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Full-time 12-month temporary position 

Anticipated start date: November 3 – 10, 2020

Good isn’t good enough. At Why Not Theatre, we’re out for better. 

We shake up the status quo to make the world we want to see. A world where everyone can achieve their full potential. We question everything. Rethink how stories are told. And who gets to tell them. We believe in art. It’s how we make change. We MAKE great work that takes chances, and tours all over the world. We SHARE everything we have, because more artists mean more stories. We PROVOKE change because we believe art should be for everyone. We push boundaries, build community, and find new ways. We represent Toronto, at home and on the world stage. We are led by a core team of Founding Artistic Director Ravi Jain, Executive Director Kelly Read and Associate Artistic Director Miriam Fernandes.

Founded 13 years ago, Why Not has been on a rapid growth trajectory – currently we have a $1.5 million operating budget, a team of 10 full-time and 3 part-time, and over a dozen projects underway across Canada and the world. In the coming years, we will be scaling up our impact with large scale productions, international touring, and innovative projects to remove barriers for artists and audiences. We are looking for an energetic and savvy Fundraiser for a 12 month mat-leave replacement to join our crew, working in collaboration with the Artistic Director and the core leadership team of Why Not Theatre.

You are someone who:

• wants to be part of a dynamic team;
• is willing to learn some basic ASL;
• is sharp and a quick learner;
• has a passion for theatre and performing arts;
• is genuinely interested in people, in creating relationships, and building partnerships;
• is able to manage multiple projects and priorities in parallel;
• is adaptable and able to shift gears frequently;
• is digitally savvy and operates well in a paperless environment with tools like Google Drive, Slack, Asana, etc;
• has experience using Fundraising CRM’s (bonus points for knowing Salesforce);
• likes collaborating and working closely with many kinds of partners – artists, producers, production managers, vendors, audiences, and donors (to name a few);
• is a self-starter and can work independently;
• is articulate, with a knack for storytelling, both oral and written;
• has prior experience writing correspondence, reports, requests, and other compelling fundraising copy;
• has experience in coordinating fundraising events;
• is excited by the prospect of raising $1M in 2021.

You would be responsible for:

• FUNDRAISING
  • • developing and executing all private fundraising (Individual, Foundation & Corporate)  in collaboration with Artistic Director, using current 2021 fundraising strategy as a guideline; 
    • identifying, cultivating and managing prospects, donors, and corporate partnerships;
    • moving top prospects through the donor cycle, preparing strategies and briefing notes for calls and completion of call follow-up; 
    • collaborating with Artistic Director to book meetings with prospective donors;
    • managing key dates for applications and reporting processes for all corporate and foundational portals;
    • maintaining donor database in Salesforce;
    • creating all written copy for fundraising materials;
    • collaborating with Artistic Director on all new fundraising initiatives;
    • liaising with the Board of Directors.

• EVENTS & ENGAGEMENT
  • • supporting and contributing to the design and execution of annual stewardship and fundraising events both online and in person;
    • coordinating all ThisGen fellowship program events;

• MARKETING
  • • collaborating with Marketing & Communications on all fundraising materials (campaigns, donor newsletters, invitations, etc.);
    • ensuring that all donors and sponsors are recognized accordingly on printed and online materials working directly with Producers.

• RELATIONSHIPS
  • • being the primary contact person for all donors in your portfolio;
    • helping develop a stewardship plan for new donors based on that individual donor’s interests and needs;
    • maintaining good relationships with current donors and building positive relationships with potential donors;
    • working with the various producers on managing complimentary tickets, VIPs invites, donor benefits, organization of online and live fundraising events, etc.

How much time will it take?

This 12-month mat-leave replacement will take approximately 40 hours per week, flexible hours between Mon-Fri 10-6pm; specific schedule to be mutually agreed upon. Work may be completed remotely when possible. Given the nature of performances and fundraising activities, there may be some evenings and weekends, with the flexibility to take time off elsewhere as appropriate. 

In order to apply, please send us:

• your resumé (1 – 2 pages)
• a cover letter – tell us about why you would be a good fit for this role, at this company, and what experience you have in fundraising and partnerships, and at what scale. We’d also love to know if you have other skills or talents like speaking other languages, for example. Lastly, let us know what the last production you saw live or online was, and what you thought of it.
• optional material – you may attach up to one pdf of a successful fundraising proposal/text/pitch that you would like to share with us.

Applications are now closed. Thanks to everyone who applied. 

We are grateful for everyone’s interest, but please note that only those selected for interviews will be contacted.

As a company that values diversity of backgrounds, cultures, and perspectives in our team, we highly encourage candidates from diverse backgrounds and different abilities to self-identify when applying. We will aim to accommodate accessibility requests for candidates taking part in all aspects of the selection process.