Executive Director

About Us: Since 1988, Chinook Fund has provided $4.5+ million to 550+ Colorado grassroots social justice organizations, prioritizing those led by People of Color.

The Role: Provide leadership to advance Chinook Fund's mission while ensuring effective organizational management. Partner with the Board to drive growth and impact during challenging times.

Ideal Candidate: A compassionate, values-driven leader with understanding of philanthropy and grassroots organizing (Colorado experience preferred). Must demonstrate commitment to social justice, strong management skills, and ability to build authentic relationships.

Our Model: We use the Giving Project approach—bringing diverse community members together for transformational conversations about race, class, and collective giving while developing fundraising and grantmaking skills. We host two Giving Project cycles annually.

To Apply

The search is being led by Marisol Solarte-Erlacher and Sonya Ulibarri with Cultura Leadership Consulting. Candidates should submit a cover letter, outlining their interest and qualifications, along with their resume to [email protected]. Applications will be reviewed as they are received until the position is filled. We encourage submissions by the priority date of March 30, 2025.

Key Responsibilities

Human Resources, Management, and Operations (30%)

• Manage employee lifecycle: Oversee new employee paperwork, benefits enrollment and management, payroll processing, recruitment, hiring, onboarding, performance management, and annual evaluations.
• Ensure compliance and values alignment: Maintain personnel policies that comply with all local, state, and federal laws and policy requirements and reflect Chinook Fund's values, with support from the Finance and Operations Manager.
• Supervise and support staff: Utilize effective and equitable management practices to set clear expectations, support staff in achieving goals, provide regular feedback, and address personnel challenges compassionately and firmly.
• Foster a positive work environment: Cultivate a collaborative and inclusive team culture that prioritizes wellness, belonging, purpose, and ownership for each staff member.
• Champion professional development: Serve as a coach and advocate for staff, supporting their professional growth through feedback and development opportunities.

Development & Donor Organizing (20%)

• Lead development planning: Spearhead annual development planning with support from the Development and Communications Manager, integrating donor organizing strategies into goals and work plans.
• Execute fundraising strategies: Implement institutional and individual development and donor organizing strategies, including grant writing, site visits, and reporting.
• Oversee major donor program: Lead visioning and oversight of the Constellations of Change major and recurring donor program.
• Cultivate, steward, and engage donors through personalized outreach, one-on-one visits, and multi-year solicitations.
• Oversee the Resource Mobilizer Committee and assist the Board in giving and fundraising events and activities.
• Foster a culture of grassroots fundraising and donor organizing throughout the organization.

Programs and Grantmaking (15%)

• Oversee Giving Projects: Utilize Giving Projects as a political education initiative focused on driving action through democratic grantmaking, donor organizing, and community building.
• Support program implementation: Provide support for recruitment, outreach, program development, grant application review, and facilitation.
• Manage community-led grantmaking: Oversee the strategy and processes for community-led grantmaking and rapid response funds, including evaluation, funding criteria alignment (constituent-led, community-wide, lasting effect), and funding priorities (community organizing, rural communities, and Black & Indigenous-led initiatives).

Organizational Leadership & Strategic Partnerships (15%)

• Represent Chinook Fund: Oversee membership and participation in the National Giving Project Network, philanthropic and donor networks, national conferences, and other relevant social justice and philanthropic spaces.
• Maintain knowledge of trends, best practices, and issues related to donor organizing, resource mobilization, social justice, participatory grantmaking, and philanthropy. Share insights as a leader and practitioner in the philanthropic sector.
• Lead organizational initiatives: Oversee annual goal setting and staff-wide team building efforts.
• Facilitate communication and collaboration: Develop agendas and facilitate bi-weekly staff meetings, rotating facilitation for team check-ins. Lead Managing Director Team meetings and collaborate with the Program Director as a thought partner.

