President and Chief Executive Officer

Overview

A recent $10 million gift from a philanthropist supports the Region as we recruit a new CEO to leverage this significant, unrestricted gift. If you have a passion for United Way’s mission—to improve people’s lives and build stronger communities—and are excited about being a high-profile, impactful leader in the five-county region, explore this rare opportunity. We encourage and welcome diverse candidates.

This position reports to a 25-member Board of Directors and oversees 39 staff, an operating budget of approximately $7 million, assets of $19 million, and an expected fundraising target of $9 million in the current budget cycle. In 2018-19, the organization generated nearly $13 million in resources for the communities it serves.

The President and CEO is responsible for establishing a vision for community impact in the five-county region, mobilizing relationships across private, public, and corporate sectors, and stewarding the United Way California Capital Region brand to grow and protect the organization’s reputation and relevance in the community.

• Partner with the Board to craft and adapt the strategy to achieve increased community impact and strengthen the core business.
• Establish and build relationships with leaders in the business, government, and non-profit sectors.
• Drive fundraising results and promote a culture of philanthropy within the organization, at both staff and board levels.
• Serve as the principal resource to the Board of Directors and its key committees; provide strong direction in policy formulation and interpretation.
• Collaborate with the Board and staff to set organizational goals and develop strategies to achieve them.
• Coordinate and align all United Way activities and resources to achieve goals.
• Build and lead a high-performing team, ensuring alignment and collaboration to achieve results.
• Oversee operational and fiscal integrity within Board-approved policies.
• Assess organizational capacity, identify gaps in systems and staffing, and manage spending, budget compliance, and financial risks.
• Ensure inclusiveness and diversity among staff and volunteers.

This is a unique opportunity to lead a well-resourced, highly respected agency into its next chapter. The ideal candidate will be a visionary leader who will collaborate with community stakeholders to grow United Way’s presence as the region’s leading nonprofit.

It is expected that the President/CEO will achieve the following by the end of the first year (in implementation order):

Within the first 90 days

• Meet with the Board Chair and Executive Committee, executive staff, and other employees to build relationships and understand high-priority activities and key dates.
• Identify and meet with a defined top 10% of major stakeholders to begin establishing relationships.
• Understand the Board’s priorities and the current state of the business and conduct a SWOT assessment.
• Assess the current five-year strategic plan.

Within the first 180 days

• Meet with remaining stakeholders, commence ongoing communication and relationship building.
• Assess the current fundraising structure and strategy and elevate it to support increased fundraising needs.
• With Board support, implement value-added changes to address regional issues.
• Evaluate current roles (including possibly adding a COO), realign responsibilities, and create development plans to support staff retention.
• Establish effective and transparent financial internal controls and record keeping.
• Be invited to participate in significant regional initiatives.
• Assess tools and technology needed for ongoing operations in support of the strategic plan.

By the end of the first year

• Implement the strategic plan as defined by metrics.

Successful candidates will have the following experience (in priority order):

• Demonstrated ability to manage multi-million-dollar budgets (internal).
• Senior-level leadership with supervisory responsibility for multiple direct reports (internal).
• Significant fundraising and campaign experience with a proven record of cultivating, soliciting, and securing major gifts and grants (external).
• Experience in…