Vice President, Philanthropy (IJM Canada)

About Us

International Justice Mission (IJM) is the global leader in protecting vulnerable people from violence around the world. Our team of over 1200 professionals are at work worldwide in over 30 offices. Together we are on a mission to rescue millions protect half a billion and make justice unstoppable.

We are a global community that cares for one another. We believe that the way we work is as important as the results we achieve. We provide professional excellence with joy and celebration to all those we serve.

Job Brief

Overview: The Vice President (VP) Philanthropy is a national leadership role responsible for driving IJM Canadas fundraising growth and deepening engagement with Principal Major and Mid-level donors. This position oversees strategic portfolio development donor cultivation agile execution and team leadership to scale revenue and impact.

The VP leads IJM Canadas one-to-one fundraising teams including the Development (Major and Principal donors) and Development Growth (Mid-level donors) programs while managing a personal portfolio of mid-level and major donors. This role is pivotal in achieving revenue targets building donor communities and aligning development strategies across departments and with global IJM teams. As the team expands the VP will increasingly focus on executive-level leadership and organizational strategy.

As a member of IJM Canadas Leadership Team the VP contributes to setting organizational direction and collaborates closely with colleagues in Canada and IJMs international offices. Success in this role requires strategic oversight relational fundraising expertise data-driven decision-making and a deep passion for justice. Approximately 40% travel within Canada and internationally is expected.

This position is Mississauga-based and requires strong credibility and networks within the GTA along with regular in-office presence for collaboration with the CEO and senior leadership.

Key Result Areas: The success of this role is measured by the following KRAs:

1. Portfolio Strategy & Execution
   • Drive significant revenue impact by managing a personal portfolio of 100 high-value Mid-level and Major/Principal donors through strategic relationship-based moves management.
   • Maximize donor potential by partnering with team members and the North American Data & Insights team to tier portfolios (A/B/C) ensuring prioritized outreach and engagement for the highest return.
   • Increase donor loyalty and giving outcomes by designing and executing personalized engagement plans informed by giving history cadence passion alignment and aspirational giving goals.
2. Donor Growth & Revenue Advancement
   • Improve donor retention and lifetime value across Mid-level and Major/Principal segments driving sustained revenue growth.
   • Expand IJM Canadas high-net-worth donor base and brand presence by leading efforts to implement future capital campaigns and major fundraising initiatives with a focus on engaging diverse communities.
   • Recover and re-engage lapsed donors through targeted strategies while supporting team-wide initiatives that lift overall donor engagement and national revenue.
   • Deliver high-impact cultivation experiences by overseeing major donor strategies and events in partnership with IJM leadership and Creative Services resulting in deeper relationships and increased giving.
   • Achieve aggressive revenue growth increasing annual philanthropic income from approximately $4M to $10M within 45 years
3. Team Leadership & Strategic Development
   • Build and lead a high-performing national team of Directors of Development & Mobilization Development Growth Relationship Representatives and operational staff ensuring alignment with IJMs mission and revenue goals.
   • Institutionalize best-in-class moves management practices for donor cultivation and stewardship across Mid-level and Major/Principal programs driving consistent and measurable donor engagement outcomes.
   • Accelerate team capability and performance through strategic coaching training and development fostering a culture of excellence and mission-driven impact.
   • Expand leadership influence by balancing operational oversight with executive-level strategic direction as the team scales ensuring long-term growth and sustainability.
4. Collaboration & Organizational Influence
   • Shape organizational strategy as an active member of the Leadership Team ensuring philanthropy priorities drive IJM Canadas mission and revenue growth.
   • Deliver integrated supporter engagement strategies by partnering cross-functionally with the Partnership Marketing and Mass Support teams to strengthen IJMs brand and donor experience.
   • Expand IJMs visibility and influence by representing the organization at high-impact events conferences and donor engagements nationwide securing new relationships and deepening existing ones.
   • Leverage global collaboration by building strong connections with IJMs Global Resource & Marketing team the US Philanthropy team and other Advancement offices to align strategies and share best practices for donor growth.
5. Data Management & Reporting
   
   • Ensure data integrity and actionable insights by maintaining accurate donor records forecasting revenue and tracking engagement activities in Salesforce and related tools.
   • Drive informed decision-making through regular reporting on KPIs progress to targets and strategic trends for the CEO and VP of Development & Marketing.
   • Enable high-impact executive engagement by producing comprehensive briefing notes and donor profiles that strengthen relationships and accelerate giving outcomes.

Responsibilities
Strategy Knowledge Development & Implementation

• Participate as a member of the Leadership team to shape IJM Canadas strategic goals and direction.
• Build and execute a nation strategy for cultivating soliciting and stewarding donors give $1200 annually.
• Collaborate with Data and Insights to identify and track Key Performance Targets and leverage insights gathered to adjust donor engagement strategies.
• Ensure the development and implementation of personalized donor engagement strategies informed by donor insights and performance data.
• Develop pipeline movement plans that move donors from mid-level to major and major to principle.
• Lead a team of fundraisers and donor engagement directors provide coaching accountability and skill development.
• Collaborate with IJMC Marketing Finance Mobilization as well as Global Resources and Global Programs to support integrated fundraising planning and messaging.

