Director, Philanthropy

Program: Foundation

Status: Full Time, Management

Hours: 36.25 hours/ week

Salary: $143,300 To $162,300 (CAD) Annually. Starting salary is determined through qualifications, experience, and internal equity considerations.

Date Posted: November 4, 2026

Posting Close: November 18, 2026

About Surrey Place

Surrey Place is a not-for-profit organization that helps people of all ages with autism, development, and sensory-related concerns push the boundaries of what’s possible to achieve new victories. With a holistic circle of care approach, Surrey Place brings together caring clinicians, staff, valued partners and other experts to collaborate for the client’s best interests. The organization works with clients throughout their lives, creating inventive and innovative programs so they can keep building their skills, grow their self-confidence and set their sights even higher. Since 1962, Surrey Place has supported people with varying and complex needs in the Toronto region and more recently, Northwestern Ontario. Surrey Place is accredited with Exemplary Standing by Accreditation Canada through the healthcare program.

Position Description

Reporting to the Vice President, Business Development and Partnerships, the Director, Philanthropy will own and execute the mandate and mission of the Surrey Place Foundation. This position is responsible for building and stewarding strong donor relationships, growing unrestricted and major gift revenue, positioning Surrey Place as a charity of choice, and securing philanthropic resources required to create meaningful impact across the communities we serve.

The Director, Philanthropy will also be responsible for leading the full lifecycle of major and planned gifts and will lead the development and execution of the annual giving strategy to grow donor participation and overall revenue. This position will play a pivotal role in shaping the strategic direction and future growth of our Foundation.

Main Responsibilities

Core Leadership Deliverables:

• Supports the Vision, Mission and Values of the organization through actions and decision making.
• Adheres to Surrey Place policies and procedures, regulatory acts, and ministry processes.
• Contributes to the establishment of Foundation goals and direction, developing and implementing policies, meeting service demands.
• Contributes to the ongoing development of Surrey Place’s Foundation by:
  • Building and managing a portfolio of major gift donors and prospects.
  • Growing unrestricted and major gift revenue with a focus on retention and long-term value.
  • Leading donor discovery meetings and developing tailored cultivation and solicitation plans.
  • Ensuring meaningful stewardship and recognition aligned with donor intent and the Foundation’s priorities.
• Build a culture of philanthropy across the organization.
• Report to the Executive Team and the Board on donor trends, pipeline development, and growth opportunities.
• Develops and oversees the Foundation budget to ensure adequate resources are available to meet staffing, health and safety and environmental needs.
• Identifies financial risks, solutions and savings to inform Surrey Place leadership.

Relationship & Communication:

• Provides input to Surrey Place executives on policy, directions and service delivery issues.
• Establishes and manages relationships with all relevant internal and external stakeholders including managers and senior leadership in Surrey Place.
• Ensures regular communication to Foundation staff and identify methods to solicit, obtain staff input into service development or evaluation.
• Oversees Annual Giving and Donor Engagement by:
  • Leading annual giving, major and planned giving, and stewardship programs.
  • Managing and growing a portfolio of donors and prospective donors.
  • Leading the development and execution of the annual giving strategy.
  • Collaborating with internal teams to deliver integrated, mission-focused fundraising campaigns.
• Acknowledges that current donors are the organization’s top prospects and lead accordingly to recognize them for their investments with professional stewardship activities, communications, and impact reporting.
• Serves as an ambassador for the Foundation, strengthening relationships with donors, volunteers, and community partners.
• Represents the Foundation at community events and networking opportunities.
• Leads and collaborates in the development and publication of all necessary materials, philanthropic proposals, cases for support, letters, reports, and acknowledgements for cultivation and stewardship of partners.

Evaluation & Improvement:

• Sets KPIs and is accountable for donor acquisition, retention and upgrading results.
• Monitors fundraising performance and adjusts strategies to achieve revenue targets.
• Manages the Foundation’s annual budget in partnership with the Finance Department, including tax receipts, earnings tracking and reporting, and revenue forecasting.
• Oversees fundraising planning, goal setting, and performance reporting.
• Maintains accurate and timely records of donor interactions.

Human Resource Management:

• Create a culture of accountability by collecting and creating mechanisms to review performance data.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in Fundraising, Non-Profit Management, Communications, Business Administration, or related field.
• CFRE certification or working towards CFRE designation is considered an asset.
• A satisfactory Police Records Check (Vulnerable Sector Screening).
• Eight years or more of progressive fundraising experience with success in major gift development and a track record in securing individual gifts at meaningful levels and of closing six-figure or larger gifts.
• Experience building or relaunching a fundraising program.
• Experience working with Boards.
• Experience working in Donor Management software.
• Experience working collaboratively with multiple stakeholders to support diverse projects and proposals.
• Advanced level experience with MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook).
• Advanced level knowledge and experience managing and overseeing clear work plans, metrics, research, and donor models.
• Ability to build, cultivate, and steward donor relationships.
• Executive presence, influencing at the senior and Board level.
• Ability to manage multiple initiatives and thrive in an evolving work environment.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including proposal writing and presentation skills.
• Effective and well-developed interprofessional leadership skills.
• Strategic thinker and results-oriented, with strong interpersonal, organizational, collaboration, negotiation, influencing, and decision-making skills.

Surrey Place values the diverse and intersectional identities of its staff, clients and families and regards equity and neurodiversity as fundamental at all levels of our organization. We are seeking applicants who embrace our values of equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility (EDIA). We encourage candidates from Indigenous and equity seeking groups such as those from Black and racialized communities, people with disabilities, women and 2SLGBTQ+.