The President & CEO is the leader of a mission-driven organization, where staff and volunteers are aligned to achieve goals, and where everyone is treated with dignity and respect. S/he establishes a vision for Community Impact achieved through the efforts of a diverse team of high-performing leaders, staff and volunteers. S/he is responsible for expressing and delivering on the mission, vision, and goals adopted by the Board of Directors. The President & CEO leverages the power of relationships and networks, and works across private, public and corporate sectors building partnerships and relationships that improves conditions in the community and inspires community-wide action to address priority areas of need. The President & CEO is an executive leader of a strong team with focus on results, innovation, and creative problem solving.
The President & CEO possesses a high level of broad business and management skills and is effective at generating resources and financial support for the organization. The President & CEO is dedicated to shared and measurable goals for the common good – creating, resourcing, scaling and leveraging innovative strategies for broad investment and impact. She/he ensures United Way of Coastal Fairfield County has credibility and functions as a trusted partner throughout the region and ensures the organization maintains integrity, transparency, and accountability. In the broader community, s/he positions United Way as a valuable partner.
The President & CEO is the steward of our brand and understands his/her role in growing and protecting the reputation of United Way. S/he is responsible for building trust in United Way and its relevance in the community and especially with our local donors. S/he values the network and strives to leverage United Way’s breadth of community presence, relationships, and strategy.
Strategic Management
- The President & CEO serves as the principal resource to the Board of Directors and its key committees and gives strong direction in policy formulation and interpretation. S/he partners with the Board of Directors and the United Way team to craft organizational goals and develops strategies that align to the organization’s strategic direction and ensures that they are achieved. S/he cultivates a strong and transparent relationship with the Board, while working with the Board to build a diverse and inclusive membership that is representative of the community, is highly engaged, and actively working to secure and leverage resources.
Resource Development
- The President & CEO ensures the financial viability of the organization by meeting or exceeding annual fundraising goals specified by the Board of Directors. An outward community facing and engaged leader, s/he is the primary face of UWCFC’s major gift development work. S/he proactively identifies, cultivates and solicits prospective donors and key leaders of prospective new corporate partners and leverages personal and professional contacts and relationships into fundraising opportunities. S/he is the key steward of all United Way gifts. S/he ensures that comprehensive marketing, branding, and development strategies that provide consistency throughout the organization and enhance revenue from major donors, foundations, government agencies, and corporations are in place. The President & CEO has experience in grant writing and grants management, and recognizes the value of grants as streams of revenue and valuable community services.
Community Impact
- The President & CEO is a thought leader in community-wide collective impact initiatives and is responsible for the overall impact of United Way on the community, with particular emphasis on increasing its capacity to drive the impact agenda. S/he sets the direction for the implementation of rigorous collective impact disciplines, emphasizing a common agenda, shared measurement systems, mutually reinforcing activities, continuous communications, and evidence-based solutions that are analytically sound. S/he works closely with the Board to craft and adapt the strategy to achieve this increased impact, including raising the funds to support it. S/he will establish and build relationships with top leaders in the community and state, including those representing the highest levels in business, government, high net worth individuals, foundations and non-profit sectors.
Organization Management
- The President & CEO is accountable for leading high-performing teams, ensuring all teams are aligned and collaborating to achieve organizational results. S/he provides leadership that models organizational values and fosters an inspirational, motivational, supportive operating environment that sustains a positive and productive organizational culture. The President & CEO ensures United Way’s goals of inclusiveness and diversity among staff and volunteers are met.
- The President & CEO maintains accountability for the operational and fiscal integrity of the organization within policies set by the Board of Directors. The President & CEO ensures the necessary organizational capacity exists to implement measure and evaluate identified strategies. S/he supervises, establishes individual goals, and supports professional development of the staff. S/he works with the Chief Financial Officer to manage organizational spending, monitor budget compliance, and mitigate financial and reputational risks.
- 10 years professional experience in an executive leadership capacity
- Demonstrated experience in building revenue and increasing philanthropic support
- Proven success in individual major gift development work strongly desired
- Demonstrated experience developing partnerships, building collaborative teams and conflict management
- Demonstrated experience building organization capacity to excel at systems level change
- Demonstrated success solving complex problems that requires coordination and collaboration across many sectors of the community
- Local knowledge of the service area is strongly preferred
- Knowledge of Connecticut, its systems, and strong home rule culture helpful
- Expertise on issues relevant to the organization including donor-centricity and digital disruption
- Ability to command the confidence and respect of stakeholders
- A high level of intelligence and intellectual curiosity and a desire to explore new ideas and innovative approaches to solving problems
- A fair and thoughtful approach to management, combined with the flexibility and courage to shift direction and experiment with new initiatives
- Strong organizational change management capability
- A long-term perspective with a practical ability to get things done
- Excellent verbal, written communication, and presentation skills
- A demonstrated track record of promoting diversity and inclusion as well as an ability to build collaboration with the community at large