Development Officer

Waterloo, Ontario, Canada (serving Waterloo Region & Guelph/Wellington)

About Us

KidsAbility Foundation inspires generosity to ensure children and youth with special needs and their families have access to exceptional care and support. Through philanthropy, we help create opportunities for life-changing impact across our communities.

What We Offer

• Hybrid work model based in Waterloo with regular local travel for donor meetings and flexibility to attend occasional evening and weekend events
• Competitive benefits including an optional matching RRSP program, generous vacation package and paid personal leave days
• Collaborative, supportive, and mission-focused workplace

The Opportunity

We are seeking a Development Officer to join our fundraising team and help grow meaningful, long-term relationships with donors who believe in our mission. This is a frontline fundraising role focused on annual giving and Leadership Gifts ($5,000+), with opportunities to deepen donor engagement and expand community support.

To succeed in the role of Development Officer, we would look to the incumbent to consistently achieve meeting the assigned fundraising goals, maintain active, well-managed donor relationships, strong donor engagement, retention and growth, along with thoughtful, donor-centred communication and stewardship.

If you are a relationship-builder who enjoys connecting purpose with philanthropy, this role offers the chance to make a tangible difference while working collaboratively within a mission-driven organization.

What You’ll Do

• Build, manage, and grow relationships with individual donors, corporations, service clubs, and foundations
• Manage an assigned portfolio of donors and prospects and guide them through the donor journey
• Cultivate, solicit, and steward gifts with a focus on annual and Leadership-level giving
• Meet with donors and prospects in the community (in-person and virtually)
• Research and prepare funding proposals, donor communications, and stewardship reports
• Support donor recognition and meaningful stewardship activities
• Identify new donor prospects and help build a strong and sustainable fundraising pipeline
• Share general planned giving information with interested donors and refer opportunities to senior staff
• Support fundraising events, including sponsorship engagement and donor participation
• Represent the Foundation positively at community and Foundation events
• Maintain accurate donor records and activity tracking in the database

What You Bring

• Minimum 3 years of experience in relationship-based fundraising, donor engagement, or relevant sales experience
• Exceptional interpersonal and written communication skills
• Strong organizational and time-management skills
• Confidence, professionalism, and enthusiasm in donor-facing situations
• Comfort working independently while collaborating with a team
• Experience with CRM or donor databases (DonorPerfect an asset)
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications
• Relevant post-secondary education or an equivalent combination of education and experience
• CFRE designation considered an asset
• Valid driver’s license and access to a vehicle

Our Commitment

KidsAbility Foundation is committed to ethical, donor-centered fundraising practices and to fostering an inclusive, respectful environment for staff, donors, and the community.We strive to create an accessible and inclusive application and selection process and are committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to job applicants who may require provisions to participate in the selection process. Should any applicant require accommodation please contact Human Resources in advance for assistance.

We invite applications from those interested in this position to apply through the KidsAbility Career Centre.

Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion are the core values of KidsAbility. We are a diverse workforce with wide perspectives and creative ideas that benefit our clients and the community. It is the policy of KidsAbility to ensure equal employment opportunity without discrimination or harassment. We welcome applications from visible minority groups, women, Aboriginal people, persons with disabilities, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital or domestic/civil partnership status, genetic information or any other ground protected by applicable law.

Please note that all prospective KidsAbility employees are subject to mandatory immunization requirements, including the full and ongoing COVID-19 vaccination, as a condition of obtaining and maintaining employment. We will make accommodations as directed by the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services and the Chief Medical Officer of Health.