Financial Management and Oversight (10%)

• Oversee budgeting and financial operations: Oversee the annual budget process, annual audit, 990 preparation, 1099s, and multi-year budget and cash flow projections.
• Deepen values-aligned investment approach: Maintain ethical and values-aligned approach to endowment fund management and explore and advance impact investing as a tool to advance social justice.
• Ensure financial integrity: Oversee and approve bank transfer requests, payments, and income processing.
• Maintain financial health: Ensure timely and accurate financial statements and cash flow reports, reviewing them monthly and identifying potential opportunities and risks
• Manage and co-chair Finance & Investment Committee with support from the Board Treasurer.
• Act as the liaison with investment advisors; ensure compliance with Endowment Stewardship & Investment Policy and review quarterly reports.

Board Development (5%)

• Facilitate Board Governance: Collaborate with Board co-chairs to develop meeting agendas, facilitate meetings, oversee annual work plan, and advance board development.
• Partner with the Board to develop and implement strategic planning (ideally every 3-5 years).
• Support Board Committees: Partner with the Executive Committee and committee chairs in fulfilling their responsibilities.
• Support the recruitment and onboarding of new Board members.

Communications (5%)

• Serve as the primary spokesperson for Chinook Fund, with support from key staff.
• Communicate and showcase Chinook's unique value as a grassroots grantmaker, place-based social justice fund, and donor organizer to local, regional, state, and national audiences.
• Oversee the development and implementation of a comprehensive communications and special event strategy; support identify development initiatives (visuals and messaging).
• Collaborate with the Development and Communications Manager to refine the organization's verbal identity (voice, tone, and key messages) and ensure brand and message consistency across all platforms.

Leadership Approach

Empathetic and Attentive Leadership: Create a welcoming environment where everyone understands their value and purpose. Navigate challenges with empathy, patience, and active listening.

Effective and Equitable People Management: Proven ability managing diverse teams, developing staff through constructive feedback, resolving conflicts positively, and coordinating board and volunteer groups.

Relationship Building: Ability to connect genuinely with people from various backgrounds, building authentic relationships with staff, board members, donors, grantees, and volunteers. Welcomes diverse perspectives and can handle discomfort when encountering unfamiliar viewpoints.

Commitment to Social and Racial Justice: Understands the intersectional nature of identities (race, class, etc.) and their impact on the work, particularly within the communities served. Demonstrates leadership and advocacy for justice and can articulate their personal connection to the mission through their unique lived experience.

Self-Awareness and Emotional Intelligence: Demonstrates reflection on identity impact, recognizes growth opportunities, and welcomes feedback, especially on equity matters.

Commitment to Chinook Fund's Core Values: Upholds the organization's values of Liberation, Community, Integrity, and Leadership in all aspects of the role. Models a healthy work culture by adhering to a 32-hour work week, avoiding after-hours communication, and utilizing paid leave.

Compensation and Benefits

Chinook Fund offers a competitive compensation and benefits package, flexible work environment, and 32-hour work week. The hiring range for this position is $127,000 to $143,000.

The position is based in Denver, Colorado. Chinook Fund works on a hybrid schedule that is typically one day in-office (Wednesday) and three days remote (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday). There is occasional work on evenings and weekends. Limited travel within Colorado and nationally is also anticipated.

Chinook Fund offers a robust benefits package including:

• 100% employer paid health, dental, vision, short- and long-term disability insurance
• Medical/Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account
• Annual paid vacation (3 weeks)
• Unlimited sick leave and paid parental leave
• SEP IRA tax-deferred individual retirement account with a 5% employer contribution
• Professional development opportunities and leadership coaching
• Home office reimbursement
• Wellness funds
• 2-month paid sabbatical leave after 5 years

Equal Employment Opportunity

Chinook Fund is dedicated to equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, age, color, ancestry, creed, sexual orientation (actual or perceived, and includes transgender status), religion, marital status, citizenship, national origin, veteran status, gender, gender expression, disability, pregnancy, childbirth, and related conditions in hiring or advancement in accordance with applicable federal, state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment.