The Organization
Position Overview
Chief Executive Officer
CFLeads
Boston, MA
Helping community foundations advance their community leadership practice to build thriving communities.
THE SEARCH
CFLeads, a national network of community foundations committed to community leadership, seeks a strategic, passionate, and equity-focused Chief Executive Officer (CEO) to further its mission and guide the organization to the next phase of evolution, impact, and growth. CFLeads works with hundreds of community foundations, large and small, urban and rural, committed to moving beyond grantmaking and serving as charitable banks to deepen their impact in their communities. CFLeads supports community foundations as they create positive change in their communities using the Community Leadership Framework and peer-to-peer learning and support. What was once a “coalition of the willing” is now a national movement of community foundations helping to build strong communities and advocate for better outcomes for all by insisting on racial equity, amplifying community voice, and influencing public policy and systems.
Today, CFLeads offers a wide range of peer learning opportunities designed to help community foundations grow their capacity for community leadership. By working with community foundations of all sizes from across the country, CFLeads is uniquely positioned to identify and lift the opportunities, challenges, and changes in practice associated with community leadership.
The organization has an annual operating budget of $3.91 million. It will end FY2022 with $5.3 million in a Strategic Acceleration Fund in unrestricted funding, due largely to a generous gift of $5 million from MacKenzie Scott and her husband, Dan Jewett. Capitalizing on a 5-year strategic plan adopted by the board in May 2021, CFLeads seeks to continue to accelerate and scale its work.
CFLeads’ next leader will bring enthusiasm for the critical role that community foundations play in solving some of society’s most vexing challenges. They will also bring a proven commitment to civic leadership and a desire to support the field-building of community foundations. The CEO will serve as an inspirational leader, an influential communicator, an outstanding connector of people, a skilled fundraiser, and an effective strategic and organizational leader. They will also be a champion of racial equity and will work to represent CFLeads externally and internally, overseeing continued success, impact, and growth of the organization as well as continuing to develop and support a talented team of professionals and board members.
This incoming leader will work to develop programs and network opportunities that deepen community foundation expertise in community leadership and support public policy and systems change efforts. They will help to codify and collect CFLeads’ learnings for greater dissemination and shared learning and to generate national foundation support to ensure ongoing financial sustainability. The CEO will work to elevate CFLeads’ public profile and communications strategy to increase organizational visibility.
CFLeads is a national organization, with staff who work out of the Boston office and virtually. This leader must be prepared to travel extensively to visit community foundations across the country, for hosting events and convenings, and for spending time in Boston where the offices are located. Compensation will be competitive and commensurate with experience, with an anticipated salary range of $250k to $300k.
FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO APPLY
CFLeads has retained Isaacson, Miller, a national executive search firm, to assist in this search. All inquiries, nominations, and applications (including resumes and a 1 to 3-page long letter of interest responding to the opportunities and challenges outlined above should be directed in strict confidence to the search team at the link below. Applications will be reviewed as they are submitted.
Rebecca Swartz, Haley Burrowes, and Sokeng Cleary
https://www.imsearch.com/search-detail/8658
CFLeads is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran status, or genetic information. CFLeads is committed to providing access, equal opportunity, and reasonable accommodation for individuals with disabilities in employment, its services, programs, and activities.
How To Apply