Donor Growth and Revenue Advancement

• Major and Principal
  • Personally manage a portfolio of top major and principal donors nationally.
  • Conduct donor meetings
  • Lead cultivation and solicitation for major and principal gifts
  • Develop standardized and customized proposals reports and stewardship touchpoints connected with IJMs Global Program Pathway
• Mid-level Donors
  • Oversee the team and operations coordinator
  • Ensure consistent mid-level donor journeys personalized communications phone outreach tailor reports and donor upgrades.
  • Integrate direct engagement and personal outreach to deepen engagement of high value mid-level donor prospects to move them toward major giving readiness.
  • Analyze donor life cycle KPIs and identify upgrade opportunities
• Partner with the CEO and Board to strategically engage their networks for cultivation and solicitation opportunities.
• Initiative Development
  • Develop and lead thematic or regional fundraising initiatives
  • Partner with Global Resource Team to design donor experiences that connect donors or prospects to meaningful engagement opportunities.
  • Create multi-year gifts strategy to sustain and grow major and principal-level commitments

Team Leadership and Collateral Development

• Supervise Development Directions and Development Growth Representatives as well as Operational Leads for both teams
• Conduct one-on-ones and coaching on portfolio strategy donor conversation and moves management.
• Work with internal teams to ensure all donor-facing communications align with IJMs brand and voice.
• Tailor messaging to reflect donor interests and demonstrate IJMs impact through compelling storytelling.
• Work with the Global Resource team IJMC Marketing and Mass Engagement team and other teams to support the production of donor materials such as impacts updates appeals reports etc.
• Ensure proposal are accurate and impact reporting is credible.

Collaboration & Partnerships

• Develop and maintain partnerships with nonprofit and development sector peers.
• Engage and maintain relationships with relevant corporate and large church leaders to build interest and engagement with IJM.
• Represent IJM at major and principal-level donor meetings events or major church partners.
• Attend relevant internal and external events
• Represent IJM Canada and faith-based and justice-oriented events networks and communities.
• Work cross-functionally with Church Mobilization Marketing and Mass Engagement as well as Administrative Services to ensure integrated supporter engagement.
• Engage with philanthropy leaders in other Advancement Offices and the Global Resource team to share and learn from best practices collaborate on initiatives and provide insights to inform supports received from the Global Resource team.

Documentation Reporting & Data Integrity

• Oversee the use of Salesforce to manage donor records portfolios moves and donor engagement metrics.
• Review analysis and leverage donor life-cycle data reports from Data and Insights to track
  • Donor acquisition retention and cultivation metrics
    1. Conversions and upgrades
  • Progress toward Major/Principal and Mid-level segment revenue targets
• Track number of meaningful contacts and solicitations
• Track other leading performance indicators to support strategy adjustments or additions.
• Conduct quarterly review of pipeline health and donor movement across segments.

Education & Experience

1. Bachelors degree required; Masters degree preferred.
2. Minimum 710 years of experience in donor relations major gift fundraising or nonprofit development.
3. Minimum 4-5 years of experience in a management role leading high-performing fundraising teams.
4. Proven success in personally managing a large portfolio of mid-level or major donors.
5. Led or made a significant contribution to realizing fundraising revenue of 10 million or more from major/principal donors.
6. Demonstrated experience as a skilled senior leader for major and principal fundraising as well as mid-level.
7. Experience working in faith-based or justice-oriented organizations an asset.

Technical Competencies

1. Strategic Donor Portfolio Management
2. Project & Campaign Management
3. Salesforce CRM or equivalent donor management platform
4. Fundraising Data Analysis & Reporting
5. Fluency in French and/or Spanish is an asset

Non-Technical Competencies

1. Strategic thinker and results-driven
2. Relational empathetic and persuasive communicator
3. Collaborative leadership style
4. High integrity and professionalism
5. Emotionally and spiritually mature
6. Organized and adaptable in a fast-paced environment
7. Committed to IJMs mission and values
8. Donor Communications & Storytelling
9. Public Speaking & Presentation Skills

Other Duties

This job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive list of activities duties or responsibilities for the position. Duties responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice. All positions are required to perform any additional tasks assigned by the supervisor. This position will require up to 40% travel regular visits to IJM Canadas headquarters in Mississauga Ontario quarterly visits to IJMs international headquarters in Washington DC and Chicago offices and some international travel.

IJM holds strict safeguarding principles and a zero tolerance to violations of the Safeguarding Policy Protection against Sexual Exploitation Abuse and Harassment Policy and Code of Ethics. Candidate selection is based on technical competence recruitment selection and hiring criteria subject to assessing the candidates value congruence and thorough background police clearance and reference check processes.

This posting is for a current vacancy. Our hiring process does not involve the use of artificial intelligence to screen assess or select applicants.

Required Experience:

Senior Exec