Fractional | Contract | Hybrid | Versatile Schedule

Potential to Grow with the Organization

Deadline to apply: October 9, 2026

Target start date: October 26, 2026

Initial Term: 6 – 12 months to be finalised based on organizational needs, with potential for extension.

Time Commitment: Approximately 2 – 3 days per week, to be finalised based on candidate and organizational needs.

Reporting to: The CCOC’s Board of Directors, working in partnership with the Executive

Director, Artistic Director, other staff members and designated board members.

Inspiring young people. Uniting voices. Singing our stories.

The Canadian Children’s Opera Company (CCOC) is dedicated to providing unmatched opportunities for young people to connect, collaborate, created, and grow through opera. We believe every child has the right to quality music education, and that music and storytelling play a vital role in a young person’s artistic, social, and personal development. As Canada’s only permanent children’s opera company, the CCOC has inspired thousands of young performers for more than 58 years through exceptional training, innovative productions, and community engagement.

Every day, our artists, educators, staff, and volunteers, work together to create transformative experiences that inspire artistic excellence and enrich the lives of young people, their families, and our community.

The Opportunity The CCOC is seeking an experienced, strategy-to-execution Fractional Director of Advancement. The Director of Advancement will play a pivotal role in strengthening individual and major donor giving, expanding corporate partnerships, and building a robust, renewable, and sustainable fundraising pipeline. They will join a passionate team dedicated to nurturing young artists who grow into tomorrow’s leaders.

As the CCOC approaches its 60th anniversary, the organization is preparing for a milestone year that celebrates decades of artistic excellence, youth development, and national impact. Looking ahead, the CCOC is committed to building a more resilient and diversified revenue model including the launch of a long-term endowment that will sustain the organization for generations.

The Director of Advancement will lead the CCOC’s fundraising and advancement strategy across individual giving, major donors, corporate sponsorships, and institutional support.

The role will focus on:

 Growing individual and major donor giving, including donor acquisition, cultivation, stewardship, and leadership giving.

 Expanding corporate partnerships, with an emphasis on multi-year relationships aligned with youth arts, education, and leadership development.

 Providing strategic oversight of grants and foundations, supported by the CCOC’s fractional grant writer.

 Building a robust, renewable, and sustainable advancement pipeline, including identifying and cultivating new prospects beyond the CCOC’s community.

 Strengthening Board engagement, providing tools, clarity and opportunities for meaningful participation

 Aligning advancement strategy with organizational priorities, including the 60th anniversary and endowment launch.

This is a strategy-to-execution role. The successful candidate will be expected to carry out the work, not only advise, and must be comfortable developing strategy and then executing it directly. This includes donor outreach, corporate prospecting, cultivation, stewardship,

and building new pipelines from the ground up.

Key Responsibilities

● Assessing the current donor base, giving history,



and practices.

● Developing a comprehensive individual giving strategy aligned with organizational capacity and ambitions.

● Segmenting and prioritizing donors and prospects.

● Establishing cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship practices.

● Building a major donor pipeline, including leadership and transformational giving.

● Developing recurring and upgraded giving opportunities.

● Developing practices that strengthen donor satisfaction and deepen long-term donor relationships, contributing to both retention and increased giving.

● Supporting the Executive Director, Artistic Director, and Board members in donor engagement.

● Creating compelling donor communications and appeals in partnership with organizational leadership and marketing.

● Leading outreach, cultivation, and solicitation directly.

● Identifying corporate sectors aligned with youth arts, education, leadership development, and community impact.

● Developing a corporate partnership strategy with clear value propositions.

● Building a pipeline of corporate prospects and multi-year partnership opportunities.

● Strengthening stewardship and reporting practices for corporate partners.

● Integrating corporate engagement into the 60th anniversary and long-term advancement strategy.

● Leading outreach and relationship development directly.

● Providing strategic oversight of foundation and government grant activity.

● Ensuring alignment between proposals, organizational priorities, and program needs.

● Reviewing proposals, reports, and stewardship materials for quality and consistency.

