Description
Chief Philanthropy Officer
24-month contract
About Brightshores
Brightshores Health System is at the heart of our communities, providing essential healthcare services that impact lives across Grey and Bruce counties. Operating six hospitals in one of Ontario’s largest geographic regions, we serve a predominantly rural population of 175,000 residents, thousands of seasonal residents and more than two million annual tourists.
Our dedicated team of 2,100+ staff, 250+ physicians and 1,000+ volunteers delivers a full range of services, including 24/7 emergency care at every hospital site. The continuous development of specialty programs in cancer, stroke, kidney disease and more ensures patients receive quality care and support within our regional network of hospitals across Grey Bruce.
The Five Foundations
Brightshores is supported by five foundations. Each foundation supports its specific hospital site and although the hospitals amalgamated into one hospital corporation, the foundations remain as separately incorporated not-for-profit entities. The five sites include:
1. Bruce Peninsula Hospitals Foundation in Wiarton and Lion’s Head
2. Saugeen Shores Hospital Foundation in Southampton
3. Markdale Hospital Foundation
4. Meaford Hospital Foundation
5. Brightshores Health System Owen Sound Foundation
The Five Foundations Council
The Foundations Council serves as a strategic forum and collaborative body for the five Brightshores Foundations and Brightshores Health System. Its mission is to support the five Foundations to fulfill their mandates to support the capital needs of Brightshores Health System facilities, support training, education and research with the goal of advancing healthcare delivery close to home.
Brightshores is recruiting for a seasoned Chief Philanthropy Officer (CPO)
The Chief Philanthropy Officer (CPO) role is new to Brightshores. This senior executive role is/will be responsible for strategic philanthropic leadership and coordination across five Brightshores Health System Foundations, each being an independent foundation.
The CPO reports to the Five Foundations Council (Board Chair) made up of the Board Chairs of the five foundations and works closely with the Brightshores Health System President and CEO, Foundation Board of Directors and Foundation leads. Together, the CPO and these partners will align philanthropic efforts with the Hospital’s strategic priorities, strengthen efficiencies, and elevate giving across a broad geography and distinct communities. This role brings unified standards, shared purpose, coordinated campaigns and integrated fundraising operations to increase giving, strengthen donor relationships, and maximize philanthropic impact across the system.
Requirements
What you bring to this role
- 10-15 years of progressive senior leadership in philanthropy with demonstrated success supporting large capital campaigns, leading cultural transformation, and strength in donor stewardship
- Political acuity and ability to operate in complex, multi-board governance environments with strong governance and board management experience
- Exceptional relationship-building and interpersonal skills to build collaborative and cohesive teams
- Strong experience in identifying and implementing system-wide efficiencies
- A hands-on highly collaborative seasoned operational consultant strong in operations to work with Foundations to build back-office fundraising operations
- Accustomed to influencing without authority: strength through building trust; an excellent mediator who sees win-wins for all
- Strategic analysis with demonstrated ability to set performance metrics and evaluate results
- Experience in complex multi-entity fundraising environments preferred
- Knowledge of Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) regulations related to charitable foundations, the Ontario healthcare regulatory and funding environment and charitable tax receipting regulations
- Comfortable with ambiguity
Education
- Undergraduate degree in Business Administration, Public Administration, Health Administration, Communications, or other relevant fields of study
- Master’s degree preferred: MBA, MHA, MPA or equivalent
Assets
- Demonstrated awareness of unique challenges of philanthropic efforts in a rural setting
- Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE)
- Member in good standing with the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP)
What Brightshores offers
- Annualized compensation of $200,000 contract
- A contract position for 24 months
- Hybrid work: 1 to 2 days in office; strong presence in early days
Application Process
This search is being conducted by crawfordconnect, a search firm specializing in recruiting leaders for Canada’s non-profit sector.
Qualified applicants are invited to submit their resume and letter of interest to Helmut Hager, Senior Search Consultant at helmut@crawfordconnect.com by September 8, 2026.
Submit your application immediately to helmut@crawfordconnect.com.
Although the deadline for applications is September 8, 2026, early applications are encouraged. This posting will close early with sufficient qualified candidates.
We thank all applicants for applying, but only qualified candidates selected for an interview will be contacted. If someone you know may be interested in this position, please forward this information – we’d be pleased to connect with them. This is an existing vacancy. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is not used in the candidate assessment or selection process.
