Hiring Organization Information
Position Information
Vision:
With a vision of a joyful region of shared prosperity, belonging, and justice, Seattle Foundation works to support and sustain the ecosystem of community organizations who are most proximate to the issues we are trying to change. Through their work as a philanthropic advisor, grant maker, and convener, they invest in community-led solutions and ignite powerful and rewarding philanthropy to make Greater Seattle a stronger, more vibrant community for all.
About the Foundation:
Founded in 1946, Seattle Foundation has guided philanthropy in the Seattle region as partners to organizations driving work on the frontlines and trusted advisors to donors who care deeply about their community. The foundation believes that the people most proximate to the issues of our time have the solutions and develop targeted strategies to inspire collective action.
For over a century, community foundations have been anchoring institutions that sit at the intersection of the private, public, and nonprofit sectors. They are an important vehicle for individuals and families with wealth to contribute to the well-being of their communities. But over the past 20 years, the Greater Seattle region has experienced some of the greatest wealth creation in recent history, while disparities have deepened and widened. At the same time, community foundations across the country have witnessed stronger calls for accountability in philanthropy. From pushing for greater diversity on foundation boards to prioritizing racial justice, the field has been in a state of change to be more responsive to the work and investments necessary to foster more equitable, just, and thriving communities. This has certainly defined Seattle Foundation’s journey from a grantmaking institution almost exclusively focused on capital project investments for large scale nonprofits to the steady work of supporting community-led priorities and advancing systems change through our Blueprint for Impact framework.
The inflection point Seattle Foundation finds themselves in at this moment is about how they lean more deeply into impact work that is transformational while simultaneously retooling their business model to support this shift. In 2023, the Foundation engaged in a strategic planning process to seize the moment and lean in. The three-year strategic plan (to be publicly released later this year) is the culmination of a nine-month process involving significant dialogue and iteration with core stakeholders and potential partners across the region. This process was rooted in a commitment to advance the Blueprint for Impact through near-term goals and milestones toward their vision of a joyful region of shared prosperity, belonging, and justice.
With over $1.2 billion in charitable assets under management, Seattle Foundation awards more than $165 million (as of 2023) annually to nonprofit organizations – locally, nationally, and internationally. The majority of the $165 million is donor advised, with a $20 million annual budget for their discretionary grants programs. The discretionary grants program includes resources from local public sector partners and institutional funders, is focused on advancing racial and economic equity through solutions defined by communities most impacted by deepening disparities in the region and is guided by the Blueprint for Impact framework. Seattle Foundation’s goal is to create a culture of learning and collective action at the Foundation that is in service of bringing our community of support closer in alignment with the Blueprint for Impact.
Driving this mission is the dedicated team of nearly 60 people who work at Seattle Foundation. The staff possesses diverse expertise, with specialists in public policy, nonprofit effectiveness, community action, family and corporate philanthropy, planned giving, research, and much more.
The Opportunity:
Seattle Foundation has gone through significant growth and change over the past several years. The Foundation carried out a strategic refocus in 2020, shaping the Blueprint for Impact framework that explicitly centers racial equity and inclusion as critical to everything they do. Alesha Washington, President & CEO, joined the Foundation in May 2022 and is guiding the Foundation towards honing its strategic focus and community impact. In March 2024, Seattle Foundation’s Board approved a three-year strategic plan focused on near-term opportunities to deepen impact and a roadmap to financial sustainability to evolve their business model.
Building on our core strategic grantmaking approach and guided by our recently adopted strategic plan, Seattle Foundation will work to use our voice and grantmaking activities to advance community priorities around the following three areas: 1) affordable housing financing, 2) transit-oriented development, and 3) equitable childcare access. These are cross-cutting issue areas, meaning that their work does not live in siloes and the work their grantees do in these areas is multi-dimensional. These are high-impact opportunities with near term milestones that both allow the organization to advance toward their vision and inspire stakeholders to join them.
By focusing on these high-priority issues, the Foundation can employ the unique skills and relationships that they hold in service of communities most impacted by racism and other inequities. As the Greater Seattle region changes and new policies are passed to maximize public resources, the specific near-term opportunities will evolve. The Foundation’s priorities will always be guided by their community grant partners proximate to the needs of community.
Position Overview:
Seattle Foundation is looking for an experienced, agile, and innovative Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) to join us during an exciting moment in the Foundation’s history. As Seattle Foundation’s principal strategist and steward for organizational brand, marketing, communications, and creative content, the CMO will join and spearhead a transformation of the organization’s approach to communications, storytelling, and marketing – a critical area for the organization to meet its goals outlined in the recently adopted 2024-2026 Strategic Plan. The CMO will report directly to the President & CEO and will play a critical role in driving awareness and support for our mission, programs, and engagement strategies.
