Vice President, Programs & Strategic Initiatives

The Amalgamated
Foundation is redefining philanthropy by empowering activism,
harnessing generosity, and leveraging technology to build new
pathways to move resources quickly and strategically to the
frontlines of social change. Since launching in 2018, the
Foundation has given away $500 million and built a strong network
of partners across the sector. With a goal of reaching $1 billion
contributed by 2026, the Foundation is focused on leveling up for
sustainable future growth and increasing its ability to seed,
convene, and build movements.

To support their growth trajectory, the Foundation is seeking
nominations and applications for the newly created position of
Vice President of Programs & Strategic Initiatives
(VP). This VP will play an instrumental role in helping
guide the Foundation’s next chapter, leading the development,
implementation, and promotion of the programs and initiatives that
demonstrate the Foundation’s bold and innovative approach to
philanthropy. They will play a critical role in implementing the
strategy, structure, and plan for the Foundation’s hiring and
impact over the next several years.

This VP will focus on both the external landscape and internal
structure of the Foundation, looking outwards to assess the
ecosystem, analyzing and strategizing around which opportunities
align with the Foundation – and they will collaborate internally to
ensure its resources are structured and designed appropriately to
meet those opportunities.

They will report to the Executive Director, and they will
eventually supervise a team.

 

ABOUT THE AMALGAMATED FOUNDATION

The Amalgamated Foundation started in 2018, growing out of a
partnership with Amalgamated Bank, which for 100 years has
championed worker’s rights, economic justice, racial equity, human
rights & the environment. By harnessing the power of collective
action and pursuing innovative funding approaches, the Foundation
equips the philanthropic sector to respond nimbly to the most
urgent challenges. Its community of individuals and institutions
leverage their resources creatively toward actualizing a more just
and equitable world, and through its diverse range of giving
vehicles, the Foundation maximizes its collective impact to speed
up the pace of change.

At its core, the Foundation offers a values-aligned alternative
to the donor advised funds managed by mainstream financial
investment firms that currently dominate the field. The
Foundation’s vision is a platform that will evolve to meet emerging
needs and opportunities to move resources for social change.

The Foundation advances its mission in the following ways:

• Advancing Change Funds – Donor Advised Funds
  wired to advance social change;
• Combining Impact Funds – initiated by funders
  of movement organizations to drive collective impact;
• Amalgamated Strategic Giving – providing
  direct support to organizations working for democracy, climate
  justice, and a fair economy;
• Rapid Response Funds – pooling resources to
  address urgent natural and civic crises;
• Aligned Capital – Impact investing options;
  and
• Sector Leadership – leading values-driven
  initiatives like Hate is Not Charitable, #HalfMyDAF, and its
  Fellows program.

Over the next five years, the Foundation is seeking to level up
for sustainable future growth and increasing its ability to seed,
convene, and build movements.

 

OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES FOR THE VP, PROGRAMS &
STRATEGIC INITIATIVES

The VP, Programs & Strategic Initiatives will lead the
development, implementation, and promotion of the Foundation’s
programs and initiatives. They will track emerging opportunities
and trends in philanthropy and social movements, identifying
opportunities for the Foundation to respond to those trends and
grow its impact. They will design strategies, set goals, organize
resources, and direct cross-functional efforts to develop new
programs, services, partnerships, and initiatives that advance
those goals – and they will also direct the implementation of these
efforts, working closely with both internal and external
partners.

The VP will represent the Foundation in various leadership and
visibility efforts, including speaking opportunities, funder
networking and outreach, and engagement with movement leaders and
activists. Internally, they will work collaboratively with other
leaders to guide the Foundation’s strategy and planning, set growth
and impact goals, and define organizational priorities.

Their responsibilities will include the following:

Program Development

• Scan current events and engage with funders and movement
  leaders to track and understand emerging trends and opportunities
  within the philanthropic and social change sectors.
• Apply insights to the development of new programs and the
  evolution of current programs.
• Design and manage internal processes to define and assess
  opportunities.
• Design programs including new products and services,
  grantmaking funds, leadership initiatives, and outreach
  strategies.
• Develop models and strategies that demonstrate programs’
  contribution to the Foundation’s financial sustainability,
  including new client acquisition, client fees and grant funding to
  support programs and initiatives.
• Set clear goals and objectives, and assess internal resources,
  systems and capacities necessary for program implementation.
• Direct cross-functional teams and efforts to guide programs and
  initiatives to implementation.

