Interim National Fundraising and Events Lead

Interim National Fundraising and Events Lead

Full-time | 12-Month Fixed-Term Leadership Role

Position: Interim National Fundraising and Events Lead

Location: Vancouver preferred or Canada-wide remote for the right candidate

Salary: $82,000–$95,000, depending on experience and track record

Start Date: As soon as possible

Term: 12-month fixed-term position w/ possibility of extension or transition to a permanent role

Travel: Regular travel within Canada, including some evening and weekend work

Application Deadline: Friday, August 28, 2026

Join a Growing Movement

Cassie + Friends is Canada’s only national charity dedicated exclusively to children and youth affected by juvenile arthritis and other childhood-onset rheumatic diseases (i.e. lupus and dermatomyositis)—conditions affecting approximately 25,000 kids across the country.

Our work is powered by families, healthcare professionals, researchers, volunteers, corporate partners and communities who believe kids deserve earlier diagnosis, effective treatment, meaningful support and greater certainty about their future.

Team Cassie + Friends is one of the most visible and important ways this community comes together. Through run/walk events and community fundraising across Canada, families find connection, corporate teams rally around a shared purpose, volunteers become leaders and thousands of people help raise the awareness and funds needed to advance our mission.

Today, Team Cassie + Friends is a $350,000+ national fundraising portfolio, engaging more than 1,000 participants across 16+ run/walk locations and community initiatives.

We are entering a pivotal year.

In 2027, Cassie + Friends will mark 20 years since one dad entered a Vancouver run, raised $18,000 and helped begin a national movement for kids and families affected by juvenile arthritis.

What we need now is an experienced fundraising and events leader who can take ownership of this national portfolio—delivering strong events and fundraising results while strengthening the communications, participant experience, relationships and operating systems behind them.

The Opportunity

We are seeking a strong, hands-on leader to guide our largest community fundraising platform through an important period of transition and growth.

The Interim National Fundraising and Events Lead will ensure that:

• Team Cassie + Friends events are planned and delivered with consistency, energy and care
• Participants, families, volunteers and corporate teams receive clear and motivating communication
• Fundraisers have the tools, coaching and support they need to succeed
• Sponsors and community partners experience strong stewardship and follow-through
• National event activity is connected to a coherent calendar, operating system and revenue plan
• Performance is visible through reliable data, forecasting and reporting
• Communications build participation, strengthen belonging and clearly connect fundraising to impact

This is a leadership role for someone equally comfortable developing a national plan, writing a compelling campaign email, coaching a family fundraiser, managing an event workback schedule and identifying when results are falling behind.

You will not simply inherit a list of events.

You will take ownership of a national community fundraising system and help strengthen how it works.

What You’ll Lead

1. Team Cassie + Friends National Strategy

• Own the national Team Cassie + Friends strategy, annual calendar, budget, revenue plan and performance targets
• Lead planning and coordination across run/walk events, corporate teams, family teams, virtual participants and community-led fundraising
• Establish clear priorities, timelines, responsibilities and decision points for every event location
• Maintain a national view of registrations, fundraising, sponsorship, recruitment, retention, communications, volunteer readiness and event risk
• Identify where additional attention or intervention is needed and act before issues escalate
• Support thoughtful growth while ensuring existing events and relationships are well cared for
• Travel to priority Team Cassie + Friends events to provide leadership, strengthen relationships and represent the organization

2. Participant Experience + Community Fundraising

• Recruit, welcome, coach and retain family teams, individual fundraisers, corporate participants and community champions
• Build a clear participant journey from first contact through registration, fundraising, event day, recognition and future involvement
• Develop practical fundraising tools, communications and coaching that help participants feel confident and successful
• Provide personalized support to priority teams and fundraisers
• Re-engage past participants and strengthen year-over-year retention
• Ensure families feel valued regardless of their fundraising capacity, location or level of prior involvement
• Help participants understand how their efforts translate into meaningful support, research, education and advocacy for children and families

