The Community Investment Network is pleased to invite nominations and applications for their next Executive Director.

In collaboration with visionary donors and thriving community philanthropic leaders, the Community Investment Network inspires, connects, and strengthens African Americans and communities of color to leverage their collective resources and create the change they wish to see.

The Community Investment Network (CIN) was established to encourage the development of “Giving Circles” and other collective giving models in communities of color across the country. Grounded in the values of community led community change, CIN’s members share learning and build collective giving through their engagement with CIN. Poised for growth after decades of shared leadership among a lean staff and committed board, CIN is embracing a new chapter starting with the hire of an Executive Director who brings experience, vision, and passion to the work.

The ideal candidate will understand the power and positionality of community Giving Circles in a crowded, diverse, and changing philanthropic landscape. They will inspire new opportunities for growth in membership and identify opportunities for strategic learning and collective impact. Qualified candidates must demonstrate a track record of building resources through fundraising and/or membership work and effective organizational leadership including relevant staff, board, and/or financial management.

The salary for this position ranges between $115K - $150K and is commensurate with experience.

Opportunities and Challenges Facing the New executive Director

The Executive Director will have the opportunity to join a passionate membership and volunteer board to forge the strategy and growth of CIN in alignment with a growing Giving Circle movement. They will:

Develop and execute an effective strategy for CIN’s membership & financial growth and operational development.

The new ED will have the opportunity to work together with the board and membership to lead strategic planning, brand building, and impact for CIN’s next chapter. This includes the expansion of membership and fundraising in support of CIN’s fiscal strength, effective recruitment and management of a small team dedicated to CIN, and expansion of program gatherings, collective impact opportunities, and value for its members.

Brand building and education.

The new ED will be an inspiring public figure and storyteller who can expand awareness of CIN’s mission and value to new communities across the country. Through targeted conference participation, attendance, and publication in philanthropic journals and magazines, the new ED will also have the exciting opportunity to raise awareness about Giving Circles as an innovative and effective form of philanthropy and means for collective action. The successful ED will leverage a deep understanding of the national philanthropic landscape and the role of Giving Circles in order to align and strategically position CIN alongside other philanthropy serving organizations.

Support effective fundraising and CIN membership growth.

The new ED will work to open new funding channels and opportunities for CIN both through growth of its membership and through effective fundraising. The ED will foster strong and strategic partnerships with philanthropy infrastructure funders, will leverage expertise for earned revenue consulting opportunities, and drive revenue growth through membership to support the seeding and funding of regrant initiatives within its national network.

Lead operations and a team in service to gatherings and programs for membership that helps build the capacity of member Giving Circles in support of catalytic and exponential impact of CIN and CIN members’ grantmaking.

The ED will recruit, manage, and sustain a small, but mighty team of professionals in service to CIN's work. In addition, the ED will oversee CIN’s signature programs: the Essentials for Diversity in Giving (EDG) and the #WeArePhilanthropistsProject (formerly known as the HBCU/Donors of Color Initiative).

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

To operationalize this vision of success and meet the stated goals above, the ED’s responsibilities will include:

Operations and Programming

1. Several key staffing hires including a network coordinator and a grants consultant.
2. Oversight of all internal operations and staff, implementing the necessary systems, protocols, and workflows.
3. Financial management including budget oversight.
4. Bringing the #WeArePhilanthropistsProject to colleges and universities with targeted outreach and a plan to develop 3 college Giving Circles annually.
5. Delivering EDG to 3-4 new donor networks.
6. Developing a suite of consulting offerings to enable the network’s expertise as philanthropic trainers, speakers, and facilitators for workshops, strategic planning, and DEI community efforts.

Communication and Awareness

1. Collaborating with staff to revamp the CIN website, increase followers on social media, launch a Giving Circles blog, and create or re-launch CIN’s podcast.
2. Managing external communication, PR/marketing, research groups, with other partners and consultants.
3. Serving as a vocal, visible, and persuasive champion of the Giving Circle movement at conferences, through written articles, thought leadership, and in other public settings.
4. Ensuring CIN’s inclusion in the national conversation on collective giving by increased participation in sector events and partnerships with colleges and universities and by leveraging existing content for storytelling for communities of color.

Fundraising

1. Raise and steward significant funding from foundations, individuals, corporations, and other funding sources to sustain the full budget requirements of the initiative.
2. Work with Partnerships & Development Director to secure and manage institutional partners (e.g., corporations, community foundations, academia, other institutions) and deliver a fee-for-service consulting offering to start and support Giving Circles.

Membership Development

1. Work with local and strategic partners to support peer learning, best practice sharing, and foster mentorship among existing CIN membership with a strategic vision towards a three-year campaign of circle-building to strengthen and grow existing and form new Giving Circles.

SKILLS | QUALITIES | EXPERIENCES

The ideal candidate will be first and foremost committed to The Community Investment Network’s mission and visionary evolution of the organization. They will be eager to step in and help The Community Investment Network leverage co-design thinking and collaborative organizational development, and a successful people-developer grounded in an asset-based approach.

While no one person will embody all the qualities enumerated below, the ideal candidate will possess many of the following professional and personal abilities, attributes, and experiences:

1. Track record of effectively leading and scaling a high-growth organization ideally with at least 5 to 7 years of demonstrated success in financial management, fundraising, community relations, and network building.
2. Possess strong oral, digital, written and editing communication skills.
3. Ability to work independently, manage multiple priorities, and meet aggressive deadlines.
4. Demonstrated success in donor cultivation and asks individuals, corporations, and foundations for support on a significant scale.
5. Proven success in preparing and submitting funding proposals that generate financial support from foundations, corporations, individual donors, and other sources.
6. Willingness and ability to travel.
7. 10+ years of experience in a combination of social sector collaboration, leadership, and development focused on strengthening capacity building and organizational impact.
8. Proven track record of building funder engagement and financial sustainability of organizations or key initiatives.
9. Broad knowledge of best practices and deep awareness and understanding of emerging trends in the field of philanthropy and its history in communities of color with an emphasis on leadership, strategy, and supporting organizations at all levels of the development cycle.
10. In conjunction with the CIN Board of Directors, develop growth strategies focusing on fund development, program capacity building, corporate and community rich partnerships, and technology, etc.
11. Deeply committed to Giving Circles as a concept—mission, vision, model, and guiding principles (experience in the field of Giving Circles and community-driven philanthropy preferred).
12. Strong operational skills to manage and lead a team, board, funder, and other stakeholder relationships.

TO APPLY
For more information, please visit: The Community Investment Network.
This search is being led by Katherine Jacobs and Linda Chavers of NPAG. Due to the pace of this search, candidates are strongly encouraged to apply as soon as possible. Candidates may submit their cover letter, outlining their interest and qualifications, along with their resume via NPAG’s website.

The Community Investment Network is an equal opportunity employer. We strongly encourage applications from women, people of color, and bilingual and bicultural individuals, as well as members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities. Applicants shall not be discriminated against because of race, religion, sex, national origin, ethnicity, age, disability, political affiliation, sexual orientation, gender identity, color, marital status, or medical condition including acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) and AIDS-related conditions. Applicants with Disabilities: Reasonable
accommodation will be made so that qualified disabled applicants may participate in the application process. Please advise in writing of special needs at the time of application.