Manager of Development and Stewardship

Position Overview:

The Manager, Stewardship & Development will be responsible for managing and growing a portfolio of corporate partners, foundations, community supporters, event sponsors, and individual donors while ensuring exceptional stewardship and engagement. The successful candidate will play a key role in driving revenue growth, strengthening donor retention, managing sponsorship accounts, and supporting CANFAR's national fundraising initiatives.

This position requires a highly organized professional who can build meaningful relationships, manage multiple priorities, leverage donor data and analytics, and collaborate effectively across departments and external stakeholders.

Key Responsibilities:

Donor & Partner Relationship Management

• Manage and grow a portfolio of corporate sponsors, foundations, community partners, and individual donors.
• Develop and execute stewardship plans to strengthen donor engagement, retention, and long-term support.
• Serve as the primary relationship manager for assigned sponsors and donors, ensuring exceptional communication and service.
• Conduct donor and sponsor meetings, presentations, stewardship visits, and engagement opportunities.
• Identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward prospective donors and sponsors to increase philanthropic support.
• Prepare sponsorship proposals, partnership agreements, customized presentations, and funding requests.
• Maintain detailed records of donor interactions, next steps, and relationship strategies.

Corporate Partnership and Business Development

• Support the acquisition and renewal of national corporate sponsorships and strategic partnerships.
• Identify new business development opportunities aligned with CANFAR's mission and fundraising priorities.
• Develop customized sponsorship opportunities and recognition programs for corporate partners.
• Collaborate with senior leadership to secure six-figure and multi-year sponsorship agreements.
• Monitor industry trends and conduct prospect research to identify emerging funding opportunities.
• Represent CANFAR at networking events, industry functions, community engagements, and donor meetings.

Stewardship and Donor Recognition

• Ensure all gifts are acknowledged promptly and meaningfully.
• Develop and implement stewardship strategies that demonstrate impact and donor appreciation.
• Coordinate donor recognition initiatives, reports, impact communications, and engagement activities.
• Support the preparation of annual reports, donor listings, recognition programs, and impact updates.
• Ensure sponsors and donors receive all contractual benefits and recognition commitments.

Event Fundraising and Sponsorship Management

• Work closely with CANFAR's event production consultants and internal teams to plan, coordinate, and execute fundraising events.
• Manage sponsor relationships and fulfillment for signature fundraising initiatives, including:
  • Can You Do Lunch?
  • Bloor Street Entertains
  • AIDSbeat
  • Vancouver Entertains
  • Legacy Project Events
  • Other national fundraising initiatives
• Serve as liaison to event committees, volunteers, sponsors, and external stakeholders.
• Act as Secretariat to event committees, maintaining agendas, meeting minutes, documentation, and records.
• Oversee sponsorship fulfillment, guest management, donor engagement opportunities, and post-event stewardship.
• Support revenue generation strategies, sponsorship sales, auction procurement, and event fundraising activities.
• Collaborate with Communications, Marketing, Operations, Programs, and Finance teams to support fundraising initiatives.
• Coordinate donor communications, invitations, impact reporting, and campaign materials.
• Contribute to annual fundraising planning and strategic development initiatives.
• Participate actively and positively as a member of the CANFAR team, supporting organizational priorities and culture.

Data Management, Analytics and Reporting

• Maintain accurate donor, sponsor, and prospect records within Raiser's Edge NXT and related CRM systems.
• Ensure all donor interactions, sponsorship agreements, gifts, pledges, and communications are recorded promptly and accurately.
• Track fundraising performance and provide regular reports on:
• Revenue generation
• Donor retention
• Sponsorship renewals
• Event performance
• Pipeline development
• Stewardship activities
• Develop dashboards, reports, and insights to inform fundraising strategy and decision-making.
• Utilize donor analytics and prospect research tools to support fundraising growth.
• Support all aspects of CANFAR events and fundraising initiatives.
• Assist with ticketing, registration management, guest communications, and financial reconciliation.
• Coordinate event-related operational logistics and administrative needs.
• Participate in event execution, onsite support, and post-event reconciliation activities in collaboration with the VP of Development finance team.

Financial Management and Budget Management

• Support fundraising budget development, monitoring, and forecasting.
• Work closely with Finance to ensure accurate gift processing, reconciliation, tax receipting, and reporting.
• Monitor sponsorship receivables and pledge fulfillment.
• Assist with grant reporting and funding accountability requirements.
• Ensure fundraising activities are conducted in accordance with CRA regulations and fundraising best practices.

Qualifications and Experience

• Minimum 3–5 years of progressive fundraising, development, sponsorship, or account management experience, preferably within the nonprofit sector.
• Proven experience managing donor, sponsor, or client portfolios with measurable revenue responsibility.
• Demonstrated success in securing sponsorships, donations, partnerships, or fundraising revenue.
• Experience supporting fundraising events and donor stewardship programs.
• Strong understanding of fundraising principles, donor engagement strategies, and relationship management.
• Experience working with CRM databases, preferably Raiser's Edge NXT.
• Excellent project management and organizational skills.
• Exceptional written, verbal, presentation, and interpersonal communication skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines in a fast-paced environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• CFRE designation or progress toward CFRE certification.
• Experience working with national corporate partners and sponsorship programs.
• Knowledge of major gifts, planned giving, annual giving, and campaign fundraising.
• Experience with donor analytics, prospect research, and fundraising reporting.
• Understanding of the Canadian charitable sector and CRA fundraising regulations.

What Success Looks Like

• The successful candidate will:
• Grow and retain CANFAR's donor and sponsor portfolio.
• Deliver exceptional stewardship experiences that deepen engagement and increase giving.
• Successfully manage sponsorship accounts and fundraising partnerships.
• Support the continued growth of CANFAR's signature fundraising events.

Work Locations

• CANFAR Office – 55 Eglinton Ave E
• CANFAR’s general working hours are Monday through Friday from 9:00am to 5:00pm additional hours may be required during high event season.

Compensation & benefits

• Competitive salary commensurate with experience
• Comprehensive health and dental benefits
• Professional development opportunities
• Meaningful work contributing to ending HIV in Canada

CANFAR is committed to employment equity and believes that people with lived experiences play an important role in innovation, engagement, and de-stigmatization of HIV and sexual health-related educational programming. As such, we encourage applications from people with lived experiences, including youth, people from communities disproportionately impacted by HIV, including those living with HIV, as well as people of all gender identities and sexual orientations, people of Indigenous background, racialized people, and people with diverse abilities.

Please send cover letter and application to:

Attn: Kevin Noguera at careers@canfar.com by Tuesday, June 30, 2026 at 5:00PM EST.