artsPlace is Canmore’s community arts centre. We offer classes, workshops, and public performances for all age groups and across multiple disciplines including visual arts, ceramics, textiles, fabrication, film, music, and drama. Our facility in Downtown Canmore features a number of creative spaces, including a visual arts studio, ceramics studio, fabrication studio, a black box theatre, and a gallery space.
The Major Gift Officer will work closely with both the Executive Director, Director of Fund Development and Fund Development Coordinator as a team.
This is a 32 hour (4 day)/week position at a pay of $54,000-$76,000 (equivalent to $67,500 to $95,000 of a full time 5 day/week position), plus benefits, commensurate with experience and competencies. The position incudes 3 weeks of vacation plus 1-week minimum closure over the year-end holidays. The position also offers a hybrid working environment and flexible hours.
artsPlace is committed to creating an inclusive and supportive culture where everyone is empowered to contribute, thrive, and grow. We welcome applicants of all backgrounds, experiences, and abilities. artsPlace does not discriminate based on race, colour, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, religion, national origin, disability, ancestry, or family status.
We are dedicated to ensuring an accessible and inclusive recruitment process. If you need support during the application or interview process, please let us know. We would like to talk with you about how we could meet your needs.
The following accommodations are available if needed:
● Extra time for interview
● An accessible or quiet interview space
● Video or phone interview if needed
● Written copies of questions available during the interview or prior
● Flexible scheduling or short breaks
● Access for service animals
● Other adjustments as needed
Please reach out confidentially to Noriko at administration@artsplacecanmore.com to discuss any support you may need.
Responsibilities
• Manage a portfolio of major gift prospects and donors. This includes the development of strong trust-based relationships directly with donors and prospects, and supporting our team of dedicated donor relations volunteers in engaging their networks.
• Develop and implement individualized donor strategies, including cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship plans. This includes developing a strong understanding of the alignment between the donor’s passions and philanthropic goals and the arts and creativity, making direct asks, and supporting both their increased engagement with artsPlace and the increase in size of donations over time.
• Suggest/offer insights into complex giving strategies that align with donors financial and philanthropic goals such as multi-year gifts, donation of securities and other assets, bequests and other forms of planned giving.
• Create and/or deliver effective and personalized communications to donors through multiple channels including in person, phone, email and other written communications. Be a strong storyteller that helps support the donors understanding of the impact of the arts and culture and artsPlace.
• Effectively coordinate donor communications and engagement through strong organizational systems, making use of the systems and reporting features in our CRM and using effective strategies such as donor meeting reports.
• Have a strong understanding of relationship management practices and are able to demonstrate sensitivity in handling confidential information.
• Create a strategy for donor engagement and fundraising events and support the Fund Development Coordinator with implementation.
• Raise funds to meet your personal portfolio targets and support the fundraising team in general in meeting our organizational fundraising goals.
• Ability to have a flexible schedule so that you can, within reason, meet one on one with donors in their location and within their availability, including potential travel within Alberta and working evenings or weekends.
Qualifications
Our ideal candidate is someone who has a passion for the arts and creativity and their intrinsic benefits to a dynamic and inclusive community. You are an excellent communicator and are inspired by working for a dynamic, inclusive and creative arts centre. These factors are more important than fitting the job description precisely. Being the right fit may not mean the person with the closest match to the listed qualifications below.
The ideal candidate will possess:
• Experience building and maintaining long-term relationships with major donors, including supporting their increase in engagement and size of gifts over time, and have a track record of asking for and closing gifts of $10,000 +.
• Experience working with volunteers and facilitating their ability to engage their networks as ambassadors for fundraising purposes.
• Experience with or understanding of community centred fundraising approaches.
• Experience designing and managing fundraising plans, including individualized cultivation, solicitation and recognition plans.
• Well-organized with ability to manage/track multiple prospects and donors and handle related administration
• Experience and ideally training in major gift fundraising and planned giving.
• Ability to determine an individual’s interests, capacity and potential for giving to artsPlace, including working with prospect research platforms.
• Strong active listening skills and the ability to draw out donors dreams and passions and potential alignment between their philanthropic goals and the work of artsPlace.
• Have a strong understanding of various giving vehicles and the ability to identify and inform donors about the appropriate approaches unique to each situation; proven ability to negotiate complex, high profile or sensitive agreements appreciated
• Confidence related to making fundraising asks – you understand that your role as a fundraiser is to facilitate donors ability to help make their vision a reality and create a more vibrant healthy community through the arts.
• Excellent communication skills both in person and in writing, including the ability to take a storytelling approach to sharing impact.
• An outgoing personality, creative flair, and comfort meeting and engaging with new people.
• Experience using various technical platforms including Microsoft office and comfort learning new platforms such as our CRM and prospect research tools.
• A familiarity with and understanding of the diverse communities and demographic groups that make up Canmore and the Bow Valley, and an understanding and appreciation of mountain culture an asset.
• Experience with Capital Campaigns an asset
To Apply
Please forward a resume and cover letter expressing what excites you about the position and why you are the best fit, to the attention of Director of Fund Development, artsPlace at jobs@artsplacecanmore.com, referencing Major Gift Officer in the subject line, or drop off in person at artsPlace, 950 8th Ave, Canmore no later than Sunday July 19th, 2026.
We thank all those who apply, but only those selected for an interview will be contacted.
Tags are used to categorize postings so that users can easily find opportunities that apply to them. Select the tags that apply to your submission below. You can only select one Location tag, but you can select more than one tag for Art discipline and Artist opportunity type if applicable.
\n \n\n \n Art discipline\n \n All disciplines\n \n \n\n \n Location\n Southern Alberta\n \n\n \n Artist opportunity type\n \n Jobs\n \n \n\n \n Info\nAny personal information provided in a request to post a listing on the AFA newsfeed, or in the listing itself, will be used for the purpose of posting to the AFA’s newsfeed, administering the AFA’s website and providing individuals and organizations with information on AFA programs and events. Such information is collected under the authority of section 33 (c) of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act and is protected by the privacy provisions of the Act. Should you have any questions about the collection of this information, you may contact Aaron Talbot, Arts Services Consultant – Communications, at 780-289-3781.
","slug":"major-gift-officer","publicPath":"/news/2026-06-24-major-gift-officer"}}