Executive Director, New York

Overview

THE OPPORTUNITY

The Taproot Foundation seeks a dynamic Executive Director to lead the pro bono movement in New York City– accelerating social progress across the city. The selected candidate will bring their executive management and social innovation talents to further Taproot’s mission and vision in New York City to create a strong and sustainable pro bono market. The candidate will lead our work in the business and social sectors.

We look to broaden and more fully engage with corporations, funders and nonprofits in the years ahead to better serve the pressing needs of a nonprofit sector working to improve the lives of New York’s underserved.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

The Executive Director is responsible for Taproot Foundation’s strategic, programmatic, fundraising, community engagement and administrative success in New York City. Specifically, the selected candidate will:

Set the strategic direction for NYC by creating innovative partnerships and coalitions with business, nonprofit and civic sectors.
Meet annual fundraising goals through expanded cultivation of foundations, philanthropic and corporate relationships. Responsible for grants, major gifts, and other fundraising mechanisms. Identify new potential funding streams. Support national strategic objectives to increase funding streams, both regionally and nationally. Represent the NYC as part of national funding efforts with other Executive Directors, the VP of External Affairs & Development, our Advisory Services team and the President/CEO.
Manage our spectrum of pro bono services in NYC and increase pro bono opportunities within local and regional locations.
Manage and develop the NY program and development team, including budget and operational objectives while serving as a leader on the national Taproot team as the advocate for the NY area.
Lead and build the pro bono ethic through active participation in related events in NYC. Increase and accelerate civic engagement of pro bono with local universities, community organizations, civic associations and local government through personal involvement and elevate Taproot’s profile through engaged representation at conferences, meetings and public events.
Strengthen current relationships and forge new relationships through philanthropic and community partnerships with philanthropic, corporate and community entities/organizations.

EXPERIENCE AND COMPETENCIES

The successful candidate will be a proven and visionary executive in the New York community with a strong track record in fundraising, communication and networking, a scrappy, innovative can-do approach and a track record of working between sectors with nonprofits, corporations, foundations and government entities. His or her experience will include:

Bachelor’s degree; advanced degree, or certifications in nonprofit trainings, preferred.
10+ years professional experience required; a combination of corporate relations and/or nonprofit/philanthropic expertise highly preferred.
Building successful and diverse coalitions to achieve measurable outcomes.
Developing and executing strategic and operational plans.
Excellent speaking, communication and writing skills, with the ability to speak to large audiences on a wide range of topics.
Fundraising expertise with philanthropic, foundation, and corporate clients. Experience with major gifts, secured, unsecured gifts and endowment funding options preferred. Must have experience raising and growing an operating budget of at least $1.5m.
Expertise at developing and sustaining corporate, foundational and civic/government relationships.
Skilled at supporting both individual and team initiatives; experience working with remote teams and management.
Hold and attend meetings across the country and work and communicate during unconventional hours as needed. Travel up to 10% time.
High energy, passion and commitment to Taproot’s mission and vision.

About Taproot Foundation

Taproot is a national nonprofit organization that makes business talent available at no cost to organizations working to improve society. We operate out of five US cities: San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, and Washington DC and increasingly focus across the United States and globally. Our mission is to drive social change by leading, mobilizing and engaging professionals in pro bono service. We engage the nation’s millions of business professionals in pro bono consulting through a spectrum of services anchored by our award-winning Service Grant program and by partnering with companies and national organizations to develop their own internal pro bono programs through our Advisory Services practice. One day, we envision that all organizations with promising solutions will be well equipped to successfully take on urgent social challenges.