Senior Fundraising Communications Specialist (Job ID: 9427)
Title: Senior Fundraising Communications Specialist [12 month contract]
Status: Full time
Reports to: Vice President, Communications and Donor Engagement
St. Joseph's Health Centre Foundation is a fast-paced, innovative fundraising organization committed to raising funds in support of St. Joseph's Health Centre Toronto.
St. Joe's has provided care for millions of people in Toronto's west end for more than a century. Today, it is one of Canada's busiest community teaching hospitals, looking after a vibrant community of over half a million. Now part of Unity Health Toronto, St. Joe's is uniquely positioned to inspire the best care experiences for all.
The Foundation is seeking a Senior Fundraising Communications Specialist for a one-year contract to join a highly-motivated team of professionals and help accelerate our historic fundraising campaign.
Reporting to the VP, Communications and Donor Engagement, the Senior Fundraising Communications Specialist will be responsible for developing compelling transformational and major gift proposals and translating content about our health centre into high-quality, donor-friendly communications. They will proactively connect with health care staff and clinical leadership to capture content that will inform philanthropy projects. Experience writing donor proposals at the major and transformational gift level is mandatory.
This is an exciting time to join the Foundation. We are at the ground level of our next chapter and each and every team member will contribute to our success in raising funds that will transform our hospital in the years to come.
Position:
Accountabilities
Write, develop and research compelling and persuasive fundraising proposals for individual donors, corporations, and foundations
Research and translate health centre information into engaging materials for donors, and as needed, volunteers; i.e. backgrounders and related one-pages
Strengthen and refine our campaign Case for Support to clearly articulate impact, inspire donor engagement, and align with evolving organizational priorities.
Build strong relationships and proactively secure internal and external meetings with Foundation staff, clinicians, researchers and patients to gather source materials and obtain approvals
Edit, review and amend work in a timely manner in response to feedback from Foundation and Hospital partners
Serve as project manager for each assignment, from initial strategy meeting through to final design and production
Provide support to fellow team members by proofreading and copy-editing materials
As expertise in the role grows, take on additional writing responsibilities as needed, including crafting compelling impact reports that showcase donor contributions and achievements.
Provide training to the broader team and freelancers, providing guidance and feedback to ensure high-quality communication outputs.
Technical Skills & Capabilities
Exceptional writing, copy editing and research skills- with the highest attention to detail - both in narrative style for proposals and reports, as well as other donor communications (e.g. PowerPoint presentations, infographics)
Experience conducting insightful interviews, capable of eliciting both critical information and compelling narratives
Experience understanding and translating medical content for a broad (non-medical) audience
Writing style uses accessible language and is geared to lay audience.
Strong critical thinking and communication skills, both oral and written, and ability to work independently
Extremely well organized in order to manage a multitude of projects under tight deadlines
Qualifications
Post-secondary education in a related field, or comparable work experience.
Five to seven years of experience in a non-profit writing role, preferably in health care, scientific content or journalism preferred
Demonstrated ability to craft clear, persuasive, and well-structured proposals tailored to different donor audiences, with a track record of success at the major ($100k to $1M+) and transformational donor level ($5M+)
Exceptional storytelling and persuasive writing skills, with the ability to craft clear, engaging narratives using accessible language that resonates with a lay audience.Ability to partner with clinicians and staff in a professional manner, and to develop and leverage professional working relationships
Expertise in editing with a sharp eye for clarity, consistency, and donor-centric messaging.
Highly inquisitive and comfortable working with ambiguity to find clarity
Ability to work independently and as part of a team to execute deliverables within stated timelines
Proactive mindset to anticipate project challenges
Proficiency in Microsoft Office and familiarity with CRM and fundraising databases (e.g., Raiser's Edge, Salesforce) is an asset.
Must be available to work occasional evenings and weekends for fundraising and donor events
Please note: The Foundation team works in a hybrid model (3 days/week in-office).
Compensation
Salary range is between $75,000-$85,000, commensurate with experience
Extended health benefits and a pension program
If you feel that you would be a great fit for this position and Foundation, we invite you to apply by 5:00pm (EST) on April 11, 2025 via the Unity Health website: https://unityhealth.to/careers/
Applications will be reviewed on an ongoing basis before the application deadline closes.
We thank all applicants for applying, however, only qualified candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.
Unity Health Toronto is committed to creating an accessible and inclusive organization. We strive to provide a recruitment process that is barrier-free and in compliance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) and the Ontario Human Rights Code. We understand that you may require an accommodation at any stage of the recruitment process. When you are contacted, please inform the Talent Acquisition Specialist and we will work with you to meet your accommodation needs. We want to emphasize that all accommodation requests are handled with the utmost confidentiality, respecting your privacy and dignity.