Director of Client Strategy

Type of Role: Full time, remote anywhere in Canada

Reports To: Managing Director

Compensation: $115,000 - $130,000 CAD + performance pay

On Target Earnings (OTE): >$150,000 CAD

About The Company

BuildGood is a fundraising growth agency. We help nonprofits change the way they find new donors, retain them longer, and grow lifetime value, building a system that creates moments of generosity from first-time giver to legacy leaver.

Our approach is rooted in understanding why people give. Generosity grows when people feel motivated—when giving supports their identity, creates a sense of connection, and makes supporters feel competent and effective in their giving. We design fundraising systems around building donor motivation and leading first-time donors to become committed supporters.

We partner with nonprofits across North America to grow durable revenue, from donor acquisition and direct mail to digital fundraising, retention, and mid-level giving. Our work blends brand and direct response.

We’re a growing, research-informed fundraising agency with a clear point of view and big ambitions—and you can be a big part of shaping what comes next.

Is This Job For You?

Do you get fired up about turning client relationships into long-term, high-impact partnerships?

Do you understand what it takes to grow fundraising and be responsible for revenue targets, and know how to help others turn that understanding into stronger strategies and better results?

Are you energized by leading a team of Strategists and Account Managers, challenging their thinking, building their confidence, and helping them manage client relationships well?

Can you look at a client’s fundraising program, identify the biggest opportunities, and help your team build a clear plan for growth?

Are you comfortable leading important client conversations, addressing concerns directly, and making the case for renewing or expanding a partnership?

Do you love being in the room where decisions get made: influencing outcomes, setting the vision, and holding people accountable to delivering exceptional work?

And do you want to build a high-performance client strategy function at a fundraising agency that’s genuinely changing how nonprofits grow?

We’re looking for someone who combines deep fundraising knowledge with strong account management and people leadership. You’ll lead the team that owns our client accounts, set the standard for strategy and client experience, and take responsibility for keeping and growing those partnerships.

You won’t carry your own roster of accounts. You’ll stay close to the work through coaching, strategic reviews, key client conversations, and resolving challenges that need your involvement.

This is a director-level role built for an experienced, proven leader in the fundraising and/or agency space.

This Job Is Not A Good Fit If:

• You see leadership as a title rather than a responsibility. This role is about making your team better every day.
• You avoid the hard conversations with clients, with your team, or with leadership.
• You treat revenue targets, renewals and account growth as someone else’s responsibility.
• You view other functions (creative, data, digital, project management) as support staff rather than essential partners.
• You see process as a constraint rather than a lever for better, faster, more consistent work.
• You avoid challenging a client’s thinking, even when a different approach would help them achieve better results.
• You prefer managing your own accounts to coaching a team and taking responsibility for its performance.
• You don’t thrive in a fast-moving, entrepreneurial environment where things evolve quickly.

Some Things You Should Know

• This is a remote role, but comes with meaningful in-person commitments, roughly 40-50 days per year.
• As a member of the Leadership Team, you’ll participate in weekly leadership meetings and travel quarterly for in-person leadership sessions (~12 days total).
• Client visits are a regular part of this role. Expect to travel in Canada and the US to meet clients on-site throughout the year (~15-20 days total).
• Attendance is required at the team retreat every two years (3–4 days).
• Attendance and on-site participation are required for smaller events BuildGood runs throughout the year (5-6 days total).
• Attendance and on-site participation are required for the BuildGood Summit (approximately 5 working days, including setup).

What We Offer

• A workplace that values your need for autonomy, competence and connection
• An entrepreneurial culture that places a premium on rigor and accountability
• A teamwork environment built on both humour and challenging each other to continuously improve in our craft
• Meaningful work that directly influences how organizations grow
• Attendance at the Build Good Summit, Canada’s premiere fundraising conference
• Work from home anywhere in Canada
• Summer Fridays (Fridays off in June, July, and August)
• Group Retirement Savings Plan (GRSP)
• Flexible Spending Account (HSA)
• Performance pay based on meeting goals and targets

What You’ll Do

You will own the strategy and execution for how our client team grows and protects BuildGood’s client portfolio. Your focus will be on client success, retention, renewals, expansion, and the profitability of each account—ensuring our work delivers measurable fundraising results, gives clients a clear reason to deepen their partnership with us, and generates a healthy profit for BuildGood.

You will set the direction for BuildGood’s client strategy function and lead the team responsible for putting it into practice. You’ll manage our Fundraising Strategists and Account Managers, set the standard for fundraising strategy and account management, and own all renewals and expansion across the client portfolio.

Every account will have a clear growth plan that connects the client’s fundraising goals with the work, investment, and decisions needed to achieve them. You’ll help your team build those plans, hold them accountable for progress, and ensure clients understand the value of our work and where the partnership can go next.

You’ll lead through your team while participating directly in strategic reviews, important client conversations, renewals, and escalations. You’ll work closely with the Managing Director, who provides commercial leadership and sets pricing, margin, and other business parameters.

