Women’s Health Collective Canada (WHCC) is an alliance of three leading Canadian women’s hospital foundations formed to develop and solicit funds at a national level.

The WHCC recognizes that women’s health has continuously been underfunded, underserved, not researched, misdiagnosed, and misunderstood, and WHCC is here to change the status quo.

WHCC seeks to break the barriers holding us back from providing women with the knowledge and care they deserve as well as gain national attention for the health of women in Canada. By coming together, members are able to have exponentially greater impact than working alone.

The inaugural Executive Director (ED) role is a unique opportunity to build on the successes of the WHCC’s growing brand – and its exceptional members – and to expand WHCC in making a significant impact on the health of women, social justice, and equity.

Working closely with, and reporting directly to, the WHCC Board of Directors, the ED will be the primary fundraiser and spokesperson for the WHCC and continue to strengthen the WHCC business and operational capabilities. Working with member hospitals and programs across the country, the successful candidate will engage persuasively and confidently in the mandate of the WHCC to ensure the critical linkage between the WHCC and its member institutions is maintained.

This is an exciting opportunity for a fundraiser with a passion for women’s health and – ideally – a background in corporate giving to:

• Be the first employee of an essential new contributor to advancing and supporting women’s health;
• Leverage the strength, reputation, and connections of the three current and future member organizations to build WHCC’s capacity;
• Work independently and entrepreneurially to help shape WHCC’s great future;
• Engage with leading corporations across Canada – and their leaders – in an exciting and important health movement.

To view the full Candidate Brief, see attached or go to https://thediscoverygroup.ca/portfolio/womens-health-collective-canada/

Information for Candidates

This search is being led by WHCC’s search partner, Christoph Clodius at The Discovery Group.

If you or someone you know is interested or curious, please be in touch at christoph@thediscoverygroup.ca.

Early applications and enquiries are strongly encouraged and will be reviewed on an immediate and ongoing basis. 

Home office & Workplace Location

The CDO will have the opportunity to be home-office and thrive in a virtual environment, since WHCC currently has no dedicated office space.

Additionally, given the location of WHCC’s core donors and constituents, we have a strong preference for a Toronto/GTA candidate; however consideration will be given to strong candidates in other major Canadian cities.

About WHCC:

Founded in 2019 as a national not-for-profit organization by Canada’s leading women’s health and hospital foundations, WHCC partners with value-aligned companies to effect meaningful change.

WHCC seeks to shift the conversation to encourage women to prioritize their health and care needs before others. The alliance recognizes that while raising money from national donors is important, it wants the opportunity to leverage national partnerships to aid in educating Canadians that women have different unique health needs and are, in fact, not small men.

The three partner members all work in support of hospitals and research institutions and are thus similarly structured and able to accommodate the work of WHCC.  Member organizations have funded the Collective’s work to date, including the work to establish a brand, a marketing agency of record to develop collateral materials, and is further prepared to invest in admin support for the ED.

Additional member organizations are being recruited and will be added in the next year to expand the WHCC’s geographic scope and impact.  Additionally, WHCC has recently applied for, and successfully received, charitable status.

Together with Member institutions from across Canada we:

• Fund medical research that addresses the needs of women
• Raise awareness on the gender health gap
• Dispel misconceptions about women’s health
• Broaden the scope and reach of world class women’s health programs
• Create higher standards of care for all women

WHCC funding priorities are grouped under five pillars of impact:

1. Mental Health
2. Gynecological Health
3. Aging Health
4. BIWOC Equity & Access
5. Personal Health Advocacy & Empowerment

Funding Successes and Plans

Funding requests are largely unrestricted, and restricted gifts can be accommodated by our member organizations.  Funding partners contribute either through outright direct gifts, or through cause marketing (such as retail or point-of-sale support).

In recent years we have averaged about $1 million in external funding, and this year we are budgeting for about a $1 million in revenue from our funders, with operational costs being offset by members.

Our current major partners include Shoppers Foundation for Women’s Health, Denny’s Canada, GNC, and many others.  Additionally, we have identified and socialized the Collective’s work with many prospective partners and identified at least 30 qualified leads who would be proud to be a national partner of Women’s Health Collective Canada.