Black Creek Community Farm, Development Manager (Maternity Leave)

We are currently seeking the ideal candidate to fill the position of:

Development Manager

We are an 8-acre farm in the heart of the Jane and Finch neighbourhood in Toronto. We are a not-for-profit organization and leader in Torontos dynamic urban agriculture and community food sector. At Black Creek Community Farm we serve and enrich our community through a thriving farm healthy food and hands-on training and learning experiences. Our focus is to inspire the next generation by providing leadership in food justice and supporting diverse and social ecosystems.

Main Tasks:

The Development Manager will be responsible for designing leading growing and implementing all fundraising events and communications efforts for Black Creek Community Farm (BCCF). This role will work closely with BCCFs Executive Director to oversee the planning and implementation of fund development initiatives such as direct mail planned giving corporate requests and sponsorships foundation campaigns mid-level and major gifts and donor recognition. As a supporting member of BCCFs management team this role will work collaboratively to shape a positive work culture and deliver programs and services that advance BCCFs food justice centered mission and vision.

Duties include (but are not limited to):

• Support Executive Director in the development of the annual fundraising plan and budget.
• Design and execute individual giving plans employing key metrics for measuring ROI across direct mail and online giving channels.
• Manage revenue development and lead fundraising programs such as End of the Year annual campaign corporate sponsorship Farm Fundraising Dinner small scale fundraising events other digital campaigns etc.
• Develop and implement strategies and tactics to grow funding from all sources including existing and new one-time and monthly individual donors public and private foundations corporate donors and sponsors fundraising events and targeted grant applications.
• Manage all aspects of donor stewardship throughout the full life-cycle of giving from donor identification making the request securing gifts and ongoing support and recognition of donors.
• Oversee gift acceptance and collaborate with Foodshare Development team in depositing gifts cheques and tax receipts
• Develop and maintain database use and management for donor records and acknowledgements.
• Collaborate with the FoodShare Development team with online giving platforms such as CanadaHelps.
• Track evaluate and report on fundraising program performance across all campaigns and giving channels.

• Design and execute an annual direct mail campaign which includes identifying key content themes target audience and performance tracking measures and developing letter content.
• Maintain a current monthly donor base through regular appeals and stewardship and develop a plan for growth.
• Develop and steward major donors and prospects as directed.

• Manage portfolio of corporate donors as well as multiple smaller and/or occasional corporate partnerships.
• Develop proposals and implement annual partnership plans for corporate donors including coordinating recognition activities such as group volunteer days support in preparing impact reports and implementing ongoing stewardship.
• Contribute to regular prospecting of potential corporate partners in accordance with the annual fundraising plan and revenue targets.
• Provide support to solicit in-kind donations from event sponsors vendors and prospects as required.

• Oversee and manage annual communications promotional strategies and associated budget in support of BCCF planning and revenue targets along with
• Manage and collaborate with staff to grow corporate programs events and overall BCCF Communications
• Organize and implement fundraising opportunities and events for the organization.
• Lead the planning and execution of external teambuilding public awareness and promotional strategies for new and existing initiatives projects campaigns and events.
• Assess potential risk to organizational brand and reputation providing timely management and response strategies.
• Work with BCCF staff to ensure that the farm and BCCF programs communications complement one another and align with our organizational mission
• Support program teams in identifying preparing and submitting grant applications to prospective funders.
• Coordinate monthly/quarterly Development e-newsletters in mailchimp
• Provide supervision to staff within the Development team
• Participate in BCCF Management Team meetings other internal committees staff meetings and staff training.

