Development Research Officer, The Walrus

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. 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. Working within our current strategic plan that emphasizes reach, relationship, and revenue, we are building our development team to increase philanthropic revenue to support our core journalism, while strengthening donor and stakeholder relationships.

The Development Research Officer will be responsible for prospect research and related data management for the philanthropy and revenue teams at The Walrus. This role is vital to informing and helping drive fundraising and revenue generation. The individual will work with senior staff and volunteers including the executive director, revenue team directors, and, at times, board and committee members. The Development Research Officer will report to the Development Director.

The core responsibilities of the Development Research Officer will be to identify and qualify prospective philanthropy opportunities through research and data mining, support proposal and grant writing, and take on a central role in fundraising efforts at The Walrus.

 

Prospect research:

• Identify and qualify individual, foundation and corporate philanthropy prospects using publicly available information as well as our research database (iwave), in addition to mining data from internal sources (Salesforce)
• Conduct prospect research and prepare briefs based on event attendance lists for The Walrus Gala, The Walrus Talks and leadership events, and other stewardship/cultivation events
• Produce in-depth, well-written and confidential snapshots, profiles, and briefing documents to inform fundraising activities at the staff and board level

Development and Fundraising (including events):

• Fulfill grant writing and proposal preparation where required
• Support the planning an execution of The Walrus Gala and cultivation events
• Manage relationships with gala sponsors and philanthropy prospects via email and telephone, including sponsorship fulfillment, scheduling of meetings, and servicing sponsors, prospects, and donors
• Create compelling development communications for donors and sponsors

Data management, administration, and other duties:

• Research individuals and leads in our CRM databases (Darwin, Salesforce) using data mining practices
• Manage prospect research, generate prospect pipelines and reports, and assist in recording moves management within Salesforce
• Generate cultivation and solicitation reports in Salesforce to support fundraising activities and outreach
• Help resolve gaps, and ensure overall accuracy of prospect and donor information in Salesforce
• Monitor trends within individual, foundation, and corporate philanthropy

Qualifications and Attributes:

• A university or college degree and/or three years of experience in a comparable role
• Knowledge of and interest in prospect research and related data management best practices
• High comfort level with tech stacks, CRM databases, and communications platforms. Experience with Salesforce will be an asset
• Excellent oral and written communication skills; prior experience writing compelling research briefs and related 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
• A growth mindset and desire to advance Canada’s conversation by supporting philanthropy at The Walrus
• Ability to work both 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 resumé and cover letter with “Development Research Officer” in the subject line to careers@thewalrus.ca by 5 p.m. on Friday, September 30, 2022. A writing assignment will be required, and applicants are welcome to share a portfolio if they have one.

The Walrus supports diversity and inclusion in our work. We value employment equity and strongly encourage applications from Indigenous, Black, and other racialized people; people with disabilities; people of all genders; and LGBTQ2+ people.

If you require any accommodation in the recruitment process, please let us know by email at careers@thewalrus.ca.