Description

Director, Stewardship

THE OPPORTUNITY

CAMH Foundation is seeking a strategic, innovative, and influential leader as its inaugural Director, Stewardship. Building on the success of its No One Left Behind campaign and looking ahead to an ambitious new chapter of growth, CAMH Foundation is at a pivotal moment in its history, presenting a unique opportunity to shape and elevate its approach to donor stewardship, engagement, and recognition. The Director, Stewardship will bring fresh thinking, strategic vision, and rigour to this critical function, providing leadership to strengthen donor relationships, deepen engagement, and demonstrate the meaningful impact of philanthropy in advancing CAMH’s mission to transform mental health care.

Reporting to the Chief Development Officer and serving as a member of the Senior Leadership Team, the Director will build and lead a comprehensive stewardship strategy that strengthens donor relationships, advances engagement and retention, and supports long-term growth. With a particular focus on mid-level, corporate, major, transformational, and planned giving donors, including members of the Visionary Society ($1M+), the Director will elevate and strengthen how the Foundation recognizes, communicates with, and engages its supporters.

Working collaboratively with fundraising and cross-functional teams (Segment Leads, Operations, Event Activation, Marketing, and Impact Communications), the Director will champion an integrated and data-driven approach to stewardship and recognition, building shared understanding and accountability, and aligning donor engagement strategies, impact communications, and reporting to deliver meaningful, personalized donor experiences. Leveraging donor insights, analytics, and emerging technologies, the Director will optimize donor journeys, identify opportunities for more personalized engagement, and enhance how donors are recognized and connected to the impact of their philanthropy. 

The Director will have the opportunity to shape and build a high-performing stewardship function, including recruiting and coaching new staff, strengthening team capabilities, and fostering a collaborative, innovative, and results-oriented culture. 

The new incumbent will also play an important role in shaping the stewardship and recognition strategy for the Foundation’s next major fundraising campaign, helping to build on existing donor relationships while creating new opportunities for engagement.

CAMH Foundation currently operates a hybrid work model with a minimum of two days per week in the office at 100 Stokes Street in Toronto. 

ABOUT THE CENTRE FOR ADDICTION AND MENTAL HEALTH (CAMH)

The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) is Canada's largest mental health teaching hospital and one of the world's leading research centres in its field. CAMH is fully affiliated with the University of Toronto and is a Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization Collaborating Centre.

With a dedicated staff of more than 5,000 physicians, clinicians, researchers, educators, and support staff, CAMH offers outstanding clinical care to more than 38,000 patients each year. The organization conducts groundbreaking research, provides expert training to healthcare professionals and scientists, develops innovative health promotion and prevention strategies, and advocates on public policy issues at all levels of government. 

Vision

Health redefined.

Mission

We are dedicated to patient, family, and community well-being. We improve access to integrated care, answer the most difficult questions about mental illness and remove barriers to belonging. Together, we choose hope.

Values

Courage, respect, and excellence.

North Star Initiative

The researchers we attract today shape the treatments available to patients a decade from now. The North Star Initiative—our $10-million commitment to bring world-class mental health scientists to Canada—creates a clear landing place for leading researchers and accelerates the connection between discovery and care. By investing in the people and platforms the future of mental health research requires, CAMH ensures that bold, high-impact science happens here, in direct relationship with patients, clinicians and communities.

ABOUT CAMH FOUNDATION 

CAMH Foundation is charged with raising and stewarding funds in support of CAMH. Its role is to help transform the way we understand and address mental illness by raising awareness and increasing engagement across the country. Generous and dedicated supporters help CAMH advance discovery and innovation, build spaces that promote recovery, and break down the stigma of mental illness.

CAMH Foundation drives change for mental health. We inspire philanthropy that enables leading-edge research, care, and education at CAMH—Canada’s leading hospital for mental health. The CAMH Foundation team of over 95 staff works closely with donors, sponsors, partners, and stakeholders to advance this work. 

CAMH Foundation raises funds for the highest priority needs of the hospital. With these funds, CAMH advances world-leading research, delivers high-quality clinical care, educates the mental health care professionals of the future, builds new patient care facilities, and raises awareness.

CAMH’s work has never been more important. Our donors have helped lay the foundation for discovery and excellence at CAMH. We are now seeing the results of the many years of support through the historic No One Left Behind campaign, the world’s largest fundraising campaign to support hospital-based mental health research. Finding mental health support shouldn’t leave you feeling more lost. At CAMH, we’re revolutionizing the way people access mental health care. Our promise, “No One Left Behind,” means creating clear, accessible pathways to support for everyone, no matter who or where they are.

This campaign raised over $600 million, surpassing its $500-million goal. The groundswell of support from our CAMH community of donors, advocates and champions has inspired us. With their support, we have funded critical research and advanced construction on two new buildings, including the Temerty Discovery Centre, which is nearing completion.

