Fund Development & Donor Relations Manager

Job Title: Fund Development & Donor Relations Manager

Job Type: Permanent, full-time
Reports to: Senior Director, Transition
Hours: 40 hours per week; occasional evening and weekend work may be required
Salary: $72,000–$82,000 annually, commensurate with experience
Benefits: Health & dental benefits, defined contribution pension plan, paid lunch
Start Date: December 2026 or January 2027, as mutually agreed
Deadline: ASAP

Submit resume and cover letter to [email protected]

About Ignatius Jesuit Centre

Ignatius Jesuit Centre (IJC) is a spiritual, ecological and community hub located on a 600-acre working farm and conservation property just north of Guelph. Rooted in the Ignatian tradition, IJC brings together agriculture, ecological stewardship, spirituality and community engagement.

IJC is entering a new period of growth and renewal. Our work includes the Centre for Integral Ecology, Ignatius Farm and farmer training, ecological conservation and restoration, community gardens, land-based programs, spiritual programming, volunteer engagement, partnerships and community events.

Position Overview

IJC is seeking an experienced fundraiser, strong writer and thoughtful relationship-builder to serve as our Fund Development & Donor Relations Manager.

The Manager is responsible for helping IJC build a stronger and more sustainable base of philanthropic support. The role combines grant development, individual donor cultivation and stewardship, major-gift development, fundraising communications, business and community relationships, and the systems and planning required to support effective fundraising.

IJC is strengthening and expanding its fundraising capacity. We are looking for someone who can take professional ownership of existing fundraising activities while helping develop new approaches and opportunities. Strong writing and analytical skills, fundraising expertise, initiative, relationship-building ability, sound judgement and the capacity to understand IJC’s work well enough to make a compelling case for support are central to the role.

The Manager will work closely with subject-matter experts across IJC to identify fundable opportunities and translate their knowledge into persuasive proposals and donor communications. The role provides functional leadership for fund development and donor relations but does not currently include direct staff supervision.

Responsibilities

Grants and Institutional Funding

• Research and identify government, foundation, corporate and other grant opportunities aligned with IJC’s priorities.
• Maintain and actively manage IJC’s grant pipeline, including prospective opportunities, deadlines, application status, reporting requirements and future opportunities.
• Lead the writing and coordination of grant applications.
• Work with subject-matter experts across IJC to understand program needs, objectives, outcomes, budgets and supporting evidence.
• Translate technical, program and organizational information into clear and persuasive funding proposals.
• Coordinate application materials and ensure complete and timely submissions.
• Develop and maintain appropriate relationships with grantors and prospective funders.
• Coordinate grant reporting and help ensure that funding commitments and reporting obligations are understood and tracked.

Individual Giving and Donor Relations

• Develop and maintain relationships with existing and prospective individual donors.
• Help IJC better understand its existing donor community, including giving histories, interests and opportunities for deeper engagement.
• Develop thoughtful and consistent approaches to donor cultivation and stewardship.
• Identify, qualify, cultivate, solicit and steward existing and prospective donors with the interest and capacity to make significant gifts, and help build and manage a pipeline of major-gift prospects.
• Work with senior leadership and other appropriate staff to plan donor cultivation, meetings and asks.
• Coordinate donor appeals and other individual-giving initiatives.
• Prepare donor correspondence, cases for support, proposals, briefing materials and other fundraising communications.
• Ensure timely and appropriate acknowledgement and stewardship of gifts.
• Identify opportunities for legacy and planned giving and work with leadership and appropriate professional advisors to support donors interested in making a future gift to IJC.
• Help strengthen IJC’s capacity for individual and major giving over time.

Business, Community and Faith-Based Relationships

• Develop relationships with local businesses and identify appropriate opportunities for corporate giving, sponsorship, partnerships and other forms of support.
• Build relationships with organizations and networks that may connect IJC with prospective supporters.
• Work with IJC leadership to strengthen relationships with Catholic parishes, institutions, religious communities and networks across the region where these relationships support IJC’s mission and fundraising objectives.
• Represent IJC at selected community, philanthropic, parish and relationship-building events.

Fundraising Systems and Administration

• Maintain accurate donor and prospect information in Neon CRM.
• Coordinate donation processing, logging, receipting and donor acknowledgement.
• Develop a strong working knowledge of IJC’s donor base through direct involvement with its fundraising records and systems.
• Establish and maintain consistent fundraising processes, documentation and practices.
• Support fundraising reporting and analysis in collaboration with senior leadership.