3. Event Leadership + Volunteer Coordination

• Serve as the central organizational lead for Team Cassie + Friends events across Canada
• Recruit, equip and support volunteer event leaders, team captains and local committees
• Clarify what is owned nationally, what is led locally and when decisions need to be elevated
• Coordinate event logistics with host races, suppliers, sponsors, volunteers and internal team members
• Ensure event-day experiences are organized, inclusive, welcoming and aligned with the Cassie + Friends brand
• Anticipate operational challenges and establish clear contingency plans
• Lead post-event debriefs and ensure lessons are documented and carried forward
• Reduce reliance on informal knowledge, last-minute problem-solving and Executive Director intervention

4. Marketing + Communications

• Lead the communications calendar for Team Cassie + Friends, from recruitment launch through event-day storytelling and post-event stewardship
• Write and coordinate compelling, accurate and on-brand content for email, social media, fundraising pages, participant materials, toolkits and sponsor communications
• Develop campaign messages that motivate action while reflecting the realities and dignity of children and families living with chronic rheumatic disease
• Gather and shape family, participant, volunteer and partner stories for fundraising and awareness purposes
• Ensure communications are timely, coordinated and adapted appropriately for different audiences and event locations
• Work with internal staff, designers and contractors to develop campaign assets and promotional materials
• Monitor engagement and campaign performance and adjust communications based on results
• Strengthen consistency in how Team Cassie + Friends is presented nationally while preserving the local voices and relationships that make each event meaningful

This role does not need to be a graphic designer or full organizational communications department. It does need to confidently own the content, planning, coordination and quality control required to market and deliver a successful national community fundraising program.

5. Sponsorship + Corporate Teams

• Support the renewal, stewardship and growth of Team Cassie + Friends corporate teams and event sponsors
• Develop clear opportunities for local and national sponsor participation
• Secure event sponsorship and in-kind support within approved parameters
• Create activation, communication and recognition plans for sponsors and corporate teams
• Work with the Executive Director on significant national partnerships, senior corporate relationships and larger funding requests
• Identify companies and participants with the potential to become longer-term partners, donors or champions
• Ensure commitments are documented and fulfilled accurately and on time

6. Stewardship + Long-Term Engagement

• Ensure fundraisers, donors, sponsors, team captains and volunteers receive timely and meaningful acknowledgment
• Develop stewardship approaches appropriate to different audiences, levels of involvement and giving
• Work with the Executive Director and data team to identify relationships requiring personalized follow-up
• Build pathways from event participation into repeat fundraising, monthly giving, corporate engagement, volunteer leadership or other involvement
• Protect donor and partner trust through strong communication, accurate recognition and reliable follow-through
• Ensure post-event communication goes beyond reporting a total and helps participants understand the impact they made possible

7. Systems, Data + Performance

• Own and strengthen the Team Cassie + Friends operating system, including annual workbacks, templates, role clarity, documentation and standard processes
• Maintain accurate and timely information in the CRM, fundraising platforms and shared planning tools
• Work closely with the Data Specialist and Systems Administrator to develop reliable dashboards and reporting
• Track registrations, fundraising revenue, average funds raised, sponsor revenue, team growth, retention, communications performance and event readiness
• Produce clear forecasts and identify gaps between targets and current performance
• Use data to guide recruitment, stewardship, communications and resource allocation
• Ensure charitable receipting, consent, privacy and fundraising practices follow organizational policies and applicable requirements
• Document key contacts, decisions, processes and lessons so organizational knowledge is retained

8. Organizational Coordination

• Work closely with the Executive Director, programs team, data and systems staff, contractors and volunteers
• Coordinate internal responsibilities so fundraising, family engagement, communications, data and event execution operate together
• Provide clear updates on priorities, results, risks and decisions required
• Connect Team Cassie + Friends activity to the organization’s broader family-support, research, education and advocacy goals
• Contribute insight about participant behaviour, community needs, supporter experience and emerging opportunities
• Bring structure and accountability while preserving the warmth, flexibility and family-centred spirit of the organization

What Success Looks Like

Over the 12-month term, success will include:

• A well-executed national run/walk calendar with strong participant, volunteer, family and partner experiences
• Team Cassie + Friends revenue, participation and sponsorship results that are visible, actively managed and moving toward defined targets
• A clear national marketing and communications calendar supporting recruitment, fundraising and stewardship
• Improved participant retention and stronger re-engagement of past teams and fundraisers
• Consistent and timely communication across all event locations
• Corporate teams and sponsors receiving reliable stewardship, activation and recognition
• Workback plans, dashboards, templates and documentation in place and used consistently
• Clear ownership and escalation structures across staff, contractors and volunteers
• Reduced reliance on the Executive Director for routine event decisions, execution and follow-up
• A practical assessment of opportunities, risks and recommended future structure for Team Cassie + Friends

Who We’re Looking For

You are an experienced community fundraising leader who understands that successful events are built through strong relationships, compelling communications and disciplined execution.

You bring:

• Approximately 4–6+ years of progressive experience in community fundraising, peer-to-peer fundraising, events, marketing, communications or a related area
• Demonstrated ownership of a multi-event, multi-location or complex fundraising program
• Experience working directly with participants, family fundraisers, volunteers, corporate teams, sponsors and donors
• A record of meeting or exceeding fundraising, participation, sponsorship or engagement goals
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• The ability to write compelling emails, campaign messages, participant communications, stories, sponsor materials and digital content for different audiences
• Strong project-management skills and the ability to manage multiple events, timelines and relationships simultaneously
• Experience using a CRM, online fundraising platform, email marketing system and digital communications tools
• Comfort using data to assess performance, forecast results and adjust plans
• Strong judgment and the ability to make sound decisions without waiting for constant direction
• Experience in a health charity, national nonprofit, family-serving organization or lived-experience community is an asset
• CFRE designation or formal marketing and communications training is welcomed but not required

You are:

• A strong operator who creates clarity and forward movement
• A warm and credible relationship-builder
• A persuasive and thoughtful communicator
• Comfortable moving between strategy and detailed execution
• Highly reliable, with strong follow-through
• Calm and resourceful when plans change
• Able to distinguish between what is urgent, what is important and what requires escalation
• Motivated by both fundraising results and meaningful community experience
• Respectful of the emotional and practical realities facing children, youth and families affected by chronic illness
• Excited by the challenge of strengthening a growing national initiative while preserving its heart

Why This Role Is Special

You will take leadership of a national community that families have built over nearly 20 years.

Team Cassie + Friends is more than a series of fundraising events. It is often where a newly diagnosed family first meets someone who understands. It is where children see other kids like them taking part. It is where corporate partners, clinicians, volunteers and families stand together behind a shared belief that kids with juvenile arthritis and other rheumatic diseases should not have to wait for better care and outcomes.

This is an opportunity to combine fundraising, community, communications and national event leadership in a role with visible and immediate impact.

You will also help shape the future of one of Cassie + Friends’ most important revenue and engagement systems as the organization enters its 20th anniversary year.

A career at Cassie + Friends also means joining the supportive, welcoming team at Porte Communities —our partner and certified Great Place to Work®—as well as access to benefits designed to help you thrive:

• Extended health and dental benefits
• Four weeks of paid vacation
• Winter office closure
• Flexible work arrangements
• Year-round learning and development opportunities
• Weekly team fitness training
• A welcoming Vancouver office environment with shared team activities, great coffee and a stocked kitchen

How to Apply

Please submit:

• A cover letter explaining why this role resonates with you and providing a brief example of a community fundraising campaign, event series or participant program you led. Please include your specific role, the results and what you learned
• Your résumé

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and early submission is encouraged.

Please send materials to jennifer@cassieandfriends.ca with the subject line:

Interim National Fundraising and Events Lead

Only candidates selected for interviews will be contacted.

Equity, Accessibility + Inclusion

Cassie + Friends is committed to building a team that reflects the diversity of the children, youth and families we serve across Canada.

We encourage applications from individuals of all backgrounds, including those with lived experience of chronic illness or disability, members of racialized communities, Indigenous peoples, 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals and people from rural or underserved regions.

Lived experience with childhood chronic illness—personally or within your family—is welcomed and valued, though not required.

We are committed to creating an inclusive and accessible workplace. Accommodation is available upon request at any stage of the hiring process.