Executive Director (PrF)

Founded in 1985, Pride Foundation is the only LGBTQ community foundation serving the Northwest region of Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington. Pride Foundation’s mission is to inspire giving to expand opportunities and advance full equality for LGBTQ people across the Northwest. We envision a world in which all LGBTQ youth, adults, and families enjoy the freedom to live safely, openly, and genuinely. As a donor-supported community foundation and a catalyst for change, we support transformative philanthropy, programs, and individuals that help people find joy and strength in who they are. Through scholarships, grants, advocacy and community leadership, Pride Foundation donors and volunteers are helping us to transform our communities and culture. Our work ripples through communities, inspiring equality at every point along the way.

Philosophy

Our work is grounded in social justice philanthropy. We are committed to:

• Harnessing our fundraising, grantmaking, program, and advocacy efforts to address root causes of discrimination impacting the LGBTQ community;
• Supporting community leaders and organizations that work to eliminate long-standing barriers to equal access, opportunities, and resources for LGBTQ people; and
• Expanding and deepening the level of engagement among all LGBTQ people and allies, including people who are economically, racially, socially, geographically, or politically disenfranchised.

Position Summary

About the next leader of Pride Foundation

The new leader of Pride Foundation will join an organization whose mission and scope is unique. As the only LGBTQ community foundation serving the Northwest region of Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington, it is critical that the next leader of the Pride Foundation possess a strong knowledge of our region and the issues affecting its communities. They must be a storyteller, who can articulate those issues in a way that moves others to action. They must also have a passion for fundraising within a foundation and, looking forward, be excited about the opportunities to engage new communities in future fundraising. Simultaneously, they must recognize the broad field and culture of philanthropy and have a consciousness around leveraging opportunities and resources beyond dollars.

The Pride Foundation will be implementing a three-year strategic plan, developed with staff, board, and stakeholder input, and crafted in the spring and summer of 2018. The next leader will need to be comfortable with the tension of an organization in transition, not only in its leadership but its vision and goals. It will be important that the next leader is enthusiastic about moving Pride Foundation along the journey laid out in this strategic plan.

Position Purpose & Responsibilities

The Chief Executive Officer of the Pride Foundation will hold a deep personal belief in the mission, values, and vision of the organization and will effectively communicate the unique role and impact of Pride Foundation as a community leader in the movement for full equality.

The Chief Executive Officer is responsible for leading and working collaboratively with Pride Foundation’s talented staff and Board of Directors. They are responsible for setting a standard of excellence for the organization both internally and externally in the community at large and for growing the impact and influence of the foundation throughout the five-state region it serves. The Chief Executive Officer’s top priority is building relationships with prospective and existing donors, volunteers, scholars, grantees, nonprofit organizations, advisors, community leaders, and politicians throughout the region. The Chief Executive Officer manages the overall administration of the organization in accordance with the goals, policies and strategic direction approved by the Board of Directors and assures the overall financial health of the organization.

Specific Responsibilities

Leadership

• Champions a clear vision for Pride Foundation that is developed with the board and staff and is anchored in our mission, vision and values.
• Contributes to the vision and thought leadership of the LGBTQ movement and the field of social justice philanthropy.
• Excites the imaginations of staff, the board, and pertinent external groups.
• Inspires the board, staff, donors, and volunteers to think strategically and innovatively about the opportunities and challenges ahead.
• Provides strategic direction in achieving organizational goals.
• Takes initiative to capitalize on, or mitigate, the impact of unexpected events.
• Seeks opportunities to add value to the Pride Foundation and turns opportunities into action.
• Supports and facilitates the board’s work in exercising their leadership and governance responsibilities.
• Provides leadership in developing program, organizational and financial plans with the board of directors and staff and carries out plans and policies authorized by the board.

Management and Program

• Leads staff and manages overall operations, paying special attention to alignment with organizational priorities, goals, accountability, and priority setting.
• Provides direction and support to Program Directors.
• Provides leadership along with Program Directors in identifying and making recommendations to the Board regarding strategic directions for programming.
• Ensures best practice standards and due diligence across all grantmaking, charitable distributions, and program activities.
• Ensures the organization has diverse staff with skills and strengths appropriate to the requirements of strategic direction and operations through effective hiring, ongoing staff professional development, performance management, and fair compensation, policies, and benefits.
• Creates and maintains a climate that attracts, keeps and motivates a diverse staff of high performing, team-oriented people.
• Creates a positive, collaborative organizational culture, guiding cross-team and cross-organizational efforts.

Development

• Ensures an exceptional donor-centered stewardship, relationship building and responsiveness to the needs of both existing and prospective donors.
• Values every donor at every level; consistently exploring opportunities for supporters to express and invest in what inspires them most within Pride Foundation and the movement for full equality.
• Proactively pursues opportunities to meet new supporters to Pride Foundation.
• Provides leadership and support to the Board of Directors and the Director of Community Giving to create and implement plans to ensure that the organization has sufficient resources to meet its annual and long-term goals.
• Participates in regional fundraising activities, both as solicitor of funds and in support of board fundraising.

Finance

• Provides direction and support to the Director of Finance and Operations in preparing annual and project budgets, monitoring budgets to ensure appropriate spending, and ensuring accurate and timely reporting to the Board of Directors and the Finance Committee.
• Ensures regular fiscal oversight of Pride Foundation’s investment portfolio and component funds in concert with the Director of Finance and Operations, the Finance Committee, the Investment Committee, and the Investment Manager.
• Provides full financial implications of any proposed activities before the board is expected to act on them.

Communications and Community Relations

• Ensures a consistent, clear and effective public presence for Pride Foundation for all its present and potential constituents.
• Represents Pride Foundation at a wide range of public meetings, events, and other venues as well as works collaboratively at the regional and national levels to advance the mission of Pride Foundation.
• Oversees the marketing efforts to present Pride Foundation as a leader and collaborator in our region.
• Makes and maintains regional relationships with key people and organizations that the Pride Foundation supports in carrying out its goals and long-term strategies.
• Ensures an open internal communication environment and that the board and staff are kept fully informed on the condition of the organization and all important factors influencing it.

Essential Qualifications

• Experience working with racial and gender equity and broader social justice issues. Experience implementing a racial equity plan in a large organization is preferred, but not required.
• Fluency and Confidence; a leader who can truly represent Pride Foundation, the region, and the movement in Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington.
• Experience implementing and overseeing change management processes.
• Demonstrated understanding and use of the emotional soft skills required for relationship building and maintenance.
• Demonstrated capacity to see the big and small picture simultaneously; can hold both vision and leadership while implementing management details around different content issues.
• An ability to read nonverbal community and conflict dynamics, facilitate and manage those dynamics in the moment, and respond to them afterward.
• Demonstrated decision making around a portfolio of community investments.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Consistent communication with staff and external stakeholders.
• Experience managing a remote staff, situated in multiple regions.

How to Apply

Pride Foundation has retained Morten Group, LLC to conduct this search.

Applicants should email a cover letter and resume in PDF format to executivesearch@mortengroup.com with subject line “PF – Chief Executive Officer Search.” Cover letters will be evaluated as a writing sample and should include the applicant’s salary requirements.

Application materials must be directed to the email address above. No phone calls, please. Note that due to the number of applications we receive, we will only respond to those candidates whom we would like to invite to interview for the position.

Pride Foundation is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service, or other non-merit factor.

Applicants from historically underrepresented and/or marginalized communities, including people of color, are strongly encouraged to apply.

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