As a member of the senior leadership team, the CMO’s primary aim is to lead the organization in effectively communicating the Foundation’s cause in support of greater impact in the community, while meeting the needs of a diverse group of stakeholders. This role will oversee the Marketing & Communications Team (MarCom Team) to support business development goals and increase awareness of Seattle Foundation’s mission and work in the region. In addition, the CMO will drive the Foundation’s narrative and storytelling work to advance racial equity, justice, and shared prosperity. This position will also play a critical role in supporting our learning journey – an intentional process of learning from the communities we serve, as well as the internal and external unlearning of harmful behaviors that are barriers to our organizational vision. This position will drive the elevation of Seattle Foundation’s brand, storytelling, and thought leadership across diverse channels contributing to the organization’s measurable growth and impact.
As a strategic and operational leader, the CMO will cultivate and oversee a dynamic team, plus a range of external consultants. The CMO will serve on and work closely with the Senior Leadership Team to ensure that Seatle Foundation’s offerings support the organization’s unique value proposition within the complex and dynamic philanthropic ecosystem. They will also lead significant change initiatives to ensure that the MarCom Team’s capacity, resources, and processes are best aligned with Seattle Foundation’s strategic priorities.
Key Responsibilities:
Lead Seattle Foundation’s Communications, Marketing & Creative Strategy
- Lead marketing development and strategy aligned to Seattle Foundation’s mission and goals, including market analysis, brand management, communications strategy, digital marketing (and social media) and performance measurement.
- Serve as chief communications strategist on Seattle Foundation initiatives, goals, and priorities with a focus on forward-looking messaging, distinctive learning experiences for donors, and communications planning.
- Ensure consistency of existing and new marketing and communications projects and initiatives to accentuate Seattle Foundation’s unique value proposition and competitive advantage.
- Set the creative visual strategy for the Foundation and oversee and provide creative input into the design of materials (print and electronic).
- Develop and maintain standards for Seattle Foundation’s brand strategy, image, positioning, identity, storytelling and messaging.
- Set measurable communications and marketing goals to improve year-over-year, with specific objectives and key results.
- Evaluate the current state of the local philanthropic market to ensure delivery of relevant and useful products, messages, and branding.
- Develop and maintain working relationships with community leaders, organizations, and members of the media to drive more meaningful engagement with Seattle Foundation.
- Develop and drive clear and consistent internal, executive, and crisis communications strategies.
Enable and Support Foundation-wide Execution
- Develop storytelling narrative through persuasive, creative writing skills and partner with all departments to ensure the storytelling and communications strategies are effectively implemented in a cohesive manner across the organization.
- Ensure that deliverables and initiatives are prioritized, managed and executed in a systematic way; deploy and leverage organizational expertise and capabilities to enable purposeful revenue growth, maximize impact, and deepen relationships with stakeholders.
- In partnership with the Philanthropic Services team, execute and evaluate strategies to increase revenue and enhance the overall client experience through deeper engagement and learning activities.
- Oversee the events and experiences function for the Foundation. Working closely with the Chief Impact Officer and Chief Philanthropy Officer to establish curated learning experiences and compelling marketing & communications tools to support ongoing education in service of the Foundation’s mission and vision.
- In collaboration with the Impact team, develop, execute, and evaluate strategies that amplify grantee partner stories and drive our civic action priorities.
- Optimize Marketing & Communications operations and act as a change agent to support effective storytelling and creating a culture of philanthropy throughout the organization.
- Represent the CEO and Seattle Foundation at various community functions and at local, state, and national non-profit and philanthropic convenings. Partner with the CEO in articulating Seattle Foundation’s vision and voice in the field, including through executive communications.
Oversee Performance, Talent, and Resources across the Marketing & Communications Team
- Build, develop and supervise the team members overseeing marketing, communications, and creative content, partner experiences, and events. Ensure an internal structure for the MarCom Team that allows Seattle Foundation to meet its goals.
- Provide strong, empowering leadership and mentorship to direct reports – aligning team activities and the Foundation’s overarching vision and strategic plan.
- Steward a team culture that promotes inclusion and enables the professional growth of all team members.
- Oversee and manage annual creative content, communications, and marketing budget, as well as the personnel of the MarCom Team.
Candidate Profile:
The ideal candidate will have the following professional and personal qualities, skills, and characteristics:
Seasoned Marketing & Communications Executive:
The CMO will be a seasoned marketing and communications executive complete with extensive team management experience, stellar communications skills and strategic thinking matched with execution.
People & Community-Centric Leader:
The CMO will bring a leadership philosophy that centers community and staff in the work. They will be committed to developing staff, providing the tools, education, and support to allow them to flourish in their roles. The CMO will be skilled at connecting people, projects, and resources in alignment to the mission and strategies of Seattle Foundation. They bring a background in working with complex organizations, establishing processes and systems to improve work and deliver services.
