In your cover letter please tell us why specifically you want to work at The Narwhal and what from your previous experience makes you a good fit for this role.

Applicants must be eligible to work in Canada. We thank all applicants for their interest; however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted.

The Narwhal is working to build an inclusive and equitable team that reflects the communities we serve. People who identify as being from marginalized communities, including Indigenous Peoples, racialized people, people with disabilities, people identifying as 2SLGBTQ+, and p