Advancement Administrator

Company Overview

Who We Are:

Based in Stratford, Ontario, the Stratford Festival is one of the world’s foremost repertory theatre companies. It operates year-round, presenting a season of about a dozen plays each year between the months of April and November, a rich stream of digital content and hundreds of events designed to deepen understanding of the plays. For every person a theatregoer sees on our stages, we have seven people working behind the scenes, some of the world’s most dedicated and experienced arts workers.

The Stratford Festival is committed to ongoing work to support equity, inclusion, anti-racism and anti-oppression in all areas of our work. These areas include play selection, casting, marketing and public relations efforts, education programs, production, design, recruitment of staff and volunteers, and the composition of the Board of Directors.

Why You Should Apply:

• Creative work environment     
• Paid operational shutdown in December, with flexibility of days being used at alternative times during the year
• Group Insurance Benefits
• Employer matched RRSP
• Employee Assistance Program to encourage work-life balance and strong mental health
• Complimentary & discounted ticket offers and events
• Employee discounts on merchandise and event space
• Being a part of the magic of live theatre!

Job Description

The Advancement Administrator is responsible for providing comprehensive administrative and campaign support to the Advancement department, with a focus on assisting the Vice President of Advancement (VP). The Administrator ensures the smooth daily operations of the department and contributes to the success of fundraising initiatives and donor stewardship efforts. 

This role supports the VP’s communications with major annual and campaign donors and volunteers, manages the VP’s and departmental calendars, coordinates internal and external meetings and agendas, prepares narrative and financial reports, supports donor communications, and assists with campaign and future fundraising initiatives as directed by the VP. This position also plays a key role in maintaining accurate donor data and donor plans in the CRM on behalf of the Vice President. 

Reporting to the VP, the Advancement Administrator also collaborates with Advancement Directors, Advancement team members, and cross-departmental partners to support organizational fundraising goals, including campaign execution, donor reporting, recognition and engagement. 

Responsibilities:

• Executive & Departmental Support
  
  • Provides daily administrative support to the Vice President of Advancement (VP), including but not limited to:  
  • Managing VP calendars, travel arrangements, and email monitoring.
  • Compiles, sends, and collects annual and campaign pledge agreements and maintains accurate donor listings on behalf of the VP. 
  • Coordinates with Membership team for timely gift processing, acknowledgements, and tax receipting on behalf of the VP.  
  • Scheduling donor, departmental and Advancement Committee meetings, including creating and circulating agendas and taking minutes. 
  • Collecting and submitting credit card statements and expense reports from the Advancement team for approval by the VP and submitting them to Finance. 
  • Serving as the daily point person for the Advancement department, coordinating office supplies, maintaining equipment, and liaising with IT and vendors. 
• Administration & Reporting
  
  • Schedules regular internal and external campaign meetings, take notes, and circulates action items. 
  • Manages annual and campaign fundraising campaign timelines, ensuring milestones, reporting and acknowledgement deadlines are met. 
  • Manages physical donor recognition elements (e.g., donor walls, other physical recognition), including vendor coordination.
  • Generates leads, donor acknowledgements, and related correspondence.  
  • Enters and updates prospect plans, including correspondence and next steps in the CRM (Tessitura) with accuracy and confidentiality. 
  • Prepares annual campaign fundraising reports for Board and Committee meetings (Excel, PowerPoint, narrative). 
  • Coordinates House program and Online Donor Listings with input from Advancement Directors 
  • Supports the Director, Legacy Giving on the creation and fulfillment of Donor Financial Reports. 
  • Runs and reviews the weekly Seat Note Report and monitors House Reports. 
  • Prepares and manages weekly/monthly CRM reports to support fundraising goals and budget tracking. 
  • Tracks annual and campaign-related expenses and coordinates with Finance for reconciliation. 
  • Liaises with Marketing to ensure campaign materials align with brand, marketing timelines and recognition protocols. 
  • Assists with donor impact reports and campaign updates for stewardship and cultivation.
• Other
  
  • Supports the Events Coordinator with large annual departmental events as needed including reception duties, name tags, place cards and other clerical support.   
  • Adheres to the Stratford Festival Health & Safety Commitment and Procedures and ensure that safe work practices and policies are supported and enforced within reporting structure. 
  • Performs other duties as assigned. 

Minimum Qualifications:

• Post-secondary diploma program, typically a two year program, or equivalent, (i.e. Community college, Technical Institute or Trade School, etc.) in Fundraising Management, Arts Administration, Business – General or Administration or Communications.
• 2 to 4 years of related experience
• Interest and commitment to proficiency in CRM/database management (experience with Tessitura CRM preferred), strong attention to data integrity and reporting accuracy.
• Strong administrative and organizational skills, with experience managing complex timelines and multiple stakeholders.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including experience drafting donor correspondence and reports.
• High level of discretion and professionalism, with proven ability to manage confidential information responsibly.
• Strong interpersonal skills, with the ability to collaborate across departments and with external vendors or donors.
• Experience supporting events (e.g., donor cultivation, stewardship, or campaign-related events) is considered an asset.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, including Excel, PowerPoint, and Word 
• Familiarity with Adobe Creative Suite is considered an asset.

Behavioural Competencies:

• Attention to Detail: meticulously review work and ensure accuracy and precision in all tasks.
• Time Management: efficiently allocate and use time to meet goals and deadlines, prioritize tasks as necessary.
• Teamwork: readily work with others towards a shared goal, actively support teammates and recognize everyone’s contributions
• Initiative: proactively execute tasks and resolve issues with minimal guidance

This full-time posting is for an newly created position located in Stratford, Ontario and will begin January 2026. This position requires the candidate to work onsite for a minimum of four days per week, with remote available once a week. Regular work hours for this position are Monday to Friday.

Job Type: Full-Time

Annual Salary: $47,800 - $59,750