Do you enjoy working in hands-on roles where you have the opportunity to bring ideas to life, build relationships, solve problems and ensure important work gets done? Are you skilled in anticipating and responding to needs while being able to connect the dots and see how the details contribute to the bigger picture? Marillac Place is seeking an organized, resourceful, and multi-talented professional to join our small, high-impact team as Communications & Development Specialist. Reporting to the Director of Development and working closely with our Senior Office Administrator, you will coordinate our external communications and community engagement. This varied, hands-on role goes far beyond routine administration. You will analyze digital engagement, contribute to donor stewardship and creation of fundraising appeals, maintain our donor database, coordinate grant timelines, and represent Marillac Place at local community events. If you enjoy balancing creative storytelling with dependable strategic execution, this role offers the autonomy to take ownership of meaningful projects that make a lasting difference for, mother-led families in Waterloo Region. What Does Marillac Place Do? Marillac Place is the only 24/7 staffed transitional shelter in Waterloo Region specifically supporting women who are pregnant or parenting an infant under two and experiencing homelessness, regardless of their age, race or the circumstances that led them to homelessness. We work with women with mid-high acuity needs, offering trauma-informed residential care, life skills programming, and wraparound supports in a congregate living environment. For over 30 years, we have been helping women with young children move from crisis to stability by providing shelter, parenting education, and life skills development. Now, as we step forward with a bold vision for growth, we are looking for a creative, proactive, and relationship-driven team member to help amplify our voice and expand our community reach. What Would I Be Doing? Communications & Digital Storytelling
- Create engaging, authentic content for social media, email newsletters, web pages, and print collateral, using respectful, trauma-informed, and inspiring language.
- Manage the content calendar, aligning storytelling with campaigns, community events, and fundraising milestones.
- Monitor engagement and analytics, identify trends, and recommend process improvements,



including exploring social media management tools to streamline workflows.
- Design digital and print assets using Canva, Adobe Creative Suite, and WordPress, coordinating with external creative vendors for specialized projects. Fundraising & Donor Care
- Research foundation grant opportunities, maintain a funding opportunity calendar, track deadlines, and support proposal writing and reporting.
- Coordinate campaign and event logistics, including registrations, payment processing, vendor coordination, and creating necessary supporting materials.
- Nurture donor relationships through impact updates, stewardship reports, and personalized thank-you messages.
- Maintain accurate donor records in Keela, track pledges, assist in planning automated donor communications, and support donation receipting and financial reconciliation. Community Engagement & Administration
- Identify local engagement opportunities and build positive relationships with businesses, schools, and community groups hosting third-party fundraisers for Marillac Place.
- Represent Marillac Place at networking events, community fairs, and speaking engagements.
- Champion administrative projects, such as organizing digital files in SharePoint and maintaining shared project tracking systems.
- Respond to community calls and general inquiries in a welcoming, helpful, and professional manner. What Are We Looking for in Our Ideal Candidate?
- Post-secondary education in a relevant field or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
- A passion for community service and at least two years of experience in non-profit communications, fundraising support, marketing, or project coordination.
- Outstanding writing, editing, and storytelling skills, with the ability to create warm, clear, and dignified messaging that inspires action.
- Strong project management instincts, keen attention to detail, comfort managing multiple deadlines, and a knack for creating efficient workflows.
- Proficiency with Microsoft 365 (Word,



Excel, PowerPoint, and SharePoint).
- Direct experience managing organizational social media accounts and email marketing platforms.
- Practical experience with Canva, Adobe Creative Suite, and WordPress website updates is a strong asset.
- Familiarity with donor management CRMs; direct experience with Keela is an asset.
- High interpersonal comfort picking up the phone to build relationships, paired with sound judgment when protecting donor data and client privacy.
- A valid Ontario driver’s license and regular access to a reliable vehicle for off-site community meetings and regional events. What Else Should I Know? You will be joining a small, compassionate, and highly dedicated administrative team that works hand-in-hand to support our mission.
- Our administrative office is located on the second floor of a charming, older residential facility accessed by stairs. Because the building does not have an elevator, candidates must be comfortable navigating stairs daily.
- This is an onsite role that works during regular business hours with periodic evening/weekend attendance at community events.
- Marillac Place offers a competitive compensation package including health and dental benefits, RRSP matching program, EAP and generous time off provisions. This Sounds Like the Perfect Opportunity for Me How Do I Apply? If you are excited to combine your organizational talent and creative storytelling to empower vulnerable mothers and babies across Waterloo Region, we would love to hear from you. Please apply to this posting with your resume along with a brief cover letter introducing yourself and sharing why Marillac Place’s mission speaks to you. *Marillac Place is an equal opportunity employer dedicated to fostering an inclusive, equitable, and compassionate workplace. We welcome applications from all qualified individuals. If you require accommodation at any point during the recruitment process, please let us know and we will work with you to meet your needs. Marillac Place uses AI-assisted tools to support workflow and initial application review, but all shortlisting and hiring decisions are made directly by our human leadership team.
* Pay: $60,000.00-$70,000.00 per year Application question(s):
- Please share why you are interested in this job chance. Work

Location:
In person

📌 Communications & Development Specialist (Kitchener)
🏢 Marillac Place
📍 Kitchener