Development Officer, Annual Giving
The Walrus provokes new thinking and sparks conversation on matters vital to Canadians. As a registered charity, we publish independent, fact-based journalism and produce national, ideas-focused events; and train emerging professionals in publishing and nonprofit management. The Walrus and its strong community of supporters are invested in the idea that a healthy society relies on informed citizens.
The Walrus values collaboration, trust, and excellence and is committed to the personal and professional development of its staff. Building on its current strategic plan that emphasizes reach, relationship, and revenue, our philanthropy team is leading the charge to increase philanthropic revenue to support our core journalism while strengthening donor and stakeholder relationships.
The Walrus is seeking a full-time Development Officer, Annual Giving, to lead the growth and retention of our annual giving base. The individual will assume the operational responsibility for a range of fundraising campaigns, including direct mail, direct marketing and renewal, and monthly giving. They will work closely with colleagues in the finance, audience engagement, and digital teams to strategize, track and report on annual campaigns, maximize acquisition, and maintain annual giving and monthly giving/membership best practices. They will also play a key role in planning and organizing fundraising activities and events such as our annual fundraising gala.
The Development Officer, Annual Giving, will have a natural curiosity in and high comfort level with data management and analysis, ideally with prior experience using Salesforce. They will have a commitment to excellence in managing relationships with our annual donor base. Reporting to the Development Director, the successful candidate will understand and support the unique role of The Walrus as one of Canada’s few independent, nonprofit media organizations with an educational mandate, and have a desire to work at a national organization that plays a key role in Canada’s arts and culture sector. Ideally, they will demonstrate experience in project management and will bring marketing knowledge as well as a familiarity with email marketing platforms. The candidate will be comfortable in a fast-paced, multidisciplinary environment, and they will be and a strong communicator.
Responsibilities:
- Project manage multichannel annual giving campaigns with the goal of acquiring, renewing, retaining, and elevating donors in the $1–$4,999 range
- Plan and implement the overall engagement cycle for annual-level donors; analyze and prepare data for mass solicitation by mail and email
- Develop and implement strategies for the retention and acquisition of annual and monthly donors
- Analyze and report on campaign data and ensure the consistency of messaging across fundraising platforms and social media
- In collaboration with staff and consultants, play a central role in the development of compelling written copy and design, key messaging, and creative assets for annual giving campaigns
- Lead the strategy and implementation of stewardship initiatives for annual donors
- Work closely with the Donor Relations Officer and Development Research Officer to ensure seamless relationship management across portfolios
- Manage annual giving data with meticulous attention given to the integrity of data entry and reporting processes for the annual giving portfolio
- Serve as the donor relations liaison for donor inquiries and requests via donation platforms (Canada Helps and Darwin)
- Work closely with the finance and administration team and external vendors to ensure the timeliness of annual donor acknowledgments and track tax receipts as required
- Play a central role in the planning and execution of fundraising and stewardship events, including the annual fundraising gala, with a focus on managing the budget, invite list, vendors, and fundraising auction
- Contribute to other donor engagement initiatives as required
Qualifications and Attributes:
- A university or college degree or equivalent work experience
- Experience in fundraising via direct mail and/or direct marketing; a strong interest in the power and potential of fundraising from a sizeable, national audience base
- Experience with digital, email, and social media marketing
- Three years or more experience in a comparable role; knowledge of and interest in marketing and annual giving best practices
- Data-driven mindset; high comfort level with tech stacks and CRM databases (experience with Salesforce preferred)
- Excellent oral and written communication skills; prior experience writing compelling fundraising copy
- Excellent organizational, project-management, and customer-service skills; strong attention to detail
- Strong interest in arts and culture and/or journalism and the Canadian media landscape; awareness of the role of The Walrus in the nonprofit sector
- A “can do” mindset; desire to advance Canada’s conversation by supporting philanthropy at The Walrus
- Ability to both work independently and participate collaboratively in a small, lean team environment.
Compensation:
The compensation package includes a competitive base salary ($55,000 – $60,000) and a full benefits package consisting of medical, dental, vision, prescription, and paid vacation, as well as flexible, hybrid work, including a collaborative office environment in downtown east Toronto. We also have half-day summer Fridays, and a week off over the winter holiday break.
Please consider joining our team if you have a commitment to a career in fundraising and are interested in elevating our work to produce exceptional journalism. To apply, please send your résumé and cover letter, with “Annual Giving Officer” in the subject line, to careers@thewalrus.ca by 5 p.m. ET on Friday, February 10, 2023. A writing assignment will be required, and applicants are welcome to share their portfolio.
The Walrus supports diversity and inclusion in our work. We value employment equity and strongly encourage applications from Indigenous, Black, and racialized people; people with disabilities; people of all genders; and the LGBTQ2+ community. If you require any accommodation in the recruitment process, please let us know by email at careers@thewalrus.ca.
The Walrus office is located in downtown Toronto, but our staff are based across Canada. Though this position will be remote or hybrid for the foreseeable future, applicants must be eligible to work in Canada to qualify. Only candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.