The Organization – 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.
Position Overview
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.
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.
- Aligned Capital:
- 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.
How 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.