In 2025-2026, CAMH received a total of $114 million in grants from the Foundation with 86.2 per cent directed to capital and redevelopment, 12.2 per cent to research, 1.6 per cent to programs and less than 0.1 per cent to education.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Strategy and Portfolio Oversight: Donor Engagement Programs

• Serve as a member of the Senior Leadership Team, contributing to organizational strategy, planning, and decision-making. 
• Lead the strategic design and development of donor engagement programs aligned with priority donor segments and organizational goals.
• Oversee the implementation and execution of donor engagement programs, ensuring alignment with strategic priorities and delivery of meaningful donor experiences.
• Provide strategic direction for the evaluation, prioritization, and scaling of emerging donor programs and engagement opportunities.
• Partner with cross-functional teams (Segment Leads, Operations, Event Activation, Marketing, Impact Communications) to identify donor needs and opportunities to enhance the donor experience of priority donor communities through donor programs. 
• Enable cross-functional teams to execute engagement strategies that effectively steward and cultivate donors, providing guidance, training, and ongoing oversight to ensure stewardship responsibilities embedded across teams are clearly understood, consistently executed and recorded.
• Optimize donor journeys, ensuring the delivery of integrated, multi-channel engagement strategies (in person, events, written communications, digital, etc.) for priority donor groups.
• Leverage data, research, and donor insights to establish benchmarks, inform program strategy, and guide continuous improvement. 
• Oversee the development and mobilization of the standardized engagement strategies and frameworks across donor segments. 
• Collaborate with internal partners to identify and address gaps in the donor journey, improving experience and removing barriers. 
• Lead strategic initiatives to expand and diversify the donor base, including engagement with emerging audiences (e.g., cultural and entertainment leaders, content creators).
• Oversee the development and implementation of a standardized recognition strategy and matrix, ensuring alignment across segments and programs.

Strategy and Governance Leadership: Stewardship and Recognition

• Working closely with the Chief Development Officer, lead the development of a comprehensive stewardship program for Leadership, Major Gift, and Transformational donors, establishing the vision, strategy, priorities, goals, and roadmap for implementation.
• Provide strategic oversight of the execution, monitoring, and continuous improvement of stewardship and recognition plans, ensuring alignment with organizational priorities.
• Establish and oversee stewardship strategies that ensure meaningful donor engagement, recognition, and communications, reinforcing the impact of philanthropy in advancing CAMH’s mission.
• Provide leadership, strategic direction, and prioritization across the Foundation in advocating for and responding to the needs of Visionary donors ($1M+).
• Lead the creation of the next Campaign’s stewardship, recognition, and donor engagement strategy, in partnership with the Chief Development Officer and in consultation with partners across the Foundation and hospital.
• Collaborate with the Director, Impact Communications, to ensure delivery of the stewardship reporting, focusing on quality, alignment, and cross-functional coordination.
• Provide strategic oversight of systems, processes, and frameworks that support the donor journey, leveraging CRM technology, data, and reporting to track stewardship activities, measure engagement, and optimize workflows, while collaborating with the Business Operations team leads.
• Oversee the execution of naming opportunities and recognition of No One Left Behind Campaign donors.
• Advance donor recognition strategies beyond traditional physical recognition, introducing creative, donor-centred approaches that encourage giving to hospital priorities and unrestricted funds.
• Establish and uphold enterprise-wide standards and quality assurance practices for donor communications and recognition materials, ensuring consistency, accuracy, and timely fulfillment of donor commitments and benefits, and alignment with organizational priorities across all key constituencies. 
• Monitor and evaluate the progress and effectiveness of stewardship initiatives, using data, insights and clearly defined KPIs to drive accountability, support continuous improvement, inform strategy, and optimize outcomes in pursuit of operational excellence.
• Champion a positive, collaborative, and cross-functional team environment to deliver integrated and high-impact stewardship experiences with the ability to influence colleagues across the broader organizations fostering shared accountability and alignment in contributing to stewardship deliverables.
• Define and guide personalized communication strategies that keep donors meaningfully informed about the impact of their support, including key breakthroughs, achievements, and broader organizational priorities, aligned with individual donor preferences. 
• Lead the development of innovative stewardship approaches and engagement frameworks that leverage emerging technologies and digital storytelling to support highly personalized donor experiences that satisfy shifting donor expectations while strengthening long-term philanthropic growth.

People Management and Culture

• Lead and develop a team of six, providing clear direction, coaching, and accountability to drive performance and achieve results.
• Empower frontline fundraisers with tools and stewardship content to build effective, long-lasting donor relationships.
• Oversee human resource activity for direct reports including recruiting and onboarding, goal setting, performance management, development, and engagement initiatives.
• Build team capability through ongoing coaching, mentorship, and talent development, supporting career progression.
• Foster an inclusive, collaborative, accountable, and donor-centered team culture within the team and throughout the Foundation.
• Represent the Stewardship team on various CAMH Foundation working groups.
• Perform and supervise work in accordance with applicable provisions of the Occupational Health and Safety Act and Regulations, Foundation HR policies and applicable CAMH Policies.
• Foster a work environment that embraces diversity, equity, and inclusion, and is free of harassment and discrimination.

