Associate Director, Development

About this position

Associate Director, Development

THE OPPORTUNITY
The Shaw Festival is seeking a relationship-focused fundraiser and an inspiring team leader to join our Development team as Associate Director, Development. In this role you will support one of the world’s leading theatre companies as we produce daring, deeply moving work on all of our stages, while we also invest in the training of the next generation of arts professionals.
The Associate Director will serve as the key connector between the Director of Advancement and a talented team of approximately 15 fundraising professionals, responsible for individual giving, membership, corporate partnerships, and events. The Associate Director will champion a culture of collaboration, accountability, and excellence while driving activity and removing barriers.
Reporting to the Director of Advancement, the Associate Director will manage team performance and ensure consistent progress toward ambitious revenue goals. The incumbent will manage a personal portfolio of primarily mid-level individual donors, applying strategic insights to deepen relationships and engagement.
Deeply process oriented, the Associate Director will bring a commitment to best practices and rigor that contribute to an effective fundraising environment as we pursue ambitious plans and move from the quiet phase into the public phase of a transformative campaign.
The Associate Director will work hybrid, blending remote work with 3 to 5 days in-office each week in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario depending on the time of season. Some travel for events, meetings, and donor and volunteer engagement will be required within southern Ontario and the northeastern United States.

ABOUT THE SHAW FESTIVAL

The Shaw Festival Story
In 1962, in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, lawyer and playwright Brian Doherty parlayed his love for the work of Irish playwright Bernard Shaw into a summer theatre festival, producing eight performances of Don Juan in Hell and Candida in the Court House auditorium.  In this singular act of passion for theatre and culture, the Shaw Festival was born.
Today, with 10 or more productions each year performed in three theatres for an audience of more than 250,000, the Shaw Festival has grown to become a major Canadian cultural icon, a gem in this country’s rich cultural heritage. Inspired by the wit and passion of Bernard Shaw, the Shaw Festival is a contemporary theatre that features a smart, provocative, potent and diverse mix of plays from the past and present, performed by our celebrated repertory theatre Ensemble.
The result is theatre that is challenging, surprising, often funny and always entertaining. These plays are lovingly and artfully brought to the stage each year by a talented team of actors, directors, and designers, showcasing the incredible tapestry of talent that this country contributes to the world.
Helmed by Artistic Director Tim Carroll, The Shaw’s 63rd Season runs from April 6 to December 21.

Shaw 2025
Shaw 2025 is going to be delightful, delicious and de-lovely. Cole Porter’s great musical Anything Goes will tap dance onto the Festival stage this season. Playing alongside it will be the family classic The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and the heart-pounding thriller Wait Until Dark.
The Royal George Theatre’s final season starts off with the hilarious farce – Tons of Money – and it will see the return of Shaw favourite Major Barbara. The original and skillfully crafted Murder-on-the-Lake selects a new audience detective every show.
In the Jackie Maxwell Studio Theatre audiences will continue to see remarkable and unique plays: Gnit by Middletown playwright Will Eno and the exhilarating drama Blues for an Alabama Sky. In it’s third season on the Shaw grounds, you can visit the magical Spiegeltent for concerts, events and Dear Liar a special work featuring letters written by Bernard Shaw and the great actress and muse Stella Tanner!
Finally, our joyous holiday season caps off the year with the return of audience favourite Irving Berlin’s A White Christmas and the final production to ever grace the Royal George Theatre stage – Charles Dicken’s A Christmas Carol.