Fund Development Planning

• Work with the Senior Director, Transition and other senior staff to develop annual fundraising priorities and plans.
• Working with senior leadership, establish and track annual fundraising goals and key performance indicators, including revenue, donor acquisition and retention, growth in donor support, pipeline development and grant success.
• Help identify the strongest philanthropic opportunities within IJC’s work in integral ecology, farming, conservation, community, spirituality and related areas.
• Contribute to organizational and strategic planning where fundraising, partnerships and external relationships are relevant.
• Develop and refine IJC’s approach to donor segmentation, cultivation, stewardship and prospective major giving.
• Review fundraising results and use them to help refine IJC’s approach over time.
• Contribute to the development of a fundraising culture in which staff across IJC understand their role in identifying opportunities, building relationships and communicating impact.

Qualifications

We are looking for a fundraising professional who combines persuasive writing, analytical thinking, sound judgement, organization and a genuine interest in people.

The successful candidate will be able to demonstrate:

• Excellent writing, editing and analytical skills.
• The ability to understand complex programs and develop clear and persuasive cases for financial support.
• Demonstrated experience researching, developing and writing grant applications or comparable funding proposals.
• Professional experience in fundraising, fund development, donor relations or a closely related field.
• Strong interpersonal and relationship-building skills.
• Experience initiating and developing relationships with donors, funders, businesses, community partners or other external stakeholders.
• Strong organizational skills and the ability to manage multiple deadlines, applications, relationships and follow-up commitments.
• Curiosity and the ability to learn unfamiliar subject matter by working closely with subject-matter experts.
• Good judgement and discretion in handling donor relationships and confidential information.
• The ability to work collaboratively while also taking ownership of projects and following them through to completion.
• Comfort working with databases, CRM systems and other digital tools, or the demonstrated ability to learn them.
• Initiative and an interest in building systems and relationships rather than simply maintaining existing processes.

Relevant experience might come from fundraising, grant writing, nonprofit development, philanthropy, business development, relationship management or another field that has developed directly transferable skills for this role.

Experience with major gifts, donor stewardship, planned giving, Neon CRM or another fundraising CRM, and experience in a charitable or nonprofit organization would be considered assets.

Familiarity with Catholic institutions, parishes, religious communities, Catholic social teaching, or fundraising within Christian or other faith-based nonprofit environments would also be a significant asset.

The successful candidate does not need to be Catholic, but must be able to understand and communicate authentically about Ignatius Jesuit Centre’s Jesuit and Catholic identity and the relationship between that identity and IJC’s wider public mission.

We Welcome Different Paths to This Role

We recognize that strong candidates may bring different combinations of experience, education and skills. If this role interests you and you believe you have the core abilities to succeed in it, we encourage you to apply even if you do not meet every qualification listed above.

Please be candid about the areas where you would need to learn or grow. We are open to candidates who can demonstrate strong transferable skills, sound judgement, curiosity and the capacity to develop some aspects of the role after joining IJC.

We also welcome applicants whose careers have not followed a conventional or uninterrupted path. Time away from paid employment, caregiving responsibilities, career changes, part-time work, volunteer experience or other non-linear career paths will not be viewed negatively. We are interested in what you can bring to the role now, including skills and experience developed outside traditional employment.

Working Conditions

This is primarily an on-site position at Ignatius Jesuit Centre. Some work will also take place off-site for meetings with donors, funders, businesses, parishes, community organizations and other prospective partners.

The role combines substantial writing, research and administrative work with meetings and relationship-building. Some evening or weekend work may occasionally be required for donor, community or organizational activities, with scheduling flexibility provided as appropriate.

Why Join IJC?

This is an opportunity to help shape and strengthen a fundraising program at an important moment in IJC’s development.

IJC has a longstanding community of donors and supporters, alongside significant opportunities to renew, strengthen and broaden that base. As part of IJC’s wider organizational transition, the successful candidate will help deepen relationships with existing supporters, reconnect where relationships have weakened over time, and develop new relationships with individuals, funders, businesses and other prospective partners.

IJC is a place where land, community and spiritual life come together. Our work spans ecological stewardship, regenerative agriculture, spiritual and educational programming, and community engagement. The breadth of this work creates unusual opportunities for grants, philanthropy and partnerships — and requires a fundraiser who is genuinely curious about what colleagues across IJC do.

We are looking for someone who brings the right combination of fundraising expertise, curiosity, initiative and relationship-building ability to help IJC strengthen and expand its donations and granting program. The successful candidate will have an opportunity to shape how this work develops as IJC builds a more intentional, professional and sustainable approach to philanthropy.

Ignatius Jesuit Centre aspires to be an equitable and inclusive place where a diversity of life experiences, identities and perspectives work together. IJC encourages applicants from all walks of life. We apply an anti-oppression framework to our work and have a zero-tolerance policy for discrimination and harassment. Accommodation is available throughout the recruitment process upon request.

This posting is for a position that is currently open. AI may be used at key points in IJC’s screening process. We thank all applicants in advance; only those selected for interviews will be contacted.