CW Impact Strategies
Director of Strategic Communications and Informed Communities
CW Impact Strategies, Denver, Colorado, United States, 80285
The Organization
Gates Family Foundation celebrated its 78th anniversary in 2024. Since its creation, the Foundation has distributed more than $550 million in grants, with another nearly $60 million committed to impact investments in recent years. Representing a partnership of family and community representatives, the Foundation maintains a strong commitment through its grantmaking and other strategic efforts to four key areas:
Education
: Expanding access to educational opportunity for all children in Colorado.
Natural Resources
: Supporting land and water conservation, forest and watershed health, and management and protection of Colorado’s natural resources.
Community Development
: Addressing the root causes of economic inequality and inequitable community development.
Informed Communities
: Ensuring all Coloradans have access to trustworthy, rigorous, fact-based local news and information about important civic issues.
In recent years, the Foundation has sought to increase its impact through more creative approaches to grantmaking, an expanded impact investing program, additional staffing and expertise, and an increased focus on convening, partnering, and where appropriate, leading in the community. Climate impact has become a lens through which all Foundation grantmaking, investments, and activity are viewed, and since 2018, the Foundation has made an intentional commitment to advancing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion efforts internally and through its grantmaking and impact investing.
To learn more about Gates Family Foundation and its programs, visit the Foundation’s website at
www.gatesfamilyfoundation.org
.
The Position
Gates Family Foundation is seeking a Director of Strategic Communications and Informed Communities. This position will lead a comprehensive communications strategy aligned with the Foundation’s broader goals, support all program teams in leveraging strategic communications to deepen the impact of their work, and oversee the Foundation’s grantmaking efforts to ensure widespread access to reliable information and strong civic engagement across the state. The position reports directly to the President, regularly oversees contractors, and joins a team of 11 other staff members across programs, learning and evaluation, finance and grants management. Job responsibilities of this role include the following:
Strategic Communications Leadership
Provide strategic direction to continually develop, refine and implement a multifaceted strategic communications plan that advances the Foundation's mission, amplifies its initiatives and the work of its grantees and partners, and fosters informed and engaged communities across Colorado
Work with program teams to develop strategic communications strategies, highlight impact, and amplify success stories in all program areas
Collaborate with the Director of Learning and Evaluation to help codify and share key learnings from the Foundation’s grantmaking and initiatives
Monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of communication strategies, making data-driven adjustments as needed
Lend strategic thought leadership and hands-on communications support to key high-impact initiatives across program areas
Oversee all aspects of external communications for the Foundation, including digital strategy, content creation, media relations, and public relations
Build and maintain strong relationships with key stakeholders, including community and foundation leaders, strategic partners, and media outlets
Serve as a spokesperson and representative for the Foundation at public events, conferences, and other engagements
Support internal communication and learning among the board of trustees and the staff
Informed Communities Program Leadership
Provide intellectual leadership to continually develop and refine the Foundation’s theory of action and the strategy behind its grantmaking and initiated work for Informed Communities (see detail below)
Serve as an active partner and key voice on the Executive Committee of the Colorado Media Project, a broad coalition of stakeholders working to expand and protect access to reliable, local news for all Colorado citizens
Build and maintain trusted relationships with grantee and non-grantee partners in the media sector, serving as a thought partner and support, surfacing common challenges, and identifying new opportunities to ensure a strong local news ecosystem
Identify strategic grantmaking opportunities, analyze their feasibility, shape specific opportunities, present recommendations internally, and negotiate grant agreements
Review grant applications, conduct due diligence, and make recommendations on funding
Identify and track outcomes to evaluate the impact of foundation investments and inform its strategy for Informed Communities
#J-18808-Ljbffr
Gates Family Foundation celebrated its 78th anniversary in 2024. Since its creation, the Foundation has distributed more than $550 million in grants, with another nearly $60 million committed to impact investments in recent years. Representing a partnership of family and community representatives, the Foundation maintains a strong commitment through its grantmaking and other strategic efforts to four key areas:
Education
: Expanding access to educational opportunity for all children in Colorado.
Natural Resources
: Supporting land and water conservation, forest and watershed health, and management and protection of Colorado’s natural resources.
Community Development
: Addressing the root causes of economic inequality and inequitable community development.
Informed Communities
: Ensuring all Coloradans have access to trustworthy, rigorous, fact-based local news and information about important civic issues.
In recent years, the Foundation has sought to increase its impact through more creative approaches to grantmaking, an expanded impact investing program, additional staffing and expertise, and an increased focus on convening, partnering, and where appropriate, leading in the community. Climate impact has become a lens through which all Foundation grantmaking, investments, and activity are viewed, and since 2018, the Foundation has made an intentional commitment to advancing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion efforts internally and through its grantmaking and impact investing.
To learn more about Gates Family Foundation and its programs, visit the Foundation’s website at
www.gatesfamilyfoundation.org
.
The Position
Gates Family Foundation is seeking a Director of Strategic Communications and Informed Communities. This position will lead a comprehensive communications strategy aligned with the Foundation’s broader goals, support all program teams in leveraging strategic communications to deepen the impact of their work, and oversee the Foundation’s grantmaking efforts to ensure widespread access to reliable information and strong civic engagement across the state. The position reports directly to the President, regularly oversees contractors, and joins a team of 11 other staff members across programs, learning and evaluation, finance and grants management. Job responsibilities of this role include the following:
Strategic Communications Leadership
Provide strategic direction to continually develop, refine and implement a multifaceted strategic communications plan that advances the Foundation's mission, amplifies its initiatives and the work of its grantees and partners, and fosters informed and engaged communities across Colorado
Work with program teams to develop strategic communications strategies, highlight impact, and amplify success stories in all program areas
Collaborate with the Director of Learning and Evaluation to help codify and share key learnings from the Foundation’s grantmaking and initiatives
Monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of communication strategies, making data-driven adjustments as needed
Lend strategic thought leadership and hands-on communications support to key high-impact initiatives across program areas
Oversee all aspects of external communications for the Foundation, including digital strategy, content creation, media relations, and public relations
Build and maintain strong relationships with key stakeholders, including community and foundation leaders, strategic partners, and media outlets
Serve as a spokesperson and representative for the Foundation at public events, conferences, and other engagements
Support internal communication and learning among the board of trustees and the staff
Informed Communities Program Leadership
Provide intellectual leadership to continually develop and refine the Foundation’s theory of action and the strategy behind its grantmaking and initiated work for Informed Communities (see detail below)
Serve as an active partner and key voice on the Executive Committee of the Colorado Media Project, a broad coalition of stakeholders working to expand and protect access to reliable, local news for all Colorado citizens
Build and maintain trusted relationships with grantee and non-grantee partners in the media sector, serving as a thought partner and support, surfacing common challenges, and identifying new opportunities to ensure a strong local news ecosystem
Identify strategic grantmaking opportunities, analyze their feasibility, shape specific opportunities, present recommendations internally, and negotiate grant agreements
Review grant applications, conduct due diligence, and make recommendations on funding
Identify and track outcomes to evaluate the impact of foundation investments and inform its strategy for Informed Communities
#J-18808-Ljbffr