Conservative leadership candidate Maxime Bernier announced Wednesday that Barrie MP Alex Nuttall, who’s helped him raise “well over $350,000 from well over 1,400 donors”, is switching roles on his campaign as Conservative Senator Nicole Eaton — founding director of the Conservative Fund of Canada — takes over fundraising responsibilities.

Nuttall will become national membership chair effective October 1, Bernier’s campaign said in a press release, and will now “shift his attention in the third quarter of the race to the critical role of bringing new members to the Conservative Party of Canada.”

In the second quarter leadership fundraising numbers, released by Elections Canada with the parties’ second quarter financial returns at the beginning of August, Bernier found himself trailing Kellie Leitch.

Leitch had raised $234,785.59 from 334 donors, while Bernier brought in $56,902.83 from 218 contributors.

Michael Chong, then the only other declared candidate, had raised $84,689.38 from 141 contributors.

“Nicole Eaton and Alex Nuttall are great Canadians and great Conservatives. Nicole has quite literally built the financial success of the Conservative movement in Canada,” Bernier is quoted as saying in the press release.

“Alex has worked tirelessly to advance the operational efforts of the campaign. I am grateful for their support and I look forward to their help in uniting all Conservatives behind the ideas of freedom, responsibility, fairness and respect.”

Appointed to the Senate in 2009, Eaton was a director of the Progressive Conservative Fund of Canada prior to becoming director of the Conservative Fund of Canada.

She was chair of the Conservative party’s 2005 inaugural Policy Convention in Montreal and the 2008 policy convention in Winnipeg.

“Senator Eaton was instrumental in the Conservative party’s financial success as a founding director of the Conservative Fund of Canada. She is also a noted philanthropist, serving currently on the Board of Directors for both St. Michael’s Hospital and the National Ballet of Canada,” the release says.

In addition to Eaton and Nuttall, Bernier has a few other Conservative MPs involved in his campaign.

Tom Kmiec, the Conservative MP for Calgary Shepard, is serving as his Alberta campaign co-chair and Jacques Gourde, the MP for Lotbinière—Chutes-de-la-Chaudière, is his Quebec campaign co-chair.

Nova Scotia Senator Stephen Greene, who served as principal secretary and deputy chief of staff to Nova Scotia Progressive Conservative Premier Rodney MacDonald, is Bernier’s Nova Scotia campaign co-chair.