President & CEO
The Vermont Community Foundation (VCF), located in Middlebury, was established in 1986 to help build healthy and vital Vermont communities. The VCF develops and manages charitable funds to improve the quality of life throughout the state. The Foundation provides Vermont-focused philanthropists with the necessary tools to 1) learn about community needs and the role of strategic philanthropy, 2) lead by nurturing innovative practices for lasting change, and 3) grow by inspiring new giving within the state. The VCF provides comprehensive services that help fundholders and charitable partners develop effective strategies to achieve their goals.
With approximately $160 million in assets, the VCF made grants on behalf of its donors of $12.7 million in 2007. The VCF is the state’s largest grantmaking foundation. The VCF’s discretionary grantmaking (which represents a small portion of annual grants) focuses on meeting basic human needs and building successful and sustainable communities.
The President will provide the leadership, vision, creativity, and programmatic expertise to grow the financial assets of the Foundation while continuing to develop innovative programs, tools, and services that increase the effectiveness of Vermont-focused philanthropy. He/she will manage operations to ensure that enduring charitable capital exists in Vermont; that giving through the VCF remains easy, effective, and leveraged for the good of the community; and that charitable partners (e.g., nonprofits) have the leadership, knowledge, skills, and financial capital to be effective in the service of philanthropy.
The VCF operates under a model of policy governance. The Board sets the Foundation’s strategic direction by articulating an ends statement, and prescribes executive limitations within which the President must operate. Within the executive limitations, the President has great flexibility in working toward the ends.
Reporting to and working in close collaboration with the Chair and Board of Trustees, the President will be an outstanding communicator. He/she will be able to convey effectively the mission of the Foundation and engage multiple constituencies in the VCF’s work. The President will continue to support and strengthen relationships with existing and prospective fundholders and with charitable partners. A critical element of the job will be the President’s ability to balance the growth of the Foundation’s assets – and the growth of philanthropy in the state – with programs and services that make giving and grantmaking in Vermont more effective.
The President will work with staff and the Board to develop future strategic initiatives for the Foundation while developing innovative programs, tools, and services and evaluating their effectiveness. The President will play an active role in identifying opportunities and obstacles to the growth of philanthropy across the state and be a thought leader in assessing the Foundation’s impact in Vermont communities.
The successful candidate should have the following: an understanding of and enthusiasm for the VCF’s mission and activities and the power of the role philanthropy can play in communities; previous experience in philanthropy or community building is a plus but not a necessity if the candidate is involved in these endeavors in other ways; a connection to Vermont with an understanding and appreciation of the state’s special challenges and opportunities; familiarity with issues and priorities in Vermont, with the state’s distinct needs, resources, politics, and cultural heritage; credibility and experience to connect the Foundation to resources and opportunities; a successful track record of personally identifying and cultivating major individual and institutional donors; an ability to convey to potential donors the value of utilizing the VCF for part of their charitable strategy and activities; familiarity with financial products used for charitable giving would be preferred; demonstrated experience with policy and program initiatives, especially those that are or could be of interest to the VCF;
The individual will also have a successful track record managing an organization of a scale, function or complexity similar to the VCF – including managing people, operations, and fiscal affairs and a working knowledge of budgets, finance, strategic planning, investment, and tax issues; an ability to multi-task which includes setting priorities and maintaining focus; successful experience as a strategic and persuasive communicator both verbally and in writing, including excellent public speaking skills for both formal and extemporaneous presentations; experience working with a governing board and a receptivity to policy governance; demonstrated experience as a thoughtful risk-taker with a record of converting vision into working programs; proficiency and comfort with technology; a knowledge and understanding of how technology can advance organizational goals; a bachelor’s degree and an added bonus if a graduate degree in business, social work, public policy, human services, or a related field; 10 to 15 years of related work experience in a leadership capacity.
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Please send nominations or applications, including all contact information, to:
Paul Spivey and Mark Tarnacki
Phillips Oppenheim
521 Fifth Avenue, 29th Floor
New York , NY 10175
Phone: (212) 953-1770
Fax: (212) 953-1775
E-mail: VCF@PhillipsOppenheim.com