● Identifying renewal, upgrade, and new prospect opportunities.

● Ensuring institutional revenue is forecasted, tracked, and communicated effectively.

● Maintaining a diversified institutional portfolio that reduces organizational risk.

● Developing an integrated advancement strategy for FY2026–27 and beyond.

● Establishing measurable priorities, milestones, and revenue projections.

● Creating or strengthening donor and prospect tracking systems.

● Building a reliable advancement dashboard and reporting process.

● Establishing stewardship standards and a communications calendar.

● Identifying gaps in processes, technology, data, and staƯing.

● Recommending practical improvements that can be sustained after the fractional engagement.

● Ensuring alignment between advancement, communications, and marketing.

● Executing the work required to build these systems, not only recommending them.

● Clarifying appropriate Board and staff roles in fundraising.

● Providing Board members with tools, talking points, and prospect information.

● Supporting Board members in donor introductions, cultivation, and stewardship.

● Providing regular advancement updates to the Board.

● Partnering with the Board member leading marketing strategy to ensure alignment.

● Helping establish realistic expectations and accountability.

Ideal Candidate The ideal candidate will be an experienced advancement professional who combines strategic thinking, excellent relationship-building skills,



and a willingness to execute. A senior leader who thrives in dynamic environments and is energized by building systems, strengthening relationships, and unlocking new revenue opportunities.

They will bring

 Significant experience in non-profit fundraising and advancement.

 Demonstrated success with individual giving, major donors, and corporate partnerships.

 Experience overseeing institutional fundraising.

 Strong relationship-building and donor engagement skills.

 Excellent written and verbal communication.

 Ability to develop strategy and manage hands-on execution.

 Strong project management and organizational skills.

 Comfort working independently in a fractional capacity.

 Experience in small or mid-sized nonprofit environments.

 A collaborative, flexible, and solutions-oriented approach.

Engagement and Working Relationship

This is a flexible fractional senior leadership engagement. The CCOC is open to working with an experienced individual consultant or a fundraising consulting firm with a clearly identified lead.

The anticipated commitment is 2 – 3 days per week, with the precise level determined based on the candidate's proposed approach and organizational priorities. This is a hybrid position with flexibility in how hours are scheduled. Most work can be completed remotely with some evening and weekend attendance required for performances, meetings, and special events.

The initial engagement is 6 – 12 months, with potential extension based on performance,

organizational need, and resources.

The Director of Advancement will report to the CCOC’s Board of Directors and work in partnership with the Executive Director, Artistic Director, other staff members, and designated Board members, becoming an integrated partner in the CCOC’s advancement efforts.

Proposal / Expression of Interest

Interested candidates are invited to submit a brief proposal outlining:

● Relevant experience and qualifications.

● Examples and case studies demonstrating advancement success, including:

o Growth in individual or major donor giving o Corporate partnership development o Pipeline creation and management o Launching or contributing to endowment or capital campaigns o Strengthening advancement systems or infrastructure

● The value they bring to the engagement, including unique strengths or approaches.

● Proposed approach to the engagement (timeline, priorities, methodology).

● Recommended scope and anticipated time commitment.

● Proposed fee structure/rate.

● Availability, including ability to begin by October 26, 2026.

● Two relevant references.

Application Process

Please submit your proposal or expression of interest in a single pdf attachment with the subject line “FIRST NAME, LAST NAME: Director of Advancement” to Shashi Fernando,

Treasurer, at [email protected] by Friday, October 9, 2026.

We are committed to equity in hiring and building a workforce that reflects the diversity of the community in which we live and serve. We welcome and encourage people from communities of colour, Indigenous, LGBTQIA2S++, with disabilities, and other equity seeking communities to apply. We thank all applicants, in advance, however, only those considered for an interview will be contacted.

The CCOC is committed to providing accommodations for people with disabilities in all parts of the hiring process. If you required an accommodation, please let us know and we will work with you to meet your needs.

📌 Director of Advancement (Toronto)
🏢 Canadian Children's Opera
📍 Toronto