Vice President, External Affairs

ABOUT US

The Freedom Together Foundation’s mission is to support people who have been denied power to build it, so they can change unjust systems and create a more democratic, inclusive, and sustainable society. We are dedicated to long-lasting, systemic change. That means we commit to our partners for the long haul, trusting in the strength and vision of the organizations we support to address some of our country’s most entrenched problems. Over the last 10 years, Freedom Together has grown to be one of the largest US foundations, awarding over $300 million in grants each year.

THE POSITION

The Vice President, External Affairs is a critical new position that will help to develop fundraising strategies aligned with Freedom Together’s mission and position Freedom Together as a thought leader in philanthropy. The VP, External Affairs will build and lead our External Affairs work, which will (1) facilitate development of foundation-wide funder organizing and communications strategies, (2) staff the Freedom Together leadership as they carry out key funder outreach and collaborative work, and (3) track and coordinate outreach across the Freedom Together staff to ensure aligned work across multiple priorities and relationships in the field. 

Ultimately, the VP, External Affairs will lead the work to harness and coordinate the Foundation’s many resources beyond our grantmaking to amplify our efforts to build a deeper and broader pro-democracy movement, with organizations led by working-class people at the center. Reporting to the foundation’s Managing Director and serving as a thought partner to the President and Program Leadership Team, this position will supervise key consultants as needed.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Strategic Leadership

• Lead the design and implementation of funder organizing and communications strategies that align with and advance the Foundation's mission.
• Act as a strategic advisor to, and facilitator of, engagement from the Foundation President and Senior Leaders, ensuring cohesive and goal-oriented decision-making.
• Lead the External Affairs work, including helping to hire and manage external consultants, and potential supervision of an internal team.
• Foster a collaborative, high-performing culture that emphasizes accountability, innovation, and long-term impact.

Funder and Donor Engagement

• Develop and execute strategies to deepen relationships with major foundations and ultra-high-net-worth donors, amplifying their involvement in the work that the Foundation supports.
• Support senior leadership in funder outreach and collaborative initiatives, ensuring sustained and impactful partnerships.
• Strategically leverage the Foundation’s non-grantmaking resources to advance pro-democracy and power-building efforts.
• Take the lead, as required, on developing new fundraising strategies.
• Research and create plans to approach potential new partners.

Communications and Storytelling

• Lead the development of external communications plans, including managing digital content, newsletters, and multi-stakeholder outreach in relation to the Foundation’s overall donor organizing strategy.
• Craft and oversee compelling narratives that effectively communicate the Foundation’s mission, priorities, and achievements to diverse audiences; ensure these narratives connect to the Foundation’s overall donor organizing strategy.

Internal Alignment and Coordination

• Track, align, and streamline external outreach and relationship-building efforts across Foundation staff to ensure consistency and maximize impact.
• Partner with senior leaders to coordinate and execute strategies that leverage their networks and expertise in support of shared goals.
• Prioritize initiatives and manage resources effectively in a dynamic, fast-paced environment, ensuring alignment with organizational goals.
• Drive the successful execution of key projects, monitoring progress, timelines, and deliverables to achieve measurable results.

QUALIFICATIONS

With a preference for experience in a social justice context, we are open to candidates from a variety of backgrounds who are passionate about building a more democratic, inclusive, and sustainable society. Above all, we seek a highly-competent, mission-driven leader with a deep understanding of, experience with, and enthusiasm for both organizing and influencing foundations and individual HNW donors and effectively communicating our mission and work to a wide range of audiences. 

We recognize that no candidate is likely to bring all of the below qualifications and the ideal candidate may have more experience in funder organizing (or high level development/fundraising) or communications, but our ideal candidate will have some experience in both areas and the desire and capacity to lead and drive a sophisticated strategy on both fronts. Over time, we are likely to design and hire for a limited number of additional roles that will complement the skills and experience of our selected VP, External Affairs and for them to draw on high level consultant advice for developing the organizing and communications strategies that they will take the lead on execution. 

• Commitment to Freedom Together’s mission to build the power of those who have been denied it and taking collective action. 
• Minimum 8-10 years experience in funder/donor organizing or foundation and UHNW donor fundraising, ideally within a social justice nonprofit or mission-driven environment. Additional experience leading or managing donor communications or organizational communications (or a related function) is a plus.
• Deep knowledge of the ecosystem of major foundation funders and UHNW donors with interest in democracy and related issues connected to Freedom Together’s program areas.
• Deep knowledge of effective communication strategies and tactics, ideally garnered from an “in-house” leadership role covering areas such as media relations, website content, newsletters, and multi-stakeholder communications. 
• Minimum 5 years managing a team, and supervisory experience of at least one full-time employee for 3 consecutive years.
• Ability to develop and implement a strategy to engage and coordinate a range of senior leaders within the foundation to help carry out a shared organizing and communications strategy.
• Sharp instincts and judgment, grounded in experience, about how to prioritize among competing pressing goals and a high level of humility and comfort with supporting other leaders to leverage their social and political capital on behalf of a shared purpose. 
• High level of emotional intelligence and strong interpersonal skills, with the ability to build trusting relationships, manage complex issues, and build a culture of shared accountability for complex and long-term organizing efforts.
• Excellent communication, project management, and problem-solving abilities.
• Excellent skills with “managing up” and coordination of multiple stakeholders.
• Adaptable and resilient in a dynamic and fast-paced environment.
• Demonstrated success in advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion within an organization.
• Great sense of humor.

SALARY & BENEFITS

This is a full time, exempt position. Freedom Together deeply values fair and equitable wages that enables people to thrive. The salary range for this position is $270,000-$300,000. Freedom Together offers an extensive and generous benefits package including health insurance (with 100% of the premiums paid for employees, spouses, domestic partners, and qualified family members), paid time off (including the last week of the year), 401(k) retirement plan with 12% employer contribution, and access to an inclusive family building reimbursement plan. Freedom Together provides up to $5,000 annually for professional development and the ability to recommend an annual grant to the nonprofit of your choice.

WORKING WITH Freedom Together

We believe that diversity is critical to our mission, and we value an inclusive culture. We strongly encourage applications from people with lived experiences related to our programs and applications from people of color, persons with disabilities, women, and LGBTQ+ individuals. Freedom Together is an equal opportunity employer; we do not discriminate in employment based on race, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, marital status, sex, gender or gender identity, age or sexual orientation.

Freedom Together is based in Manhattan, NY and operates on a hybrid schedule. Staff work from the office 3 days weekly, with the flexibility to work remotely two days weekly.

TO APPLY

The priority deadline to apply for this position is February 28, 2025, though applications will be considered until the position is filled. To apply, please submit a resume. 

This search is being led by NRG Consulting Group. Reach out to Jaclyn Jones at jaclyn@nrgconsultinggroup.org with any questions. 

For this initial stage, we are only asking applicants to submit a resume. We will invite candidates who meet the professional requirements to submit written answers to a few questions.