THE OPPORTUNITY
The Toronto Symphony Orchestra (TSO) is seeking a forward-thinking, entrepreneurial and experienced fundraising leader to serve as Chief Development Officer (CDO). As a member of the Senior Leadership team, the Chief Development Officer will contribute significantly to both institutional and fundraising strategy in a dynamic environment.
This is an exciting transformational time to join the TSO team, as we embrace the ambitious goals outlined in our strategic plan and leverage our next major comprehensive fundraising campaign to support key funding priorities for the continued enrichment of the Orchestra’s artistic vitality, and innovative community-outreach initiatives.
Passionate about bringing musical excellence to the Toronto community and beyond, the Chief Development Officer will report to Chief Executive Officer, Mark Williams, and will work closely with him and Music Director Gustavo Gimeno, Board members, Foundation Trustees, colleagues, staff, and fundraising volunteers to engage current and future individual supporters, corporate and foundation donors, and other funding partners in meaningful, sustainable ways.
A primary focus of the role will be to drive the TSO’s Development strategy, plans, and operations to continue to deepen engagement with the thousands of community members who support the TSO, ensuring that annual, campaign, and longer-term goals are achieved.
The Chief Development Officer will directly lead cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship efforts with principal and major benefactors. Enthusiastic about the TSO’s ability to enrich lives through musical experiences that evoke emotion and create connections, the ideal candidate will bring curiosity, strong and artful engagement skills, and the ability to listen and understand donor motivation. The successful candidate will possess exceptional communication and interpersonal skills, and will be able to confidently connect and develop strong and lasting relationships with donors and colleagues alike.
Providing valuable mentoring and guidance to an enthusiastic and talented team of 17 professionals, the new incumbent will ensure good, consistent communication in fostering collaboration and accountability. As a role model who demonstrates leadership, respect, trust, and excellence, the CDO will be an inspirational coach who will continue to lead the Development team in reaching their highest potential. Open, empathetic and accessible, the Chief Development Officer will calmly ensure that team members continue to feel supported, valued, and recognized.
Collegial and proactive, with flexibility and a learner’s mindset, the CDO will understand that nurturing relationships and effective partnering with colleagues within the marketing, communications, patron services, artistic, operations, finance, and HR teams will continue to grow the TSO’s culture of philanthropy and yield the best and most sustainable results for all.
The TSO offers a competitive compensation package for this position. The hiring range for this role is $175,000 - $225,000 and a comprehensive suite of benefits is also provided.
This role offers the opportunity to work in a hybrid model and includes regular work on evenings and weekends, as dictated by programming and fundraising events. Occasional travel is required in order to meet donors or travel with the Orchestra, so a valid passport and willingness to travel internationally is required.
ABOUT TORONTO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
For more than a century, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra (TSO) has played a fundamental role in shaping and celebrating Canadian culture.
The TSO’s commitment to musical excellence and ability to spark connection remain as strong as ever. With a storied history of acclaimed concerts and recordings, Canadian and international tours, and impactful community partnerships, we are dedicated to engaging and enriching local and national communities through vibrant musical experiences. Music Director Gustavo Gimeno brings an expansive artistic vision, intellectual curiosity, and sense of adventure to programming the 93-musician orchestra that serves Toronto—one of the world’s most diverse cities. As a group of artists, teachers, and advocates who share the belief that music has the power to heal, inspire, and connect people from all walks of life, we engage audiences young and old through an array of community-access, health-and-well-being, and education initiatives including the TSO-affiliated Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra—a tuition-free training program dedicated to cultivating the next generation of Canadian artists.
In the midst of an extraordinary 2025/26 season defined by international artistic explorations, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra will proudly bring Canadian music and music-making, to western Europe as part of a 14-day tour spanning eight cities in six countries. Running from January 27 to February 9, 2026, and continuing a rich legacy of touring, the TSO’s ninth European tour celebrates the power of music to transcend national boundaries, and will be Music Director Gustavo Gimeno’s first intercontinental tour with the orchestra. The TSO’s touring history extends back nearly 90 years—to January 1937, when the 15-year-old orchestra performed in Detroit under the baton of the great Igor Stravinsky.