Economic & Community Impacts
Each year we welcome almost 325,000 attendees to our theatre. With a total operating budget of approximately $40 million per year and about 600 employees, the Shaw Festival is one of North America’s largest charitable theatres and Canada’s second largest theatre company.
U.S. patrons account for between 30-35% of our normal attendance, and while much of that is border state driven, with tens of thousands of attendees coming annually from centers like Cleveland, Buffalo, Detroit, Pittsburgh, and Rochester. Chicago, Manhattan and Florida are also major markets. Added to that, we have over 1,000 attendees coming every year from each of nine more distant markets including Southern California (San Diego/ LA Jolla), Connecticut, Texas (Houston, Dallas, Austin), Illinois (rural), Minnesota (MSP), New Jersey, Virginia, Massachusetts and Maryland. We also get approximately 3,000 international attendees each year. They all anchor long stays in the Region around their Shaw experience. In fact, 92% of our visitors specifically cite the Festival as their primary reason for visiting Niagara.
The rest of our attendees arrive from across literally every district of Ontario and beyond.
Because of this unusually long visitor stay culture, and the variety of available activities that surround us, The Shaw has grown to become the largest generator of economic impact of any independent arts and culture charity in Ontario, and one of the largest in North America.
The economic impact of the Shaw Festival on the Region of Niagara – pre-pandemic and will hopefully become again – was, according to a recent PwC Canada study on The Shaw’s economic impact to the province that was released last month, in excess of $237.8 million/annum and the single largest factor in Niagara’s arts and culture economy.
This includes over $85 million in hotels and accommodations, $77 million in restaurant, bar and grocery spend, $37 million in retail and local attractions and $31 million in travel, including rail, air and ground.
This results in total GDP, or value added, of almost $200 million/annum.
PwC Canada also tells us more than 2,100 Niagara area jobs in tourism and hospitality, beyond our own 600+ employees, are reliant on us for their existence and stability, and we know, synergistically, that we are reliant on them for their gold standard services and amazing wine, food and activity offerings.

Development at Shaw Festival
The Development Department at the Shaw Festival secures essential philanthropic and sponsorship support through strong relationships with individuals, corporations, foundations, and government agencies. This collaborative effort—supported by creative and administrative staff, Board members, the Shaw Guild, and volunteers—drives a wide array of fundraising initiatives including annual memberships, production and program sponsorships, capital and endowment gifts, and special project funding.
Donors engage at all levels, starting with over 4,200 Friends of the Shaw giving up to $1,999 annually. Those contributing $2,000–$24,999 join the more personalized Governors Council, while major donors ($25,000+) receive tailored stewardship through elite giving circles. Each tier is nurtured to foster loyalty, with renewal rates as high as 90%.
Corporate and foundation partnerships further bolster support through customized sponsorships and grants. Fundraising events like Shivaree and Shaw Boxing, along with intimate donor gatherings, strengthen connections and celebrate giving. This integrated strategy ensures the Festival’s continued artistic excellence and cultural impact.
This is an exciting moment of growth and transformation at The Shaw. The All.Together.Now. Campaign—the most ambitious in Shaw’s history—aims to reimagine the Festival as a vibrant creative hub centered on artists, experiences, community, and lifelong learning. Now in its quiet phase, the Campaign will launch publicly in May 2025.  Key initiatives include the rebuild of the iconic Royal George Theatre, the creation of a Shaw Artists Village & Centre for Lifelong Creativity, expanded programs for youth and seniors, enhanced artist training opportunities, and a $30 million endowment growth.
With a deeply committed donor community, this moment offers a powerful opportunity to take an integrated approach to legacy giving and increased philanthropic support. It’s also an inspiring time to join the Development team, playing a vital role in shaping the future of one of Canada’s leading cultural institutions.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

• Shaw Festival
• History
• Introducing The Bernard Shaw
• The Academy
• Board of Directors
• 2024 Annual Report
• Support Us
• Membership & Giving
• Business Membership
• Corporate Partnership
• Government & Foundations
• Legacy Giving
• 2025 Season
• Media Room

