Philanthropy Officer, Foundations & Major Gifts

This is a Full Time Job

We are currently hiring for the position of:

PHILANTHROPY OFFICER, FOUNDATIONS & MAJOR GIFTS

The Philanthropy Officer, Foundations & Major Gifts is a critical frontline fundraiser responsible for managing and growing a portfolio of approximately 50 - 75 institutional donors and prospects contributing $25,000 annually. Reporting to the Senior Director, Philanthropy, this role leads TIFF’s foundations and corporate philanthropy fundraising portfolios, with an annual portfolio revenue target of $1M, and is responsible for qualifying prospects, developing tailored proposals and solicitation materials, and advancing strategic institutional relationships that support TIFF’s year-round activities and the Festival.

The role also leads TIFF’s endowment activity and related reporting. Working closely with colleagues across Advancement Operations, Corporate Partnerships, Finance, Legal, Loyalty, Marketing, Programming, TIFF: The Market, and other internal teams, the successful candidate will bring strong relationship-building and writing skills, sound fundraising judgment, exceptional organizational and prioritization abilities, disciplined follow-through, and a genuine love of film to deliver high-quality donor experiences and strong fundraising outcomes.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Shall include but not be limited to:

Foundations: Lead the strategy for TIFF’s foundations fundraising portfolio, with a focus on researching, identifying, qualifying, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding foundation prospects and funders. Manage and grow relationships with foundation donors and prospects contributing $25,000, with responsibility for advancing a FY26 net-new foundations target of $500,000. Research and pursue new foundation funding at the major gifts level, building and sustaining long-term philanthropic support for TIFF. Build and maintain a healthy qualified pipeline of foundation prospects in alignment with team priorities. Create compelling, personalized letters of inquiry, proposals, briefing notes, stewardship reports, impact updates, and special solicitation correspondence tailored to foundation funders. Work closely with the Senior Director, Philanthropy, and internal stakeholders to devise specific strategies, goals, and timelines for successful foundation solicitations and renewals. Collaborate across departments to gather content, budgets, impact metrics, and other inputs required for high-quality submissions and reports.

Corporate Philanthropy: Lead the strategy for TIFF’s corporate philanthropy fundraising portfolio within the Philanthropy portfolio. Manage and grow relationships with corporate philanthropy donors and prospects contributing $25,000. Research and pursue new corporate philanthropy funding at the major gifts level, building and sustaining long-term philanthropic support for TIFF. Work closely with TIFF’s Corporate Partnerships team to identify aligned prospects, coordinate outreach, and develop creative funding opportunities that complement broader partnership activity. Develop and execute tailored cultivation, solicitation, renewal, and stewardship strategies for corporate philanthropy supporters. Create compelling, personalized proposals, briefing notes, stewardship reports, impact updates, and special solicitation correspondence for corporate philanthropy audiences.

Endowment: Support and help grow TIFF’s endowment fundraising activity. Manage stewardship, reporting, and coordination related to endowed gifts. Track endowment-related commitments and reporting obligations, ensuring accuracy, timeliness, and strong donor follow-through. Develop donor materials and updates related to endowed support, in collaboration with internal stakeholders as required.

ADDITIONAL DUTIES
• Support the Senior Director, Philanthropy, the Chief Business & Marketing Officer, other members of the Senior Management Team, and senior volunteers on a high-volume, comprehensive fundraising outreach process, including donor calls, meetings, proposal development, contract development, and strategic follow-up.
• Maintain a thorough and accurate understanding of TIFF’s strategic objectives, programs, benefits, and funding priorities in order to effectively connect supporters to meaningful funding opportunities.
• Collaborate with colleagues across departments to develop creative funding opportunities and fundraising strategies.
• Provide key support in the development, implementation, and roll-out of new campaigns and other priority fundraising initiatives, as appropriate.
• Articulate the value of supporting the goals and mission of TIFF, as well as priority programs including Festival, Next Wave, talent development, year-round programming, education, and other strategic initiatives.
• Work closely with Philanthropy Department colleagues regarding fundraising initiatives and opportunities in executing stewardship and donor engagement activities.
• Continuously monitor the status of current donors and identify prospects for new gifts, upgrades, renewals, and long-term engagement.
• Support the planning and execution of fundraising events and donor experiences, including TIFF Tribute Awards, where appropriate.
• Attend and work at the annual Festival (September each year) and events throughout the year at TIFF Lightbox.

ADMINISTRATIVE DUTIES
• Maintain data integrity of portfolio, including entering and updating prospect and donor contact reports, opportunities, and proposals in the Raiser’s Edge database according to established protocols.
• Collect and gather data for reports and inquiries and maintain foundations, corporate philanthropy, endowment, and planned giving tracking.
• Support accurate and timely revenue reporting, proposal tracking, stewardship schedules, and pipeline monitoring.
• Respond to phone calls and emails from donors received through the TIFF website or through other departments, providing high-level customer service.
• Ensure that all relevant SOPs are followed and kept up to date.

JOB GRADE & SALARY
• Job Grade 3
• Management Position

TARGET START DATE
• June 1, 2026

WORK LOCATION
• Office Location: 350 King Street West, Toronto, ON M5V 3X5
• Weekly in-office requ