The TSO is deeply committed to engaging with its community through a host of initiatives that focus on health and well-being, youth in music, and reaching all of Toronto. These initiatives bring the community to the TSO's main stage through programs such as School Concerts (which introduce the orchestra to over 30,000 students across the GTA each year), and the Art of Healing, which creates opportunities for patients from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) to create a musical composition later performed by the TSO. Other initiatives include run-out concerts to Brampton, a free Open House & Community Concert at Roy Thomson Hall, relaxed performances for the neuro-diverse and disabled community, and TSOUND Connections - a program that connects isolated seniors living with dementia with TSO musicians for a personal performance and conversation. Together, these initiatives seek to expand the definition of what an orchestra is and who it is for.
Mission
The Toronto Symphony Orchestra enriches lives through musical experiences that evoke emotion and create connection.
Values
Inclusion, Creativity, Quality, Financial Sustainability
2024 – 2027 Strategic Priorities
The Toronto Symphony Orchestra developed a new strategic plan in 2024 guided by 4 core pillars: Create, Connect, Challenge, Commit – representing the key themes shaping our organizational strategy.
CONNECT – WITH TORONTO
Foster deeper relationships with the diverse communities that make up the Greater Toronto Area.
CREATE IMPACT
Develop and grow orchestral music, and nurture the next generation of artists who will shape its future.
CHALLENGE PERCEPTIONS
Challenge long-held beliefs about what a symphony orchestra can be by responding to the needs and perspectives of our audiences and city.
COMMIT TO FINANCIAL SUSTAINABILITY
Achieve increased earned and philanthropic revenue to ensure the TSO continues to serve our community today and in the future.
Philanthropy at TSO
Comprised of 17 dedicated professionals, the TSO Development team implements and manages a wide variety of fundraising initiatives to achieve ambitious goals.
The 2023-2024 fiscal year was an example of what the combination of a recognized brand, devoted volunteers and stakeholders, generous donors, and passionate leaders can accomplish. It was an impactful fundraising year, generating $7.3 million in fundraising revenues from annual giving initiatives, major gifts, corporate partnerships, foundation grants, as well as fundraising events. This total excludes bequests, and funds invested and used to support the future operations of the TSO and deposited in the Toronto Symphony Foundation (TSF). In 2023-24, the TSF received an additional $3.2M in donations.
The following season, in September 2024, in a groundbreaking moment for the arts in Canada, the TSO received a transformative $15 million multi-year pledge from the Barrett Family Foundation. This unprecedented pledge marks the largest gift in the orchestra’s history and will support vital community engagement and education programs over the next 15 years.
Also in 2024 the TSO initiated the exploratory phase of a comprehensive campaign which would cover the period from 2022 (the TSO’s centennial season) to potentially 2030. Under this timeline $58 million has been raised to date, which includes not only the $15 million Barrett Family Foundation pledge, but also a $15 million donor bequest.
ABOUT THE TORONTO SYMPHONY FOUNDATION
The Toronto Symphony Foundation (TSF) was incorporated in 1966 to support the TSO in the advancement of orchestral music. The TSF operates separately from the TSO and is governed by a board of 9 Trustees. Funds invested by the TSF generate earnings that contribute to the annual funding distributions directed to the TSO to provide a stable and consistent revenue stream over the long term.
Contributions that donors wish to be invested and used to support the future operations of the TSO are deposited in the TSF and are managed by the Trustees in accordance with the directions of the donors.
KEY DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Executive Leadership
- A key member of the TSO’s Senior Management team, the CDO participates in decision-making related to strategic and operational planning, with an eye to relationship-building and fundraising opportunities.
- In collaboration with the CEO and senior management team, identify institutional priorities that align with donor interests and private funding streams.
Development Management
- Serve as the principal fundraising strategist, accountable for the overall performance of all fundraising programs and initiatives.
- Establish, implement, and evaluate short- and long-range departmental objectives, policies, and operating procedures to ensure that goals are met or exceeded in all aspects of Development.
