Associate Director, Direct Response

Job Number: JR106344 Job Title: Associate Director, Direct Response Department: SHNF MG - Annual Programs Job Category: Foundation Hospital Location: General Site Job Type: Permanent, Full time Number of Positions: 1 Minimum - Maximum Hourly Rate: $53.31 - $53.31 Hours: Days

Scarborough Health Network is a leading community teaching health network, consisting of three hospitals and eight satellite sites in Scarborough, one of the most diverse communities in Canada. Our Foundation works with generous donors, volunteers and community members to raise funds for state-of-the-art infrastructure and medical technology to support the hospital’s mission to improve lives through exceptional care.

SHN Foundation is raising the profile of our hospitals through the Love, Scarborough marketing and fundraising campaign. The extraordinary success of Love, Scarborough has helped generate mass awareness, has inspired transformational gifts, and has shown needed attention onto healthcare inequity and gaps in Scarborough. The Foundation has seen tremendous growth all around (staff, events, donations, media coverage, partnership, etc.). It’s an exciting time to join the organization as we continue to build upon this momentum!

Find out more about this compelling campaign by visiting lovescarborough.ca.

Job Description:

What you’ll be doing:

We are seeking a dynamic, driven and accomplished fundraising professional to join the Scarborough Health Network (SHN) Foundation as the Associate Director, Direct Response. Reporting to the Vice President, Philanthropy, this role will provide strategic leadership for SHN Foundation’s multi-channel annual fundraising program, with a strong emphasis on digital growth. This role owns the vision, strategy, and performance of the direct response program and leads cross-functional teams and agency partners to drive donor acquisition, retention, and lifetime value.  Programs include the direct mail program, digital, monthly donors, memorial and tribute, and Honour Your Caregiver (With Gratitude) programs, plus new channel initiatives. 

In collaboration with the VP, Philanthropy, the Associate Director, Direct Response, will oversee the development, integration, execution, and analysis of the annual giving portfolio to maximize revenue and achieve ambitious key performance indicators (KPIs) across all annual programs.

Donor-centric and service-oriented, the successful candidate will collaborate with colleagues in Marketing & Communications and Stewardship to deliver an unparalleled donor experience, strengthen donor loyalty, and maximize each donor’s experience with SHN Foundation.

This position requires a self-motivated individual who is adept at strategic thinking and executing all operational aspects of the program. 

Your responsibilities:

• Provide strategic leadership for SHN Foundation’s annual and direct response fundraising program, partnering closely with the Vice President, Philanthropy and external agency partners to deliver sustainable revenue growth while maintaining strong cost ratios.
• Own the strategy, performance, and evolution of a fully integrated, multi-channel direct response program (direct mail, monthly giving, digital giving, telemarketing, SMS, face-to-face), with a particular focus on scaling digital revenue, donor acquisition, conversion, and retention.
• Lead the development and execution of annual operating plans and budgets for the annual program, including forecasting, performance tracking, risk mitigation, and optimization against KPIs.
• Drive the growth and optimization of digital giving programs, including online donation platforms, email fundraising, digital acquisition, and integrated donor journeys—leveraging testing, personalization, and data-driven decision-making.
• Serve as the internal expert and thought leader on direct response and digital fundraising trends, identifying opportunities to pilot new approaches, tools, or technologies that enhance donor experience and long-term value.
• Provide creative and strategic leadership to storytelling, messaging, and campaign development, ensuring compelling donor-centred content across digital and offline channels.
• Collaborate with the AVP, Operations and Technology and Vice President, Philanthropy to analyze data, define segmentation and targeting strategies, and translate insights into actionable revenue growth plans.
• Oversee data strategy and execution, including segmentation, data extraction from Raiser’s Edge, and delivery to vendors or internal teams for direct mail and digital campaigns.
• Lead cross-functional collaboration with Stewardship, Donor Engagement, Marketing, and Operations to design and deliver cohesive, end-to-end donor journeys that maximize lifetime value.
• Partner with the Director, Stewardship and Donor Engagement to ensure a strong, strategic stewardship framework is in place for annual and digital donors, aligned with retention and upgrade goals.
• Provide operational leadership for all appeals, including timelines, creative development, data execution, vendor and agency management, and post-campaign analysis.
• Ensure strong governance and accountability through accurate donor records, performance reporting, and regular communication of insights, trends, and outcomes to senior leaders and key stakeholders.

What you bring to the position:

• 5–7+ years of progressive experience leading a multi-channel annual or direct response fundraising program, with demonstrated ownership of strategy, results, and revenue growth.
• Proven success growing digital fundraising revenue, including experience with online donation platforms (e.g., Fundraise Up, Raisin) and digital campaign design, optimization, and reporting.
• Advanced expertise in Raiser’s Edge, including segmentation strategy, data extraction, analysis, and application of insights to improve performance.
• Experience leading agency and vendor relationships, providing strategic direction, performance oversight, and accountability for results.
• Strong strategic mindset, with the ability to translate data, insights, and trends into clear fundraising strategies and actionable plans.
• Demonstrated leadership and influence skills, with experience driving cross-functional collaboration and guiding stakeholders toward shared outcomes.
• Deep understanding of the donor lifecycle, with a track record of successfully moving donors from acquisition through retention, upgrade, and long-term value.
• Commitment to stewardship excellence, with hands-on experience designing and delivering meaningful donor engagement experiences.
• Digital and analytical fluency, including comfort with metrics, dashboards, testing, and performance management tied to financial targets and KPIs.
• Highly organized, self-directed leader with the ability to manage complexity, competing priorities, and high-impact initiatives.

Your competencies include:

• Proven ability to think strategically and work independently in driving new initiatives or enhancing existing programs.
• Excellent verbal communication skills, along with strong writing and editing capabilities to create marketing/fundraising copy for multiple media.  Strong attention to detail and proofreading abilities are also required.
• Detail-oriented, with strong organizational, analytical, and planning skills.

What we have to offer:

When you work for SHN Foundation, you join a caring and collaborative team that is invested in both your success and career development. This is an exciting time to join a growing and meaningful organization, with ambitions to make the biggest impact yet on healthcare in Scarborough. 

We offer an excellent package to employees, including a competitive salary and annual performance bonus, an industry-leading defined benefit pension plan through HOOPP, comprehensive benefits, and the opportunity to progress and build your career. 

This opportunity is posted to support the recruitment of an existing vacant position.

Accommodation and Diversity Statement:
Scarborough Health Network (SHN) embraces and celebrates our community’s unique multicultural heritage and diversity. SHN is an equal opportunity employer, dedicated to a culture of inclusiveness and diversity reflecting our diverse patients, staff and community alike. 

We are committed to fostering an environment of equity and inclusivity where every person can work and receive care safely, openly and honestly. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, colour, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, nation of origin, genetics, disability, age, veteran status, marital or family status, belief system, or other factors related to one’s personal identity and/or values. 

We are committed to providing barrier-free and accessible employment practices in compliance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA). Should you require accommodation through any stage of the recruitment process, please make them known when contacted and we will work with you to meet your needs.
 

Learn more about our exciting opportunities by following SHNCareers on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.