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 people from low-income backgrounds are especially encouraged to apply. Disability-related accommodations are available for candidates taking part in our hiring process. We will ask candidates selected for an interview about any accessibility needs ahead of the scheduled interview.

What to expect

We want candidates to have a clear sense of what’s ahead and when they can expect to hear from us. Here’s our anticipated hiring timeline: 

• Week of October 4: Candidates will be invited to an initial video meeting with our People operations specialist to learn a little more about each other and the role
• Week of October 18: First-round interviews will take place
• Week of November 1: Selected candidates will move forward to second-round interviews
• Following the second round: We may invite finalists to an additional conversation before making our decision — if a third interview is needed, we’ll let candidates know as early as possible

All interviews will take place virtually. We’ll keep candidates updated throughout the process so you know where things stand and what to expect.