Your main responsibilities:

• Lead, coach, and develop BuildGood’s Fundraising Strategists and Account Managers through regular 1:1s, account reviews, clear performance expectations, and professional development.
• Review and challenge the fundraising strategy across the client portfolio. Review and challenge recommendations to ensure they reflect donor insights, performance data, and the client’s goals.
• Own and iterate the Total Fundraising Review & Revenue Roadmap, our flagship diagnostic, forecasting and planning process at the beginning of each new client relationship built on our Brand & Demand & Expand and Fundraising FlywheelTM IP.
• Work closely with the Creative Director to ensure the work we deliver is outstanding—grounded in a strong fundraising strategy, built around donor insights, and executed with exceptional craft. Together, review key campaigns and deliverables, challenge work that falls short, and coach the team toward a consistently high standard.
• Ensure every account has a documented growth plan covering fundraising priorities, measurable goals, recommended investment, renewal timing, relationship risks, and opportunities to expand the partnership.
• Make annual planning and Quarterly Fundraising Reviews the foundation of account management, ensuring each review leads to clear recommendations, decisions, and next steps.
• Hold the team accountable for executing account plans, monitoring results, and adjusting strategy when performance or circumstances change.
• Own renewal planning and execution across the portfolio. Maintain a clear renewal calendar and forecast, prepare the team, and lead renewal conversations within the commercial parameters agreed with the Managing Director.
• Identify and advance opportunities to expand client partnerships where additional BuildGood services or investment would help the client achieve its fundraising goals.
• Monitor account health using fundraising performance, client feedback, engagement, and relationship strength. Act early when results, trust, or renewal prospects are at risk.
• Serve as the senior escalation point for client challenges. Lead the response, coordinate the right people, communicate clearly with the client, and follow through to resolution.
• Ensure client strategies, presentations, and reports are clear, credible, and useful. Help the team explain what happened, what it means, and what should happen next.
• Partner with creative, data, digital, production, and project management leaders to ensure work follows the agreed strategy and meets client expectations.
• Own the profitability of each client account. Monitor account revenue, delivery costs, scope, and resource use against agreed profit targets. Address scope creep and unprofitable work early, and work with the Managing Director on pricing, staffing, or scope changes needed to protect profit while delivering excellent client results.
• Partner with the Managing Director to ensure commitments made during the sales process carry through into onboarding and account planning.
• Hire and onboard members of the client strategy team, and build consistent practices that help the team deliver strong work with greater independence.
• Establish regular client feedback and use it to improve account management, service quality, and the client experience.
• Serve on BuildGood’s Leadership Team, participating in weekly leadership meetings and quarterly in-person sessions.
• Travel to meet clients on-site throughout the year, strengthening relationships and supporting important planning and decision-making conversations.
• Contribute your expertise to selected case studies, webinars, or other thought leadership opportunities.

How we’ll measure success

We’ll assess your performance against agreed targets in six areas:

• Client success and satisfaction: Clients make measurable progress against the goals established in their fundraising plans. You and the Creative Director ensure our work consistently meets BuildGood’s standards for fundraising effectiveness and creative craft.
• Account planning: Every account has a current growth plan, and the team follows through on its priorities.
• Renewals: Renewal conversations happen early, clients understand the value of the partnership, and net/gross revenue targets are met.
• Expansion: The team identifies and secures additional work that addresses client needs and meets BuildGood’s commercial expectations.
• Account profitability: Each account meets agreed profit targets, with clear visibility into delivery costs and timely action when profitability falls behind.
• Team performance: Strategists and Account Managers grow in capability, exercise sound judgment, and manage their accounts with increasing independence.

Skills & Experience

• Significant experience in nonprofit fundraising strategy, direct-response marketing, and fundraising agency account management, typically gained over 7 or more years.
• At least 5 years of experience managing and developing a team, including setting expectations, coaching performance, hiring, and handling difficult conversations.
• Deep knowledge of direct-response fundraising across disciplines and channels, with the ability to connect acquisition, retention, monthly, mid-level, and legacy giving into a coherent growth strategy.
• Demonstrated success managing client relationships and leading account planning, renewals, and expansion.
• Strong analytical judgment: you can interpret fundraising performance, identify the underlying issues, and turn findings into clear recommendations.
• The ability to evaluate other people’s strategies and coach them toward stronger thinking and better work.
• A consultative approach: you ask good questions, make complex information understandable, and present recommendations with confidence.
• Credibility with senior nonprofit leaders and experience navigating concerns, competing priorities, and difficult client situations.
• Commercial awareness: you understand how scope, pricing, and resource decisions affect account profitability.
• Experience using CRM and project management tools to maintain visibility into account plans, commitments, risks, and renewal opportunities.
• Significant agency experience is required.

Ways You’ll Work

• Lead with an owner’s mindset. You’re accountable for the success of the whole client strategy function, from the plan to the finished work to the results report.
• Lead the Strategists and Account Managers who own day-to-day client relationships, giving them clear expectations, useful coaching, and room to exercise judgment.
• Show up prepared, communicate directly, and follow through on commitments.
• Build a team culture where people seek feedback, address problems early, and take responsibility for results.

Requirements

Canadian resident with legal status to work in Canada

Must be willing to work during standard business hours in CT timezone

Access to your own computer, reliable internet and a phone is essential

The Hiring Process

What To Expect

The Interview Process

As a part of our commitment to creating a fair, equitable, and positive interview experience for all candidates, we offer full transparency of our interview stages to give applicants an idea of the time and effort involved.

• An initial application form (25 minutes). Acts as an early screen for basic information.
• An initial interview (60 minutes). Selected candidates will be invited to a Zoom conversation about your experience, what you’re looking for, compensation, and whether the role is a fit.
• A technical assessment (60 minutes). Selected candidates will participate in a technical assessment over Zoom followed by a short interview.
• Panel Interview (60 minutes). A conversation with select team members and cross‑functional leaders at BuildGood.
• CEO interview (30 minutes). A short conversation with BuildGood’s CEO to talk about culture.
• Reference Check. Candidates being considered for this role will be asked to provide professional references.
• Leadership Presentation (2 hours, in person). A final, in-person presentation with the BuildGood leadership team.
• Offer. We will reach out with the details of the offer to discuss with the candidate.