Senior Manager, Donor Growth & Retention (14-month contract)
at Make-A-Wish Canada

Job Description

"The best prescription I've ever given is a wish."

-Dr. Jeremy Friedman, Associate Paediatrician-in-Chief, SickKids Hospital & Medical Advisor for Make-A-Wish® Canada

 

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST WISH?

Is it to be part of an organization that is child-focused, values employee experience and is an inspiring workplace? If so, Make-A-Wish is for you!

Make-A-Wish^® Canada creates life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses. We are on a quest to bring every eligible child's wish to life because a wish is an integral part of a child's treatment journey. Research shows children who have wishes granted can build the physical and emotional strength they need to fight a critical illness.

“It's been wonderful to have this wish to look forward to... It's wonderful to see [Rowan] with something that brings him pure joy after all he's been through and missed out on!”

–Melissa, mom to wish kid Rowan (age 5, leukemia), who wished for an indoor jungle gym.

MISSION, VISION AND VALUES

Our mission is, together, we create life-changing wishes for children with critical illness. Supported by our vision to grant the wish of every eligible child.

Our values are Child-Focused, Integrity, Impact, Innovation, and Community.

WHAT'S IN IT FOR YOU?

• Meaningful opportunities to make an impact and change the lives of children with critical illnesses within your community and across Canada
• A collaborative team environment where you feel valued and inspired
• An attractive compensation package that includes group health and dental premiums which are fully covered by the Foundation & Wish paid hours
• Annual vacation starting at three weeks & additional paid leaves
• Work/life balance and flexibility
• Hybrid working environment
• Employee Wellness Program
• Corporate discounts
• Continuous learning, development and internal training opportunities
• Fun employee activities, contests, and more!

Make-A-Wish^® Canada is committed to fostering a culture that aims to change lives while offering a rewarding employment experience where your contributions make a true difference every day!

WHERE YOU COME IN

We are looking for a Senior Manager, Donor Growth & Retention to join our team at Make-A-Wish Canada. Reporting to the Vice President, Brand & Integrated Marketing, you will be leading key mass fundraising programs and strategies to drive donor acquisition, retention, and long-term value. The role focuses on delivering integrated, data-informed campaigns and strengthening donor relationships to support sustainable revenue growth, while embodying a collaborative, mission-driven leadership approach across the organization.

This role can be based anywhere in Canada and is a full-time, hybrid, 14-month contract position. The hiring range for this role is $83,000-$88,000.

WHAT YOU WILL DO

• Lead the integrated fundraising strategies across direct mail, monthly giving, sweepstakes, Wish Gifts, and external partners.
• Own the revenue targets, forecasting, and growth plans for these assigned programs.
• Identify opportunities to scale programs, improve ROI, and grow donor revenue.
• Develop and execute campaign plans, briefs, calendars, and testing strategies.
• Use data and analytics to optimize campaigns (creative, audience, channels, frequency).
• Support donor segmentation and contact strategies to target the right audiences effectively.
• Contribute to building a structured donor lifecycle approach to improve retention and engagement.
• Drive initiatives to increase donor lifetime value, including repeat giving and monthly conversion.
• Identify and support opportunities to engage and grow higher-value mass donors, informing an evolving intermediate giving approach and strengthening the pipeline to major giving.
• Demonstrate cross-functional leadership and collaboration, promoting a One Team, mission-driven culture.
• Lead a team and manage their growth & development, as well as managing outside partners and vendors, ensuring strong performance and delivery.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

WHAT YOU BRING

• Post-secondary education in fundraising, marketing, business, communications, or equivalent experience, training and education.
• 7+ years of progressive experience in direct response fundraising or performance marketing.
• Proven ownership of revenue targets and budget management.
• Experience leading multi-channel marketing and fundraising campaigns.
• Strong knowledge of segmentation, CRM systems, and marketing databases.
• Expertise in performance measurement (response, retention, conversion, donor lifetime value).
• Experience in people leadership or leading cross-functional teams and vendors/agencies.
• Strong strategic planning and revenue growth capabilities.
• Advanced analytical, forecasting, and project management skills.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management abilities.
• A clear Criminal Background Check is required.

YOUR WORK ENVIRONMENT

• Hybrid work environment (2 days in-office, 3 days remote per week) with occasional requirement to work outside of traditional office hours.
• Occasional day and/or overnight travel.

 

Physical/Mental Effort

• Work under pressure of tight deadlines, with a high-volume workload, and with multiple demands & changing priorities.

How to apply

If everything you've read so far sounds like you, we encourage you to apply now!  The deadline to apply is May 18^th, 2026, at 11:59pm EDT.

To apply, please navigate to: https://jobs.dayforcehcm.com/en-CA/makeawishca/CANDIDATEPORTAL/jobs/1545

Make-A-Wish Canada provides equal opportunity in employment and encourages applications from all qualified candidates. Reasonable accommodations due to disability are available on request at any stage of the hiring process.  

Our Commitment to IDEA

Make-A-Wish Canada (MAWC) is committed to Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access (IDEA). We believe that it is essential to our mission that we build a diverse, balanced, and vibrant workforce that reflects the diversity of the communities we serve and seek to serve. Research has shown that candidates from underrepresented groups often only apply when they feel 100% qualified. Therefore, we ask that even if you do not see yourself fully reflected in every job requirement listed on this posting, to still apply.

Recruitment process

Once applications are reviewed, we will contact our shortlisted candidates.  Our typical process includes a phone screen, one or two interviews, and reference checking, followed by an offer and a criminal background check for the successful candidate.

We would like to thank all applicants for their interest in working with us!

ABOUT MAKE-A-WISH® CANADA

In the past 40 years, Make-A-Wish Canada has granted over 40,000 wishes across the country, with over 1,800 of them last year alone. As an independently operating affiliate of Make-A-Wish International, Make-A-Wish Canada is part of the network of the world's leading children's wish-granting organization. We serve children in every community in Canada, and in more than 50 countries worldwide.