• Other duties as assigned

Required Qualifications Knowledge and Experience

• A passion for nonprofit fundraising and an understanding of its importance in social change work
• Demonstrated commitment to the principles of food justice and our mission vision and policies.
• At least 3 years of relevant experience in development preferably in the nonprofit sector.
• At least 3 years of experience securing major donors
• At least 2 years of experience facilitating donor stewardship
• At least 2 years experience supervising administrative staff volunteers and/or interns.
• Organization and project management skills with the ability to multitask and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment with multiple stakeholders.
• Advanced written and verbal communications skills with a demonstrated ability to produce clear and mission-aligned communications.
• Ability to integrate the value of volunteerism into staff and volunteer relations fundraising initiatives and donor engagement/stewardship activities.
• Solid understanding of social media platforms and the importance of integrated fundraising and communications efforts that work together effectively to convert followers to supporters.
• Digital literacy and familiarity with tools such as donor management databases MailChimp Google Analytics et al.
• Knowledge of design and design software (Adobe Canva Mailchimp).

Note: If you do not meet all of the above criteria but you do think this job is perfect for you we would still love to see your application.

Job Requirements:

• Must be legally authorized to work in Canada.
• This role directly supports BCCFs on-site community and fundraising events.
• • It will be necessary for the successful candidate to work occasional evenings weekends and/or holidays as required anticipating at least 5x a year.
  • Must be be able to navigate farm space for example uneven ground gravel surfaces soft/soil surfaces and grassy/woodchip pathways
  • Must be able and willing to work at events that are outdoors in various weather conditions.

Total Compensation & Benefits:

• Salary: $72000/Annually
• Contract Type: Salaried Fixed Term Contract (37.5 hours per week)
• Duration: 1 year maternity leave coverage
• Reports to: BCCF Director
• Supervises: Social Impact Educator including volunteers and Interns when required.

• Vacation: 4 weeks paid vacation per year prorated based on start date
• Location(s) of Position:Hybrid work environment that enables individuals and teams to split their time between working remotely from home and in-office with no defined minimum amount of time in-office. Occasional travel to the Black Creek Community Farm (4929 Jane Street) and other locations is expected until our COVID-19 protocols are lifted. Once lifted this role is expected to operate from the Black Creek Community Farm a few days a week and from other sites occasionally which will be discussed with the supervisor.

• Anticipated start date: June 1 2026
• Health Benefit Reimbursement : Up to $1000 per calendar year prorated based on start date.

Additional Leave:

• Personal Leave Days: 10 paid personal leave days per year prorated based on start date
• Wellness Days: 20 paid wellness days/sick leave per year prorated based on start date

*Note: As part of FoodShares commitment to equity salaries and benefits are non-negotiable

* Note that as part of Black Creek Community Farms commitment to equity all staff get equal pay for equal work. As a result salaries and benefits are non-negotiable.

TO APPLY: Please submit your resume and cover letter by 5:00pm on Friday May 1 2026

Selection Process:

1. The selection process begins with an initial screening of application materials conducted by FoodShares HR team. This process takes at least 2 weeks from the application deadline.
2. The hiring committee will review the applications that pass the initial screening and decide which to invite to interview. This process usually takes about 1 week.
3. The hiring committee will conduct first round interviews with selected candidates. Candidates will be sent the interview questions 48 hours in advance of their scheduled interview. Candidates are welcome but not expected or required to send any questions they have for the hiring committee in advance of the interview. These usually occur about 4 weeks after the application deadline.

In recognition of the time and labour of preparing for and attending an interview BCCF financially compensates interviewees at a fixed rate of $75 per interview.

1. An additional task (such as preparing a sample workshop outline) and/or interview may be included if deemed necessary by the hiring committee.
2. HR will conduct reference checks for the candidate they intend to extend an offer to. This process usually takes about 1 week.
3. HR will send the selected candidate an Employment Agreement which the candidate will have time to review and return.

Please note:

BCCF is a member of FoodShare Torontos Supportive Partnerships Platform staff hired for these positions will be employed by FoodShare Toronto and their work location will be Black Creek Community Farm.

Black Creek Community Farm is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity and inclusion. We are pleased to consider all qualified applicants for employment without regard to race colour religion sex sexual orientation gender national origin age disability protected veterans status or any other legally-protected factors.

If you feel you need accommodation during the application process please do not hesitate to contact Human Resources at your earliest convenience. You will also be briefed on FoodShares policies regarding accommodation and the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act.

Required Experience:

Manager