Who We Are
The Amherst Foundation supports numerous initiatives in areas where we live and work, with a targeted focus in education, social services, medical research, and the health and welfare of our country’s military personnel. Through the Amherst Foundation and its contributions, we make a meaningful difference in the lives of people and communities in need.
The Amherst Foundation also provides an employee charitable giving matching program for employees of the Amherst Group, through which we amplify the charitable contributions employees make to qualified secular and apolitical non-profit organizations with non-discriminatory missions. Through this program, we can have an impact on smaller, local community-based organizations that align with our employees’ values.
We are currently contemplating placing the CapCityKids (The Capital City Fund for Education) within the Amherst Foundation organization. CapCityKids is also a 501(c)3 organization created by Amherst’s founders to help children facing homelessness beat the odds, get a quality education, and receive the support they need to succeed in the classroom. The organization’s operations are housed within Amherst, making it unique among similar non-profits because a higher percentage of monies donated can flow directly to students and families in need.
CapCityKids works through homeless liaisons in 30 public school systems to identify the resources to pilot and launch bespoke programs serving at-risk students while securing long-term program sponsors and offering zero-cost administrative oversight. The organization also provides direct resources in the form of school supplies and gift cards. To learn more about CapCityKids and how to help, visit capcitykids.org.
Why We are Different
CapCityKids was started in 2005 back when Hurricane Katrina displaced so many to directly help the displaced families in need. The Amherst Group is a privately held financial and real estate advisory organization. A portion of the proceeds and budget fund these organizations’ operating expenses and programs.
The Amherst Group works with investors to help increase the supply of affordable, high-quality homes for rent and for purchase. We renovate existing homes and build new ones, providing families with access to desirable neighborhoods with good schools. Our flexible, vertically integrated platform allows us to on-board houses at any point in the development lifecycle and assembles them to a customized investment opportunity to meet the risk-adjusted needs of investors. Our in-house teams offer all the services needed to shape investments and property-manage homes for the long term, ultimately transforming single-family homes into passive investment portfolios.
Summary of Position
The Executive Director (ED) shall have general responsibility over the daily operations of the Foundation. This role is responsible for providing strategic leadership of the Foundation’s programs, initiatives and staff, ensuring the fulfillment of the organization’s mission and financial objectives. Ensuring ongoing programmatic expansion, the impact of programs, excellence in execution, rigorous program evaluation for both ongoing and new initiatives, and consistent results in fundraising, communications and administration is paramount. The ED will help shape and run the activities of both a Private Foundation and a Non-Profit while interacting with and inspiring the teams across an associated for-profit company who unite around a common mission to give back and care for families with education and housing insecurity needs.
Key Responsibilities
Program development and administration:
· Develop a long-range strategy for the Foundation’s programs to fulfill the organization’s mission as set forth by the Board of Directors and ensure the organization’s progress towards its long-term goals
· Develop annual social programs and associated budgets, as approved by the Board of Directors, to fulfill the goals and objectives of each Foundation initiative and implement in an effective manner.
· Continually evaluate programs and initiatives to maximize effectiveness, improve quality, and build stature within the industry; develop key measurements of success for all programs
· Promote active participation of Amherst’s leadership, team members and business partners in all areas of the organization's programmatic work and/or fundraising events, e.g., as program sponsors, local activation participants, mentors, panelists, etc.
Financials and fund development:
· Develop and obtain Board of Director approval for the Foundation’s annual operating budget and fund development goals, in conjunction with Amherst Board chairman and treasurer
· Manage the operating budget throughout the year to ensure the financial objectives of the organization are met, understanding the need to appropriately fund the Foundation’s programs while ensuring cost-effective implementation
· Design and direct annual and multi-year fund development strategies, including individual, foundation, and corporate outreach, major gift cultivation, grant proposals, campaigns, events, and donor stewardship
· Work with the Board Chair on board leadership development in fundraising
· Plan, manage, and execute social programs and cultivation opportunities/events across the Amherst platform, including an existing fundraising golf tournament
Board relations:
· Develop, maintain and support a strong relationship with the Board of Directors; seek and build Board involvement with strategic direction for programs and fundraising
· Organize quarterly Board meetings
· Keep Board fully informed on the activities of the organization and important factors influencing it
Marketing and communications:
· In conjunction with Amherst’s Marketing department within the Office of the CEO, update and vitalize the positioning of organization, its programs and goals
· Establish strategic partnerships within The Amherst Group, industry stakeholders and community groups/organizations. Publicize the great work
· Represent the programs and point of view of the organization to the industry, company team members, other relevant organizations, and the general public
· Inspire and connect the activities of the Foundation and CapCityKids with the growing teams at The Amherst Group
Staff potential:
· Assess the needs of the organization and the capabilities of the Foundation to ensure the organization’s ability to achieve its goals and objectives
· Hire, develop and assist a small team focused on the overall mission of the organization
· Actively work with teams within the for-profit organization to help align them to and inspire them to help execute the Foundations’ activities/deployment of funds
· Maintain a climate that attracts, keeps, and motivates a diverse staff of top-quality people
Skills Needed
· Bachelor’s degree; advanced degree a plus
· A minimum of 10 years non-profit leadership experience
· A track record of effectively leading an outcomes-based organization thru change management and incredible growth
· A commitment to quality programs and data-driven program evaluation
· Excellence in organizational management with the ability to coach staff, manage, and develop high-performance teams, set and achieve strategic objectives, and manage a budget
· Ability to track progress against multiple deadlines and set project management goals accordingly.
· Past success working with a Board of Directors with the ability to cultivate existing board membership relationships and diplomatically advise on board governance
· Strong fundraising experience with the ability to engage a wide range of stakeholders and cultures; Knowledge of fundraising practices and protocols; demonstrated successful implementation of a variety of fundraising initiatives, including but not limited to annual giving campaigns, grants and golf tournament
· Strong written and verbal communication skills; a persuasive and passionate communicator with excellent interpersonal and multidisciplinary project skills
· Action-oriented, entrepreneurial, adaptable, with an innovative approach to business planning
· Experience and/or exposure to/in the finance or housing industry desired
· Exposure to the Academic world is a plus
· Experience setting up and utilizing a CRM or donor database (Salesforce); ability to extract and analyze data to determine campaign effectiveness and identify areas of opportunity
· Successful candidates must be willing and able to attend Amherst Foundation and
CapCityKids events (8 to 10 per year), including events on select evenings and weekends
· Personal qualities of integrity, reliability, agility, and sound judgment
Compensation and Location
- Commensurate with the candidate’s experience. Austin, Texas
Benefits: Medical, Dental, 401K with match, 20 days PTO