About the Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada
Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada (CAFC) is the country’s leading charity dedicated to improving the lives of children and youth involved in the child welfare system. Our vision is a future where the children and youth we serve have the strength and resilience to create a lifetime of their own unstoppable successes. Partnering with 114 child- and youth-serving agencies nationwide, CAFC raises and grants funds to deliver high-impact programs and services, helping vulnerable children and families thrive. In the past year alone, CAFC raised over $18.4 million, providing essential support to more than 16,000 children, youth, and families. With a bold new five-year strategic plan, CAFC is strengthening its culture of philanthropy to drive lasting, transformative change in child welfare systems across Canada.

Building on the momentum of CAFC’s successful $100 million campaign led by an inspired Board and Campaign Cabinet, and about to launch a new 5-year strategic plan for growth and impact, CAFC seeks a dynamic, results-driven leader to shape and elevate its donor engagement, stewardship, and digital fundraising efforts as Director, Donor Relations and Marketing.

To learn more about us, please visit our website.

To better understand our impact, please watch our ‘Investing in the Future, today’ video.

The ideal candidate:
Do you see opportunity in connecting people to purpose through bold storytelling, meaningful engagement, and innovative donor strategies? Are you a strategic and creative leader in donor relations and marketing, excited by the change to use digital innovation to drive meaningful impact? This is your opportunity to make a lasting difference in the lives of children and youth across Canada.

You are a relationship builder with a keen eye for data and a heart for impact, and the ability to lead with both creativity and strategy. You thrive in dynamic, impact-focused environments and are excited to bring bold ideas to life.

Position Summary:
The Director, Donor Relations and Marketing will play a critical role in shaping and elevating CAFC’s donor engagement, stewardship, and digital fundraising efforts. Reporting to the Chief Development Officer, this results-driven leader will guide a high-performing team and foster a collaborative, donor-centered culture that fuels the organization’s mission.

Working closely with the Board, Campaign Cabinet, and Senior Leadership Team, the Director will develop and execute innovative strategies that foster meaningful connections with donors and advance the organization’s ambitious 5-year strategic plan for growth and impact.

Through this work, the Director will drive better outcomes for children and youth in CAFCs four areas of focus: education, employment, mental health, and strong families and lifelong connections.

If you’re ready to lead with purpose and build something meaningful, we’d love to hear from you.

Key Responsibilities:
Donor Relations & Stewardship

• Collaborate with the CDO and senior leadership to advance tailored donor and volunteer engagement and recognition strategies across the giving lifecycle, increasing loyalty and drive lifetime giving value
• Develop and execute meaningful engagement, signature events, and stewardship experiences, that ensure donors across Community and Digital- Corporate-Individual-High Net Worth-Legacy channels feel valued, connected to impact, and inspired to deepen their commitment
• Plan and guide the development of personalized donor acknowledgements, capture insights and measure results and impact using other feedback tools such as donor satisfaction surveys and conversations to strengthen engagement and trust
• Oversee and monitor donor relations policies and CAFC’s stewardship matrix, ensuring alignment with the sector’s best practices and CAFC’s unique value proposition. Measure and evaluate impact and outcomes and share reports with Dev team for analysis and to guide effective decision making.

Marketing

• Produce a high-quality suite of marketing assets to support Community and Digital-Corporate-Individual-High Net Worth-Legacy fundraising programs and develop curated donor impact reports and stewardship materials
• Participate in and contribute to Corporate Communications & Public Affairs working groups and strategies to support Brand awareness and CAFC public profile, and to provide donor and fundraising perspectives and content.
• Develop and execute lead generation strategies & campaigns designed to support donor acquisition across all fundraising channels, and measure results
• Manage the Development Teams quarterly calendar to guide and monitor fundraising, and donor relations activities and deliverables for a yearly cycle.
• Track and Report on donor engagement KPIs across all fundraising channels on quarterly basis and produce an annual outcomes report for Development

Direct Response & New Donor Acquisition

• Oversee the execution of cost-effective direct response campaigns currently led by a strategic DR marketing consultant and implemented by the Direct Response Manager Responsibilities includes budgeting, forecasting and modelling and reporting results to Senior Team
• Collaborate with the CDO, Development Directors and team to strengthen the prospect pipeline attracting new donors across all channels, and motivating prospect conversion and donor upgrades from the entry level direct response program into the direct response program into midlevel and major giving pathways
• Support the Manager, Direct Response in segmentation strategies and tailored donor journeys design to deliver personalized and high-impact engagement
• Champion consistency in donor experience across all digital touchpoints, ensuring seamless and engaging interactions throughout the donor giving journey
• Monitor campaign performance KPIs with the Manager, Direct Response to identify gaps, optimize performance, and meet annual targets