KEY DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Provide day-to-day leadership, coaching and support to the development team with a focus on mentoring, accountability and growth, building systems that streamline and elevate the team’s work.
• Working closely with the Director of Advancement, establish the annual fundraising plan aligned with strategic objectives.
• Guide direct reports through the development of portfolio plans, including articulating tasks, timelines, targets, benchmarks, and outcomes in support of diverse revenue streams and programs.
• Oversee the team’s moves management and the prospect pipeline, ensuring the right prospects are assigned to the right team members.
• Oversee the team’s efforts for the donor acquisition program, and lead best practices for multi-channel direct response and monthly giving programs  
• Using a supportive and people-focused approach, monitor the annual fundraising plan and develop, refine, execute, and evaluate department processes and operations as necessary to achieve goals.
• Promote and model a culture of high performance and continuous improvement that values learning and a commitment to quality.
• Manage a personal portfolio of individual donors (mid-level board/board alumni and prospects), cultivating relationships and soliciting donations to achieve fundraising goals.
• Clearly communicate expectations and performance metrics to direct reports and hold regular check-ins to support progress toward annual goals.
• Implement and track development team KPIs, empowering and motivating team members to meet or exceed goals in all key revenue streams (individual giving, membership, corporate fundraising and events).
• Lead and support the team to integrate legacy, annual giving, and campaign asks into a holistic fundraising strategy which will be critical as we move through the quiet phase and into the public phase of a transformative campaign.
• Collaborate with other departments across the organization to understand priorities and identify areas where the development team can play both a supportive and catalytic role, keeping fundraising efforts closely aligned with the broader artistic and operational goals.
• Create, refine and manage development processes to enable the team’s success.
• Maintain knowledge of best practices and trends related to philanthropy and fundraising. 
• Commit to continuous learning in fundraising, leadership, and best practices in equity, diversity, and inclusion.
• Model Shaw Festival’s values, leading by example and promoting a supportive, trusting culture within the department.

QUALIFICATIONS AND COMPETENCIES

• Progressive experience in fundraising roles, including experience managing diverse revenue streams, successfully soliciting gifts, and leading teams.
• A passion for the arts and experience working in the arts and culture sector is an asset. 
• Previous experience motivating and coaching a team of high-performing fundraisers to achieve organizational goals.
• Experience in multi-channel direct response programs, including best practices around development of monthly giving / automatic renewal programs.
• Experience working with board members, and a belief that deeper board engagement leads to stronger fundraising results. A track record of elevating advancement efforts through both analytical rigor and a people-centered approach.
• Experience identifying legacy giving donors, cultivating and developing holistic solicitations.
• Experience overseeing moves management and prospect pipeline processes, ensuring effective prospect assignment and strategic cultivation by team members.
• Skilled in building trusting relationships across organizations, including key internal and external partners, while growing and promoting a culture of philanthropy.
• Process-oriented with proven organizational and time management skills and the ability to determine work priorities and manage multiple projects in a fast-paced environment.
• Demonstrated discretion and professionalism in handling confidential or sensitive donor and organizational information.
• Highly developed written and verbal communication skills.
• A practical, calm, and creative problem-solver with excellent judgment and decision-making abilities.
• Results-oriented personality with a collegial management approach and a high level of integrity.
• Able to work independently, strategically and be “hands-on” as required.
• Strong attention to detail and quality, ensuring accuracy and consistency across all tasks.
• Familiarity with CRM systems such as Tessitura is an asset. Proficiency with digital collaboration tools, including Teams, Zoom, and Slack is beneficial.
• Valid driver’s license and access to a vehicle as travel will be required within southern Ontario and the northeastern United States.
• Availability to work flexible hours, including evenings and weekends, to accommodate after-hours events and meetings.
• A post-secondary degree or diploma in business administration, communications, or a related field, or a relevant combination of education and experience.

FOR MORE INFORMATION
KCI Search + Talent has been retained to conduct this search on behalf of the Shaw Festival. For more information about this opportunity, please contact Jill Anderson, Associate Vice President, Search + Talent by email at ShawFestivalADD@kcitalent.com  

Interested candidates should send their resume and a letter of interest to the email address listed above by June 16, 2025. All inquiries and applications will be held in strict confidence.

The salary range for this position is $90,000 - $130,000 plus a comprehensive benefits package.

The Shaw Festival is committed to a future when our theatres joyously draw on and include all peoples, fully reflective of the world around us. As such, the Shaw Festival is an equal opportunity employer committed to a barrier-free recruitment and selection process. We encourage and invite applications from applicants who identify as Indigenous, Black or as persons of colour (IBPOC), the LGBTQ2+ communities and those identifying as gender female.
In accordance with Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), and in keeping with our wish to ensure a fully inclusive environment, please advise KCI if you require an accommodation throughout the recruitment process.