Senior Development Director AKA Hummingbird Pollinator

This is a new role at Canopy, created at a pivotal moment in our growth story. Following a transformational gift from The Audacious Project (TAP), we are expanding our philanthropic ambition and building a long-term strategy to sustain and grow this level of impact.

The Hummingbird Pollinator will be at the center of this evolution — crafting and leading the philanthropic strategy that carries Canopy into its next era of growth. This is a new role, designed for a strategic, creative leader who thrives on building something bold and lasting.

This is a rare opportunity for a strategic builder and relationship weaver who thrives in motion — creating connections, spreading ideas, and catalyzing growth across an ecosystem of funders and partners.

  • Location

    Remote (North America)

  • Position Type

    Full-time, Permanent

  • Reports to

    Head of Executive Relations

  • Start Date

    ASAP

  • Compensation

    $140,000–$160,000 USD (U.S.-based candidates) or $150,000–$175,000 CAD (Canada-based candidates)

The Role

The Hummingbird Pollinator is the senior leader of Canopy’s fundraising function, accountable for overall strategy, performance, systems, and long-term philanthropic growth. They will own and drive the full fundraising portfolio, including major gifts, institutional giving, donor stewardship, and pipeline development, ensuring Canopy achieves ambitious revenue goals while building a scalable and high-performing development operation.

The Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership & Philanthropic Vision

  • Develop and implement Canopy’s 5-year philanthropic strategy, aligning major gifts, institutional partnerships, and stewardship with Canopy’s bold goals.
  • Set and achieve ambitious revenue targets, define high-value portfolio priorities, and oversee accurate forecasting and pipeline coverage.
  • Ensure all fundraising activities reflect Canopy's mission, values, and culture.
  • Analyze philanthropic, institutional, and individual giving landscapes to identify and pursue new growth opportunities.
  • Serve as a visible external leader and ambassador for Canopy, representing the organization with donors, foundations, and partners, and at key convenings, events, and meetings globally.
  • Demonstrate executive presence, sound judgment, and strong communication skills in all leadership activities.

Team Leadership & Management

  • Build a high-performing, collaborative team culture that emphasizes excellence, accountability, and consistent delivery of ambitious goals.
  • Directly manage the Development Director and Donor Engagement Specialist, with oversight of broader development function resources (Grants, Research/Prospecting), ensuring alignment and accountability across the team.
  • Oversee and lead a high-performing development team of approximately five staff, ensuring strong execution of fundraising strategy while assessing and evolving team structure to support future growth.
  • Build internal fundraising capability by training and coaching staff on moves management, donor strategy, and engagement best practices. 
  • Guide development operations, systems, and budgets with the Head of Executive Relations and Head of Finance to ensure efficiency, transparency, and alignment.
  • Establish and reinforce strong CRM discipline, ensuring accurate pipeline tracking, forecasting, and reporting to support data-driven decision-making.

Donor Engagement & Pipeline Management

  • Cultivate, solicit, and actively steward high-value donors, foundations, and institutional partners to secure transformative support alongside the Development Director and Donor Engagement Specialist.
  • Lead high-impact donor experiences that inspire connection and long-term commitment.
  • Represent Canopy externally as a trusted, strategic ambassador to our philanthropic partners.
  • Own and actively manage a portfolio of high-net-worth individuals and institutional funders, leading cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship strategies.
  • Oversee team-wide donor cultivation plan and high-quality stewardship of top-tier donor interactions, ensuring experiences are strategic, immersive, and impactful with appropriate mobilization of organizational capacity.
  • Expand revenue streams across foundations, major donors, individual giving, and other philanthropic partners.
  • Ensure rigorous pipeline management, including clear portfolio segmentation, stage tracking, and revenue forecasting.
  • Use data, analytics, and market insights to inform strategy, measure impact, and optimize fundraising performance, while ensuring data integrity.

  • Ensure quality control and alignment of all proposals, communications, and fundraising initiatives.

Philanthropic Culture & Collaboration Across Teams

  • Build and reinforce a culture of philanthropy across Canopy, ensuring all teams understand and contribute to fundraising success through storytelling, relationship building, and strategic engagement.
  • Serve as a senior ambassador for Canopy, representing the organization credibly to funders, partners, and global networks.
  • Collaborate closely with the Executive Team and Finance Leadership to ensure consistent, mission-aligned donor messaging. 
  • Foster deep cross-team collaboration to integrate development strategies with Canopy’s programmatic and advocacy efforts.
  • Work closely with the Executive Team, Culture & Engagement team, and Impact team to ensure donor-facing engagement is cohesive and impactful. 
  • Work in close partnership with Operations and Finance to maintain pipeline accuracy, CRM integrity, and reporting for strategic decision-making.

About You

You are agile, curious, and creative. You see patterns others miss, forge connections that spark growth, and thrive in dynamic environments. You’re both strategic and relational, bringing energy, empathy, and excellence to every interaction.

You bring:

  • A quirky, fun personality that aligns with Canopy’s creative, values-driven culture.
  • 10+ years of leadership experience in fundraising, major gifts, and/or institutional philanthropy.
  • Demonstrated success in building and managing high-value donor portfolios and achieving ambitious revenue targets.
  • Demonstrated success in personally closing six- and seven-figure gifts.
  • Deep experience engaging and stewarding high-net-worth individuals and sophisticated institutional donors.
  • Strong executive presence with the ability to influence and engage senior stakeholders, board members, and global partners.
  • Proven experience building and scaling fundraising functions, including systems, teams, and revenue growth strategies.
  • Proven track record of leading and mentoring high-performing teams, fostering collaboration and creativity.
  • “Yes AND . . .” approach. Able to combine bold ambition with pragmatic solutions, pushing boundaries while achieving results.
  • Exceptional strategic thinking, operational oversight, and analytical skills with the ability to connect fundraising strategy to organizational impact.
  • Innovative problem solving. Comfortable designing and executing unconventional approaches to donor engagement and philanthropic growth.
  • Great sense of humour!
  • Able to build trust and strong relationships while maintaining a positive, “can-do” culture.
  • Excellent interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills; adept at presenting to senior stakeholders and inspiring confidence in donors.
  • Experience creating a culture of philanthropy internally, engaging cross-functional teams in understanding, supporting, and celebrating donor impact.
  • Resilience and adaptability. Thrives in a fast-paced, evolving environment with complex challenges.

About Canopy

At Canopy, we partner with the world’s largest brands and innovators to protect the world’s forests, species, and climate. We’re a not-for-profit that makes the impossible happen — building market solutions to keep Ancient and Endangered Forests standing and scale Next Gen alternatives that change supply chains forever.

Why Join Canopy

This is a rare moment to join a movement on the rise. With a transformational foundation in place and a clear path toward long-term sustainability, the Hummingbird Pollinator will help shape the next era of Canopy’s philanthropic growth.

You’ll join a globally distributed team of innovators and advocates, united by the belief that bold collaboration can protect the planet’s most vital forests — and transform industries along the way.

Apply now and take flight as our next Hummingbird Pollinator.
Apply Here

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