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