Manager, Corporate Engagement & Sponsorship

Reports to: Director, Fundraising Events

Location: Kitchener-Waterloo | Hybrid

Employment Type: Full-Time | Permanent

TEAM OVERVIEW

The Events Team supports the fundraising and community engagement efforts of Waterloo Regional Health Network Foundation through the strategic development and delivery of meaningful, high-impact events and experiences. The team is responsible for creating opportunities that connect donors, corporate partners, volunteers, and community members to the Foundation’s mission, inspiring philanthropy, strengthening relationships, and generating critical revenue to advance local health care.

Through signature fundraising events, third-party initiatives, corporate partnerships, and community engagement opportunities, the Events Team plays a vital role in building awareness, fostering community participation, and cultivating long-term philanthropic relationships.

POSITION SUMMARY

The Manager, Corporate Engagement & Sponsorship is responsible for building and growing a high-performing portfolio of corporate sponsorships and philanthropic partnerships that generate meaningful revenue for Waterloo Regional Health Network Foundation (WRHNF). Reporting to the Director, Fundraising Events, the Manager leads corporate partnership development and sponsorship revenue, overseeing the cultivation, solicitation, negotiation, activation, renewal, and stewardship of corporate partners, with a focus on signature events, multi-year commitments, and corporate philanthropy.

This is a strategic relationship management role within the Foundation’s Events team, focused on building corporate partnerships, driving sponsorship revenue, and cultivating long-term relationships. The Manager develops tailored sponsorship and corporate giving opportunities that align business objectives with the Foundation’s mission to advance local health care.

The role works closely with Fundraising Events, Major Gifts, Marketing and Communications, Stewardship, Finance, hospital leadership, and volunteers to deliver a seamless partner experience and build a sustainable corporate revenue pipeline.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Corporate Sponsorship Strategy and Revenue Generation

• Establish and execute an annual sponsorship strategy aligned with Foundation priorities and revenue targets for signature events, campaigns, and engagement initiatives.
• Oversee the identification, prospecting, cultivation, solicitation, and securing of new corporate sponsors, while driving the renewal and growth of existing partnerships.
• Develop compelling sponsorship opportunities, including packages, benefits, inventory, valuation, and pricing strategies across title, presenting, category-exclusive, and multi-event sponsorships.
• Create tailored proposals and presentations that demonstrate partner value, brand alignment, audience reach, community impact, and measurable benefits.
• Lead sponsorship negotiations within approved authority, coordinating agreement reviews and approvals to ensure clear financial and non-financial commitments and responsibilities.
• Identify and secure multi-year sponsorship opportunities that strengthen revenue predictability and foster long-term partnerships.
• Track and evaluate annual sponsorship results against established revenue targets, identifying opportunities to improve performance and maximize revenue growth.

Corporate Philanthropy and Strategic Partnerships

• Identify and cultivate corporate prospects with potential for significant philanthropic investment beyond signature event sponsorship, advancing broader Foundation priorities.
• Oversee the corporate sponsorship pipeline, driving prospect development, solicitation, renewal and partnership growth in collaboration with Major Gifts and Prospect Research teams.
• Create integrated corporate partnership opportunities that combine philanthropy, sponsorship, cause-related marketing, employee engagement, workplace giving, matching gifts, and volunteer participation.
• Cultivate relationships with senior decision-makers across corporate social responsibility, marketing, community investment, and executive leadership.
• Ensure appropriate distinction between charitable gifts and sponsorship arrangements in agreements, recognition, and receipting, working with Finance and gift processing teams.
• Maintain accurate prospect records in Raiser’s Edge NXT through clear relationship ownership, documented activity, and coordinating alignment with Finance on revenue attribution and reporting.

Corporate Portfolio Management and Business Development

• Manage an active portfolio of corporate sponsors, donors, and qualified prospects, maintaining documented relationship plans, financial goals, and clear next steps for each relationship.
• Establish a disciplined business development cycle, including outreach, discovery meetings, tailored proposals, solicitations, negotiation, closing and renewal planning.
• Leverage business networks, corporate research, board members, volunteer ambassadors, and event committees to strengthen existing relationships and identify new prospects.
• Build relationships across Waterloo Region and surrounding markets, with a strong understanding of the local corporate community.
• Equip executives, board members, and volunteers with the background, insights, and materials needed to support strategic corporate meetings, sponsorship asks, and stewardship conversations.
• Foster cross-functional alignment in corporate relationship management to ensure coordinated outreach and a consistent partner experience is delivered.

Sponsorship Activation, Fulfilment and Stewardship

• Oversee partner agreements and ensure sponsorship commitments are fulfilled to a high standard in collaboration with event producers, Marketing and Communications, Stewardship, and external suppliers.
• Maintain an accurate sponsorship fulfilment matrix tracking commitments, deadlines, brand approvals, recognition, tickets, hospitality, speaking opportunities and post-event deliverables.
• Provide corporate partners with proactive communication, appropriate access to Foundation representatives and high-quality engagement experiences.
• Prepare compelling sponsor recap reports and corporate impact updates demonstrating outcomes, audience engagement, brand exposure and philanthropic impact.
• Drive sponsorship retention and pipeline growth through proactive renewal planning, identifying expanded partnership opportunities, and securing multi-year commitments.
• Ensure sponsor activations are consistent with hospital policies, patient privacy, brand standards, donor recognition principles and ethical fundraising practices.

Signature Events and Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Serve as the corporate sponsorship and revenue lead for Foundation fundraising events, under the strategic direction of the Director, Fundraising Events.
• Partner with the Events Team to identify sponsorship opportunities, assess marketable assets, and ensure commitments are appropriately valued and deliverable.
• Evaluate sponsorship potential for new event concepts and coordinate corporate outreach to maximize revenue opportunities.
• Collaborate with Major Gifts and campaign teams on shared corporate prospects, ensuring coordinated engagement, solicitation strategies, and appropriate revenue attribution.
• Represent the Foundation at key events and corporate engagements, strengthening partner relationships and identifying opportunities for deeper engagement.
• Provide sponsorship and corporate revenue leadership across Foundation events, contributing to broader event activities as needed while designated team members oversee all event management and operational deliverables.

Financial Accountability, Forecasting and Reporting

• Maintain an accurate sponsorship and corporate philanthropy pipeline in Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge NXT, including contact reports, proposal values, probability, next steps, expected closing dates and renewal opportunities.
• Provide regular revenue forecasts, variance analysis, pipeline updates, and risk assessments to the Director, Fundraising Events.
• Track secured sponsorship revenue, philanthropic commitments, cash receipts and outstanding payments in partnership with Finance and gift processing colleagues.
• Monitor performance indicators such as new sponsorship revenue, corporate philanthropic revenue, renewal rate, average partnership value, qualified pipeline, proposals submitted and sponsorship fulfilment.
• Analyze sponsorship performance, market trends, and corporate giving patterns to identify growth opportunities and inform annual and long-term revenue strategies.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

Required

• Post-secondary education in fundraising, business, marketing, communications or a related discipline, or an equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.
• Minimum five years of progressive experience in corporate fundraising, sponsorship sales, corporate partnerships, business development or related revenue-generating relationship management.
• Demonstrated success independently soliciting, negotiating and securing significant corporate sponsorships or philanthropic partnerships.
• Experience developing sponsorship packages, business proposals, partnership agreements and renewal strategies.
• Experience managing sponsorship pipelines, revenue forecasting, and performance against established targets.
• Knowledge of corporate social responsibility, cause marketing, workplace giving and philanthropic sponsorship practices.

Assets

• Experience in a hospital foundation, health care or nonprofit environment is considered an asset.
• Familiarity with Raiser’s Edge NXT or comparable CRM systems is considered an asset.
• Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) designation or progress toward CFRE is considered an asset.

SKILLS AND COMPETENCIES

• Strong commercial acumen and a donor-centred approach to building mutually beneficial corporate relationships.
• Confident prospecting, solicitation, presentation, negotiation and closing skills.
• Demonstrated ability to manage a revenue portfolio, prioritize high-value opportunities and meet targets.
• Excellent proposal writing, storytelling and sponsorship valuation skills.
• Strong relationship-building skills with senior corporate executives, volunteers and internal stakeholders.
• Highly organized, with careful attention to contractual deliverables, timelines and stewardship commitments.
• Analytical capability in forecasting, revenue reporting and pipeline management.
• Professional judgment, discretion, integrity and sensitivity to donor and patient privacy.
• Collaborative, resourceful and comfortable working across fundraising, marketing and event teams.

PARTNERS AND COLLABORATORS

• Foundation-wide staff: Events, Development/Major Gifts, Communications, Finance, Stewardship, and Leadership
• Hospital-wide partners including, but not limited to, Public Affairs, Program Managers, Clinical Leads, and Executive Leadership
• Corporate partners, prospects, corporate social responsibility leaders, and business community networks
• Vendors and suppliers (e.g., event producers, printers, media partners)

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS

• Availability for occasional evenings and weekends to support corporate meetings, fundraising events and partner activities.
• Ability to travel locally for corporate prospect and sponsor meetings; valid driver’s licence and reliable transportation where required.
• Police background check, in accordance with Foundation policy.
• Commitment to the mission, vision and values of Waterloo Regional Health Network Foundation.
• Close access to Kitchener-Waterloo

WHAT WE OFFER

• Salary Range: The target hiring range for this role is $86,700 to $102,000, with ability to progress commensurate with experience and success.
• Work Culture: Hybrid work arrangement requiring a minimum of two (2) days per week in the office, with flexibility to attend additional in-person corporate meetings, sponsor engagements and Foundation events as needed.
• Purpose: A collaborative, mission-driven team and the opportunity to build partnerships that advance health care across Waterloo Region.
• Growth: An opportunity to drive corporate sponsorship and philanthropic revenue while building partnerships that advance the Foundation's priorities. Success will be measured by new revenue secured, strong renewals, an expanding corporate pipeline and exceptional partner stewardship.

WRHN Foundation Values

• Trust
• Transparency
• Collaboration
• Innovation
• Excellence

THE PROCESS

At WRHN Foundation, our team is united by a shared mission to inspire philanthropy and elevate healthcare across our region. We welcome candidates from all backgrounds who bring curiosity, excellence, and a collaborative spirit to their work.

If you are excited about this opportunity, we encourage you to apply with your résumé and a cover letter detailing your relevant experience and enthusiasm for our mission.

We are committed to fair and accessible hiring practices. If you require accommodation during the recruitment process, please inform us and we will work with you to meet your needs.

Please submit your application by Friday, December 4, 2026 at 5:00pm.