- In collaboration with the Chief Executive Officer, identify, recommend, and implement strategies that can be realistically employed to reach established goals. Assemble measurement criteria for each fundraising team. Report on revenue achievement at Board meetings.
- Support the work of the Nominations & Governance Committee of the Board by identifying prospective board members and helping cultivate candidates who can assist with fundraising.
- Engage, manage, and support fundraising volunteers, leveraging relationships for the organization.
- Serve as the primary steward of major and principal gift donors. Cultivate and develop authentic, sustainable relationships with the TSO’s current and future major benefactors. Manage a significant portfolio of relationships, as well as supporting the Board, CEO, Music Director, and development team with their benefactor engagement. Manage the “moves management” matrix.
- Ensure appropriate and segmented cultivation, recognition, and stewardship are in place for all donors and prospects.
- Develop and update fundraising policies, including gift acceptance, naming and acknowledgements, among others, and ensure adherence to these policies as well as compliance with the Canada Revenue Agency in executing fundraising activities.
- Develop fundraising materials for both the promotion and solicitation of fundraising needs in collaboration with Marketing.
- Oversee the development, monitoring, and administration of the Development Office’s plans, budgets, systems, and procedures.
- Serve as an enthusiastic ambassador in the community, representing and championing the TSO and its programs and impact.
- Regular attendance at TSO performances, receptions, and events to ensure appropriate donor cultivation and stewardship.
Team Leadership
- Develop and lead a strong Development staff team. Provide direct guidance, support, supervision, and annual performance reviews for 3 direct reports, as well as leadership for the entire Development Team of 17 staff members.
- Promote a culture of high performance, collaboration, support, and continuous improvement, ensuring each team member has clear accountabilities and goals that align with and support the TSO’s goals
- Ensure mentorship and coaching to motivate all team members to success.
QUALIFICATIONS AND COMPETENCIES
- Progressive experience in senior fundraising roles (8+ years) in a not-for-profit environment, preferably in the arts.
- A demonstrated passion for the arts is important, as well as an understanding of their value and positive impact in the community.
- Experience successfully securing gifts at the six- and seven-figure level through diverse revenue streams, as well as managing a complex portfolio of prospects at various stages of relationships.
- Extensive knowledge of fundraising methods and principles and demonstrated experience leading a full range of fundraising programs, including major gifts, corporations & foundations, planned giving, events, and annual fund initiatives.
- Experience developing, guiding, and supporting comprehensive campaigns.
- A proven history of inspiring, mentoring, developing, and leading high performing fundraising staff teams.
- Experience guiding, supporting, managing, and working with fundraising volunteers, including Board members and other senior volunteers.
- Exceptional interpersonal skills with a demonstrated ability to build, manage, and maintain meaningful relationships with donors, prospects, colleagues, volunteers, and other supporters.
- Highly developed written and verbal communication skills.
- Advanced level PC skills. The TSO uses Google Workplace (G Mail, Google Drive, Google Docs) and MS Office (Excel, Word, PowerPoint).
- Experience with Tessitura or related fundraising database systems.
Work Environment Expectations
- Regular evening and weekend work for events and concert attendance (during the September to June concert season).
- Occasional travel to meet donors or travel with the Orchestra.
- Hybrid work model - opportunity to work remotely as well as in the office.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
KCI Search + Talent has been retained to conduct this search on behalf of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. For more information about this opportunity, please contact Sylvie Battisti, Senior Vice President, KCI Search + Talent by email at TSO@KCITalent.com.
All inquiries and applications will be held in strict confidence. Interested candidates should send resume and letter of interest to the email address listed above by May 27, 2025.
To view full executive brief, please visit www.kcitalent.com
The hiring range for this position is $175,000 - $225,000 based on experience, with comprehensive benefits.
The Toronto Symphony Orchestra is committed to having a workforce that is reflective of the diversity of the City of Toronto and strongly encourages applications from all qualified individuals, especially those who can provide unique perspectives and contribute to a further diversification of ideas.
The TSO is committed to providing accommodations for people with disabilities. If you require accommodation, the TSO and KCI will work with you to meet your needs.
