Description

The Executive Director, Community Engagement & Partnerships is a strategic leader responsible for designing, scaling, and optimizing the Foundation’s community engagement portfolio to drive revenue growth, expand audience reach, and strengthen long-term donor and partner relationships.

As a member of the Foundation’s Senior Leadership Team, the Executive Director contributes to enterprise strategy, annual planning, and organizational priorities. This role leads the development of an integrated community engagement and events strategy that advances the Foundation’s mission by activating communities, delivering exceptional event experiences, building meaningful partner and volunteer relationships, and generating sustainable revenue.

Reporting to the Vice President, Marketing & Community Engagement, the Executive Director leads a high-performing team and works cross-functionally to ensure alignment across the organization with community giving, donor experience, marketing, and philanthropy.

Sunnybrook Foundation works within a hybrid model; a combination of in-office and remote work is supported with leaders expected to be in the office a minimum of three days per week.

Key Duties and Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership

• As a member of the Foundation’s Senior Leadership Team, contribute to setting vision, strategic direction, and annual business planning.
• Develop and lead the long-term strategy and annual operating plans for the Community Engagement & Partnerships portfolio, aligned with Foundation growth priorities.
• Integrate community engagement and partnership strategies with broader fundraising, marketing, philanthropy, and stewardship objectives.
• As a member of the Foundation’s Leadership Team, support the model of shared leadership for the Foundation’s strategic plan and key organizational priorities.
• Build and steward key stakeholder relationships to advance the Foundation’s mission and community presence.
• Prioritize development of key change management initiatives; assess readiness to engage in change efforts and facilitate the design and execution of the change effort including mitigating risks.
• Act as a project sponsor for key initiatives; model and champion the Foundation’s values and foster a positive culture within the department.
• Monitor industry trends, emerging practices and stay abreast of best practices to strengthen innovation, partner value and optimize results.

Portfolio Strategy & Growth

• Lead the development and execution of strategies to sustain steady growth, deliver exceptional donor experiences and grow unrestricted revenue.
• Collaborate with fundraising teams to maximize donor acquisition, engagement, retention, and pipeline development through community engagement activities.
• Oversee diversified revenue streams, including fundraising events, sponsorship, participation-based fundraising, peer-to-peer initiatives, and community fundraising.
• Leverage data analytics and insight to inform strategy, optimize performance, and support sustainable growth.
• Establish performance measures and accountability frameworks to ensure achievement of revenue, engagement, and organizational goals.
• Manage portfolio budgets to ensure disciplined financial stewardship and revenue delivery.

Corporate Engagement Development

• In collaboration with the VP and peers, define and develop a comprehensive Foundation-wide corporate engagement framework and strategy
• Establish clear value propositions, tiered models and governance frameworks that support organization-wide relationship development,
• Engage and support senior volunteers in developing and strengthening corporate and community partnership relationships that drive sponsorship, engagement, and philanthropic support.
• Responsible for leading the development and solicitation of sponsorship asks, with the team, senior volunteers or colleagues as appropriate.
• Collaborate across teams to align corporate engagement opportunities with fundraising priorities, brand strategy, and donor engagement goals
• Strengthen corporate engagement pathways and scalable models to support long-term relationships and revenue growth.
• Identify, cultivate, and steward corporate and community partnerships that drive long-term value

Community Engagement & Relationship Development

• Lead the development of the Foundation’s strategy to expand engagement with diverse communities, industries, and audiences connected to the Hospital and Foundation.
• Identify and develop opportunities to expand reach and engagement with diverse audiences in support of the Foundation’s strategy and long-term health.
• Advance inclusive engagement practices that broaden representation and strengthen long-term support.

Donor Engagement & Foundation Events

• Oversee the development and execution of meaningful donor and partner experiences, including recognition events, milestone celebrations, tours, and cultivation gatherings.
• This position works collaboratively with colleagues across the Foundation to uphold Sunnybrook’s donor experience principles, strengthen relationships, and demonstrate the impact of philanthropy.
• Partner with Philanthropy, Marketing and Stewardship to ensure engagement activities reflect donor interests, demonstrate impact, and deepen relationships.
• Apply a donor-centric lens to all programming, elevating the overall engagement journey.
• Oversee the planning and delivery of Foundation-hosted events, including governance meetings, leadership engagements, volunteer appreciation, and large internal gatherings.
• Support an inclusive and connected Foundation culture through thoughtfully designed internal engagement opportunities.

Team & Operational Leadership

• Lead, mentor, and inspire a high-performing team of events and community engagement professionals. Establish clear goals, performance expectations, and development pathways.
• Foster a collaborative, accountable, and innovative team culture that supports cross-functional integration and continuous learning.
• Implement strong operational systems, processes, and project management practices to ensure excellence in execution
• Manage vendor, agency, and partner relationships to ensure quality, efficiency, and value.
• Serve as a strategic partner across departments to advance shared organizational objectives.

Requirements

Qualifications and Competencies

• Post-secondary education in a relevant field (i.e. non-profit management, events, fundraising) or equivalent work experience.
• Demonstrated progressive leadership experience in events or community engagement.
• Proven track record of planning and executing high-impact fundraising events and donor stewardship experiences that deliver strong revenue results, ROI and meaningful donor engagement.
• Experience leading and managing an events team, guiding and motivating staff with the ability to develop and mentor individuals and teams toward success.
• Proven success developing relationships with donors, sponsors, community members and stakeholders, engaging, and working with senior volunteers, physicians, and hospital administration (or equivalent) in a complex environment to advance the mission of the organization.
• Excellent analytical skills, with the ability to leverage and interpret data, measure performance, and make data-informed decisions to optimize fundraising outcomes.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to effectively collaborate with diverse stakeholders.
• Sound judgement with experience identifying and anticipating issues.
• Knowledge of industry regulations and compliance related to direct response fundraising, including data privacy and fundraising ethics.
• Familiarity with nonprofit CRMs and event platforms(e.g., BBCRM, Luminate, TeamRaiser, Engaging Networks) is an asset.
• Work comfortably in a highly collaborative environment; manage competing interests and maintain a positive, flexible, and responsive attitude.
• Demonstrated knowledge of and interest in promoting a culture of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility; previous experience and understanding of working with staff, volunteers, and donors from diverse cultural, socio-economic, and ethnic backgrounds.

Total Rewards Package

This role has been evaluated with an annual salary range of $160,000 – 205,000. The hiring range for this position is $160,000 – 180,000. The salary will be determined based on the successful candidate’s years of experience, qualifications and competencies that are relevant to this position. This position is also eligible for performance-based compensation.

In addition to salary, our competitive compensation package also includes, comprehensive health and dental benefits, HOOPP (Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan), hybrid work environment with a minimum of three (3) days in office, two (2) float days each fiscal year and additional Sunny Days (long weekend closures in advance of summer long weekends and Christmas Eve).

We thank all applicants in advance. Only those selected for an interview will be contacted. Sunnybrook Foundation does not use AI to screen job applications.

We know that everyone’s career journey looks a bit different and experience comes in many forms. If you’re unsure whether your experience matches all of the requirements but still think this would be a great fit, we encourage you to apply.

Sunnybrook Foundation values equity, diversity and inclusion within the workplace and is committed to fostering a work environment where employees can bring their whole selves to work, are valued for their diversity, and feel a sense of belonging.

Sunnybrook Foundation is committed to providing an inclusive and accessible recruitment experience for all candidates. If you require accommodations at any stage of the hiring process, please let us know when you are contacted.