Operations, Technology & Performance Management 

• Participate in budget planning for stewardship and donor engagement activities
• Establish clear goals, metrics, and best practices for donor stewardship and engagement performance.
• Collaborates with Operations, Marketing, and other partners to ensure the necessary systems, data, processes, and digital capabilities support stewardship strategies.
• Partner with hospital and foundation leadership to align campaign priorities, funding objectives, and donor engagement activities.
• Ensure that all stewardship and recognition plans and activities are developed and executed to the highest standards, safeguarding, and enhancing the organization’s reputation with both internal and external stakeholders.

QUALIFICATIONS AND COMPETENCIES

• A minimum of 10 years of progressive experience in donor stewardship, major gifts, and/or fundraising campaigns.
• Experience in a hospital or university fundraising environment is an asset.
• Demonstrated knowledge and experience in donor-centered stewardship and relationship management practices. 
• Vision and the ability to think strategically with a creative and entrepreneurial mindset.
• Strong strategic thinking and operational planning capabilities.
• Experience leading and developing high-performing teams, with strong people management skills. 
• Advanced analytical skills, including metrics development, evaluation and reporting. 
• Proven project management and execution skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment. 
• Ability to navigate and be effective within a complex organization that values collaboration in addition to individuality and creativity.
• Exceptional communication and writing skills, with the ability to tailor messaging to diverse audiences and stakeholders. 
• Demonstrated ability to build and maintain effective relationships with senior stakeholders, including volunteers and executives. 
• Proven ability to pursue excellence while fostering a collaborative, team-oriented work environment.
• Proficiency in Raiser’s Edge, Qlik Sense, Power BI, Microsoft Office, or equivalent tools.
• Strong attention to detail, judgment, and problem-solving ability. 
• A growth mindset, self-motivated, and a dedicated team player.
• Passionate about making a difference, especially in the mental health community.
• Flexible and open to expanding and evolving the role.
• Willingness to work flexible hours, including attending events in the evenings.
• A University degree or equivalent experience.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

KCI Search + Talent has been retained to conduct this search on behalf of CAMH Foundation. For more information about this leadership opportunity, please email Meredith Roberts, Senior Consultant, KCI Search + Talent, at CAMHStewardship@kcitalent.com.

To view full position brief, please visit www.kcitalent.com 

Interested candidates are invited to send a resume and letter of interest to the email address listed above by November 20, 2026.

The hiring salary range for this position is $140,000 to $170,000 with comprehensive health benefits and enrollment in the Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan (HOOPP). 

CAMH Foundation is an equal-opportunity employer. We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations and will work with you to meet your needs. If you are a person with a disability and require assistance during the application process, please don’t hesitate to reach out to the KCI Search Consultants. We celebrate our inclusive work environment and welcome members of all backgrounds and perspectives to apply. 

CAMH is fully affiliated with the University of Toronto and is a teaching hospital and research institute. As a CAMH employee, you will be expected to actively support CAMH’s teaching and research activities, in addition to supporting the clinical work of the hospital.

At CAMH, we strive to be an equitable and inclusive employer. Our commitment to equity is grounded in an institution-wide commitment to achieving a working, teaching, and learning environment that is free of discrimination and harassment.

CAMH actively seeks candidates from First Nations, Métis and Inuit, racialized and LGBTQ2S+ communities, women, and people with disabilities (including people who have experienced mental health and substance use challenges).

CAMH is a Tobacco-Free Organization.

Requirements

• A minimum of 10 years of progressive experience in donor stewardship, major gifts, and/or fundraising campaigns.
• Experience in a hospital or university fundraising environment is an asset.
• Demonstrated knowledge and experience in donor-centered stewardship and relationship management practices.
• Vision and the ability to think strategically with a creative and entrepreneurial mindset.
• Strong strategic thinking and operational planning capabilities.
• Experience leading and developing high-performing teams, with strong people management skills.
• Advanced analytical skills, including metrics development, evaluation and reporting.
• Proven project management and execution skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to navigate and be effective within a complex organization that values collaboration in addition to individuality and creativity.
• Exceptional communication and writing skills, with the ability to tailor messaging to diverse audiences and stakeholders.
• Demonstrated ability to build and maintain effective relationships with senior stakeholders, including volunteers and executives.
• Proven ability to pursue excellence while fostering a collaborative, team-oriented work environment.
• Proficiency in Raiser’s Edge, Qlik Sense, Power BI, Microsoft Office, or equivalent tools.
• Strong attention to detail, judgment, and problem-solving ability.
• A growth mindset, self-motivated, and a dedicated team player.
• Passionate about making a difference, especially in the mental health community.
• Flexible and open to expanding and evolving the role.
• Willingness to work flexible hours, including attending events in the evenings.
• A University degree or equivalent experience.