Team Leadership

• Lead, coach and support the Donor Relations and Marketing team including hiring, onboarding, performance management, and resource planning
• Partner with CDO on annual Business and Budget Planning for the Donor Relations and Marketing portfolio
• Contribute to and participate in Corporate Communications & Public Affairs team meetings and working groups as required
• Manage external vendor and agency relationships, including contracts and budgets for marketing, stewardship, and signature events
• Collaborate across departments to streamline processes, improve accountability, and enhance the donor experience

Essential Qualifications and Qualities

• Significant experience, typically 5+ years, in donor relations, fundraising, marketing, and/or a related strategic role
• Relevant post-secondary education, or an equivalent combination of education and experience
• Expertise building and executing robust stewardship activities and engagement initiatives, including events, across all donors’ segments, particularly at the major gift level
• Knowledge and/or experience in digital marketing, lead generation, donor engagement including channels such as social media, email, SEO/SEM, and influencer marketing
• Exposure to, or familiarity with Engaging Networks platform
• Ability to leverage data insights to drive donor engagement, inform strategy, and optimize campaigns
• Experience with budgeting, performance measurement, KPI’s across marketing and/or fundraising portfolios
• Proven communicator with the ability to build strong and meaningful relations with donors and volunteers based on trust, engagement, and transparency.
• Strategic thinker with a creative approach and ability to solve challenges, set priorities, and deliver high impact initiatives
• Adaptable and solutions-oriented, comfortable navigating change and managing multiple priorities in a dynamic, mission-driven environment
• Committed to upholding CAFC’s VOICE values: Vital Learning & Innovation, Open Communication, Inclusion & Diversity, Care & Compassion, and Empowering Accountability.
• Comfortable working with fundraising platforms (e.g. Raisers Edge) and MS Office 365

Assets (Nonessential):

• Lived experience with child welfare system
• Certified Fund-Raising Executive (CFRE) designation
• Experience in the non-profit, charitable, philanthropic sector
• Background in child welfare, social services, or working with Indigenous-led or Black-led organizations
• Bilingualism in French and English

CAFC as an Employer
Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada (CAFC) acknowledge that the Foundation’s main office is in Toronto, which is the traditional territory of many nations including the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishinaabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat peoples and is now home to many diverse First Nations, Inuit and Métis. The area now known as Toronto is covered by Treaty 13. Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada is committed to supporting meaningful reconciliation between Indigenous peoples and others in these lands and across Canada.

CAFC provides equal employment opportunities to employees regardless of their gender, race, religion, age, disability, sexual orientation or marital status. We welcome and strongly encourage applications from equity seeking groups, including members of communities that are overrepresented in the child welfare system. We offer a family-friendly environment that allows for flexible work arrangements in order to support staff diversity and ensure a healthy work-life balance.

The Foundation is committed to the principles of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA). As such, we strive to make our recruitment process as accessible as possible and provide accommodation as required for applicants with disabilities. If you require any accommodations at any stage of the recruitment process, please contact careers@cafdn.org

WHY WORK WITH US

At CAFC, we prioritize your well-being and professional fulfillment by offering:

• A 35-hour workweek to support work-life balance
• A hybrid model, with a mixed blend of remote work and 2-3 days in office
• The opportunity to make a meaningful impact on child welfare
• A generous compensation package, including: 4 weeks’ vacation package, plus 3 float days, participation in the OMERS Defined Pension Plan with contributions matched 100% by the employer, a comprehensive benefits (including medical, dental, life and disability) package, Employee Assistance Program and a competitive salary.
• A welcoming, supportive, and collaborative work culture that embraces CAFC’s VOICE values.

Our VOICE Values:

• Vital Learning & Innovation
• Open Communication
• Inclusion & Diversity
• Care & Compassion
• Empowering Accountability

HOW TO APPLY

To apply, please submit your current resume and a covering letter in one single document, detailing how your qualifications align with this opportunity and CAFC’s mission to careers@cafdn.org and include Director, Donor Relations and Marketing-AFP in the subject line of your email by Friday, May 9, 2025. Applications will be reviewed as they are submitted. You are encouraged to apply early as we are motivated to fill this role as soon as possible.

We thank all candidates for their interest in the work of Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada. Only candidates selected for an interview will be contacted due to high applicant volumes. No telephone inquiries please.

WHAT TO EXPECT IN OUR INTERVIEW PROCESS
We value transparency and want to ensure you feel prepared and supported throughout our hiring process. Here is what you can expect:

Initial conversation: A 30-minute virtual conversation with one of our team members to discuss your interest in the role and CAFC and how you can make an impact.

First interview: A 1-hour meeting (in-person or virtual) with the Hiring Manager and relevant team members. We will discuss your skills and how they align with the team’s needs. We will also answer any questions you have about the role, our culture, and the impact we strive to make.

Second interview: A 1-hour in-person meeting with the Hiring Manager and different team members, depending on the role, it can be our CEO! This stage might include presenting a short pre-assigned case study or discussion of role-specific scenarios and completing a brief behavioural assessment.

We look forward to getting to know you and sharing what makes CAFC such a special place to work.