Donor Stewardship and Community Relations Lead
Aberdeen Health Foundation | New Glasgow, Nova Scotia | In person | Full-time, permanent
For 40 years, Pictou County has given to the Aberdeen Health Foundation. Now the Foundation wants to give more back to its donors. It is hiring its first dedicated donor role: the person who builds how donors are thanked, kept informed and recognized, and who makes the ask when a relationship is ready.
Hawthorne Recruitment is leading this search on behalf of the Aberdeen Health Foundation.
THE ROLE
You join a two-person team as a partner to the Executive Director, who leads strategy and health-system partnerships. You lead the Foundation's relationships with donors.
The first job is building. Donor records exist; the strategy, rhythm and reporting around them do not yet. Fundraising is a question of when, not if, and the board will set the timing. As relationships mature, asks become part of the work.
WHAT YOU BRING
- A track record of building and keeping relationships over years: donors, members, clients or community partners
- Comfort making the ask. You have asked people for gifts, sponsorships or commitments, and done it well
- Clear, warm writing: thank-you notes, donor updates and board reports people read
- Comfort with a donor database or CRM, and the discipline to turn records into a plan
- Judgment to work independently and own a function
- Discretion with confidential donor information
- Living in Pictou County, or willing to relocate
WHAT YOU'LL OWN
- Stewardship. Personal thank-yous, timely follow-up and recognition that fits each donor
- A donor retention strategy and the steady rhythm of contact behind it
- Donor communications that show people what their support makes possible
- Donor records and systems that work as a planning tool, not only a record of gifts
- Board reporting. A clear picture of donor relationships at the board table
- Recognition and events that bring donors together
- Community presence across Pictou County, on behalf of the Foundation
- Fundraising, as it grows. Asks that come out of real relationships, and open doors for the Executive Director and board
On background - Experience in health care or the charitable sector is an asset, not a requirement. You might be a development officer at a smaller charity, or come from credit union, alumni or community roles where asking was part of the job.
STRONG ASSETS
- Having built a stewardship program or donor function where little existed
- Major gift or campaign experience
- Roots or relationships in Pictou County or Northern Nova Scotia
- Planning donor recognition and community events
- Reporting to a board or committee
WHY THIS ROLE
- You build the function. There is no predecessor to follow.
- You set how the Foundation treats its donors for years to come.
- Your work connects people who give with the care their gifts make possible.
- Room to grow. Year three will look different from year one.
THE DETAILS
LOCATION: New Glasgow, NS. Office at the Aberdeen Regional Hospital
START: December 2026 or early 2027. Allowing for notice periods
WORK MODEL: In person, in community. In Pictou County, or willing to relocate (relocation support available)
BENEFITS: Health and dental. With openness to additional benefits
REPORTS TO: Executive Director. A team of two, with a volunteer board
There is no department behind you. If you need established systems and a large team, this isn't it. If you want to build something that lasts, in a community that will notice, let's talk.
APPLY OR ASK A QUESTION
Apply through Hawthorne recruitment. Questions are welcome, and all conversations are confidential.
The Aberdeen Health Foundation is committed to inclusion and equity, and welcomes applicants of every identity, experience and background. If this role excites you but you don't meet every requirement, apply anyway.
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