Transformational Leader:
The CMO will be a strategic thinker and a hands-on leader with the experience to understand and balance a complex array of organizational, fundholder, and community needs, while still driving strategic execution of work in partnership with and through their team. A successful CMO will bring a natural ability to build consensus, challenge others to improve, and foster cohesion – internally and externally. As an inclusive leader, the CMO will be committed to embedding equity and justice into the organization’s culture, programs, and strategies.
Passion for the Mission:
The CMO will have a passion for the mission of the Foundation and the organization’s history, model, and potential for future impact. This leader will be driven by the opportunity to impact the communities the Foundation serves. The CMO will be an empathic leader, treating others with respect. The CMO is energized by stewarding Seattle Foundation’s racial equity and justice values and practices within their day-to-day work.
Relationship Builder:
The CMO will be an emotionally intelligent leader who has deep comfort connecting with people of different philosophies, backgrounds, and cultures – internally and externally. They will also be able to build bridges and lead through influence. The CMO will work to develop relationships with the team to ensure positive outcomes for the organization, identifying organizational efficiencies and leveraging opportunities to advance the Foundation’s mission, policies, and practices.
Change Leader:
The CMO will bring energy to inspire the team and community to achieve new heights around equity, inclusion, and justice. They will have an exceptional ability to listen intently, think clearly, and respond effectively, empathically, and judiciously to a variety of challenges. This individual will be a proactive, collaborative change agent with the skills to challenge the status quo while remaining sensitive to the Foundation’s culture and place in the community.
The qualifications listed within the job description are intended as a guide and we do not expect candidates to bring all the experiences and skills listed.
- Demonstrated progressive leadership growth with 10-15 years of leadership experience in the nonprofit, public and/or philanthropic sector.
- Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience in business, communications, marketing, journalism, or other related field. Advance degree is desired.
- Track record of success in building, leading, and transforming Marketing & Communications functions and delivering impactful approaches that captivate a diversity of audiences, ideally within a mission-driven and/or professional services organization.
- Inspirational communication skills (written and verbal) with the ability to speak and listen to a variety of audiences. Well-versed in how people, including donors and potential investors, consume information and have a proven ability to create and convey a compelling vision through storytelling.
- Ability to transform rough ideas and general concepts into actionable projects and completed products and marketing materials, frameworks, or messages.
- Strong communications and marketing expertise to uplift impactful stories and drive attention to the Foundation’s brand, work and impact.
- Proven track record building and executing strategies for innovation, creativity, and continuous learning for diverse internal and external stakeholders.
- Proven ability to translate strategy into action is essential for the success of this role.
- Entrepreneurial and collaborative spirit; curious, creative, and growth-oriented leader, eager to learn, adapt, and innovate in response to the ever-changing labor economy and social-political landscape.
- Outstanding relationship-building ability and keen understanding of the power of partnerships with the ability to build bridges and influence within and beyond the boundaries of our organization.
- Knowledge of community needs in the greater Seattle region and understanding of policy and systems change. Track record in applying knowledge and experience in explicit racial equity and systems change work.
- Proven results in designing and implementing creative strategies, including digital and content marketing, communications, events, and storytelling.
- Proficient in working with marketing technology systems and tools including CRM, content management systems, SEO/SEM, among others. Ability to leverage these systems and tools for efficiency and greater impact, while holding others accountable for their use.
- Proven ability and natural inclination towards innovative thinking around organizational strategies and building partnerships, including with community-based organizations and leaders, foundations, individuals, and the public and private sectors.
- Demonstrated success in managing financial resources with the ability to devise strategies for revenue and funding generation and deploying resources for sustainable initiatives, products, and services.
- Experience with modeling and coaching others on open dialogue, receiving and giving feedback, and having difficult conversations that strengthen relationships.
Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion:
Seattle Foundation envisions a thriving region of shared prosperity, belonging, and justice, where all individuals and communities have equitable access and outcomes, regardless of race, place, or identity. We are committed to advancing racial equity using an intersectional lens, and integrate our diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts into all that we do. We hold ourselves accountable to uphold our organizational values and strive to do better every day.
Physical Demands and Working Conditions:
The work is performed remotely, in an office setting, or a hybrid combination. All positions require the capability of working at a PC for extended periods. Team efforts with event support may require periods of physical activity involving standing, walking, and moderate lifting. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the primary functions of the role.
Safety and Health Requirements:
Seattle Foundation places the health and safety of its employees and the communities we serve as our highest priority. To support this priority, we require that all employees be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Waivers are available for accepted medical and religious exemptions.