Program Management (Current Programs and
Strategies)

• Lead Foundation-wide efforts to drive current programs to
  achieve their current priorities and objectives. This includes:
  • Aligned Capital:
    • Hone current offering (recoverable grants).
    • Create new products and services.
  • Hate is Not Charitable Campaign:
    • Evolve the focus of the campaign beyond just DAF funding
      towards broader sectoral issues of de-funding hate, including the
      funding of political violence.
    • Launch a collaborative grantmaking fund aligned with Campaign
      goals.
  • Public funding:
    • Develop systems to meet the current $50 million
      opportunity.
    • Evaluate potential additional opportunities.
  • Democracy on Tap:
    • Develop internal systems to enable rapid disbursement of
      funding to democracy organizations.
    • Promote and build participation in the program.
  • Organizing Resilience (OR):
    • Identify strategies to engage clients and partners to support
      climate resilience work.
    • Apply insights learnings from OR to the Foundation’s rapid
      response strategies.
  • Fellows program:
    • Define and develop the Fellows program to provide a platform
      for innovative leaders to incubate new ideas.
    • Develop funding strategies, including the Foundation’s
      investments and funding goals and expectations of Fellows to build
      a sustainable program.
  • Across all these programs the VP will:
  • Develop approaches to regularly assess the impact and success
    of these as well as new and emerging programs.
  • Determine the flight path and life cycle for programs as they
    evolve, including staffing needs, structural approaches, scaling
    strategies, and closing approaches.
  • Identify opportunities for cross-pollination with current
    clients, prospects, and service offerings.

Leadership & Visibility

• Develop strategies in collaboration with Foundation leadership
  to elevate and promote the work of the Foundation with current
  clients, prospective clients and partners, and sector allies.
• Identify and cultivate priority networks and convenings and
  attend conferences and virtual convenings for personal networking
  and outreach.
• Represent the Foundation by speaking at conferences and virtual
  convenings.
• Develop thought leadership content for distribution on the
  Foundation’s platform and sector platforms.

Internal Leadership

• Integrate programs across client-facing and operational areas
  of the Foundation, engaging staff and clients in learning and
  engagement activities.
• Work with Executive Director and internal stakeholders to guide
  organizational strategy and planning, including setting growth and
  impact goals and determining organizational priorities.
• With Executive Director, help lead engagement efforts with
  board and key stakeholders.
• Work with Growth & Impact team to identify priorities and
  strategic ways to work together to cultivate new business.
• Work with COO to ensure new programs and initiatives meet
  operating standards and gage capacity for new developments.
• Steward the development and management of a high-performing
  team, modeling and nurturing a team culture that is
  results-oriented, collaborative, and adaptable.

 

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Demonstrated ability to work strategically, collaboratively,
  and creatively as a senior leader (10+ years of senior leadership)
  in an evolving philanthropic intermediary institution.
• Experience and results cultivating in managing, growing, and
  executing complex programs.
• Strong project management skills.
• Experience fundraising, leading, and managing budgets.
• Strong facilitation, management, and collaboration skills.
• Strong organizational development background.
• Strong familiarity and trust working with high-net-worth
  individuals, foundations, donor networks, and socially responsible
  businesses.
• Strong knowledge of social justice field, organizing or
  advocacy experience strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated public leadership experience within the
  philanthropic sector.
• Strong written communication skills.
• Strong oral presentation skills.
• Ability to joyfully work in a start-up and remote
  environment.

 

WORK LOCATION, COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

Work Location:  This role is remote and
can be based anywhere in the United States. This position will
require up to 30% travel.

Salary and Benefits:  The salary range for
this full-time, exempt position is
$238,000-$280,000. A generous benefits package is
also provided through Amalgamated Foundation, which includes:

• Excellent health benefits with 100% employer-paid
  coverage.
• Respect for work-life balance, including a flexible work from
  home policy with a remote office stipend.
• 20 days of vacation, 10 sick days, and 13 paid holidays.
• Parental and caregiver leave options.
• 401(k) with match.

 

TO APPLY

More information about Amalgamated Foundation
may be found at: amalgamatedfoundation.org.

This search is being led by Emily Wexler and Rachel Burgoyne of
NPAG. Candidates may submit
their cover letter, outlining their interest and qualifications,
along with their resume via NPAG’s website.

At Amalgamated Charitable Foundation, we value a
diverse, inclusive workforce and we provide equal employment
opportunity for all applicants and employees. All qualified
applicants for employment will be considered without regard to an
individual’s race, color, sex, gender identity, gender expression,
religion, age, national origin or ancestry, citizenship, physical
or mental disability, medical condition, family care status,
marital status, domestic partner status, sexual orientation,
genetic information, military or veteran status, or any other basis
protected by federal, state or local laws. Women, people of color,
members of the LGBTQ+ community, and people from working-class
backgrounds and/or with lived experiences are strongly encouraged
to apply.