Description

About California Community Foundation (CCF)

The California Community Foundation is one of the largest and most influential philanthropic institutions in the Greater Los Angeles region. We connect donor generosity with community wisdom to create lasting, equitable change — mobilizing resources, building civic infrastructure, and amplifying the voices of the communities most impacted by systemic inequity. CCF's 2025–2035 Strategic Framework centers transformational philanthropy, and every function of the organization — including marketing, communications, and storytelling — plays a direct role in advancing that mission.

Learn more about CCF at www.calfund.org.

The Opportunity

Reporting to the Chief Philanthropy Officer and working closely with the President/CEO and senior leadership, the Vice President of Marketing and Communications will serve as CCF's most senior brand and narrative leader and Chief Storyteller. At a pivotal moment for one of Los Angeles' most important civic institutions, this leader will elevate how CCF tells its story, communicates its impact, and engages donors, community partners, civic leaders, media, and the broader public. Building on a strong foundation of community impact and storytelling, the VP will bring greater clarity, cohesion, strategy, and brand discipline to ensure CCF's communications consistently reflect its mission, values, philanthropic leadership, and distinctive role in the region.

The VP will hold enterprise-wide responsibility for institutional voice, messaging, and brand strategy, setting the standard for how CCF communicates across channels, audiences, and high-profile moments. Leading a multidisciplinary team across earned media, brand and digital marketing, and storytelling, this leader will develop and execute integrated strategies that amplify CCF's mission, sharpen its value proposition, strengthen brand continuity, and deepen engagement across diverse constituencies. As a trusted advisor to the President/CEO and senior leadership, the VP will help shape CCF's voice in moments of opportunity and complexity, preparing leaders with timely, nuanced, and compelling messaging while ensuring communications are proactive, aligned, and connected to a larger institutional vision.

This is a compelling opportunity for a creative, strategic, and enterprise-minded marketing and communications leader to build a best-in-class function at an organization with extraordinary reach, relevance, and purpose. The ideal candidate will bring deep knowledge of Greater Los Angeles, including its communities, power dynamics, and civic, cultural, and political landscape, along with sound judgment in complex and high-visibility environments. While deep philanthropy experience is not required, the successful candidate will understand how marketing and communications can build trust, strengthen institutional identity, invite people into the work, and expand impact. Committed to equity and social justice, this leader will be skilled at managing teams and external partners, navigating complexity, and helping shape the next chapter of CCF's voice, presence, and leadership in Los Angeles.

Key Responsibilities

Executive Communication and Cross-Foundation Leadership

• Serve as the primary communications advisor and thought partner to the President/CEO, providing direct support on speeches, public remarks, op-eds, and high-visibility messaging that shapes CCF's civic and philanthropic standing.
• Extend executive communications support beyond the Office of Philanthropy — partnering with the Chief of Staff, Chief Impact Officer, Chief People Officer, CFO, and other senior leaders to ensure consistent voice, framing, and quality across all CEO- and SLT-facing communications, regardless of originating department.
• Act as a foundation-wide resource on communications strategy, counseling senior leaders across divisions on positioning, audience, and messaging risk for their respective initiatives, launches, and public-facing moments.
• Build and maintain trusted working relationships with fellow members of the Senior Leadership Team, establishing the VP as the go-to partner for communications counsel on cross-departmental initiatives, Board matters, and organization-wide announcements.
• Ensure executive and Board-facing communications — regardless of which department originates them — reflect a single, coherent institutional voice consistent with CCF's strategic framework and brand standards.
• Develop scalable systems (templates, style guides, review workflows) that allow other departments to draft strong first versions of their own communications while preserving centralized quality control and institutional consistency.

Strategic Leadership & Departmental Management

• Design and lead the department's integrated communications, marketing, and storytelling strategy, aligned with CCF's 2025–2035 Strategic Framework and organizational priorities across all divisions.
• Serve as a senior institutional spokesperson; represent CCF with media, donor audiences, and civic partners with credibility and fluency.
• Lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing team of directors and officers spanning earned media, storytelling, brand, digital, and content operations — investing in individual growth, fostering a collaborative culture, and building clear succession pathways within the department.
• Oversee the management of contracted support — including photographers, Spanish-language translators, and specialized consultants — as embedded partners within the department.
• Own the department's budget, vendor relationships, and operational infrastructure.
• Hold enterprise-wide decision rights over institutional voice, messaging, and communications standards — ensuring consistency, quality, and mission alignment across all CCF divisions, not just the Office of Philanthropy.
• Serve as a close and trusted strategic partner to the President/CEO — advising on positioning, narrative framing, and communications approach in high-stakes civic, donor, and reputational moments.

Brand, Messaging & Institutional Voice

• Develop and steward CCF's brand identity — ensuring consistent, mission-aligned messaging across all external touchpoints, channels, and audiences.
• Craft compelling and concise institutional messaging that reflects CCF's commitment to advancing systemic change and the advancement of all Angelenos.
• Lead executive communications, including speeches, op-eds, and thought leadership content for the CEO and senior leadership.
• Oversee the development and execution of keynote addresses, remarks, talking points, and Board communications for the CEO, CPO, and senior leadership across donor convenings, community events, Board presentations, and public platforms — ensuring every high-profile moment is strategically positioned and flawlessly executed.
• Direct and assign all institutional writing — including speeches, op-eds, executive correspondence, Board communications, newsletter content, and campaign materials — ensuring consistent voice, tone, and strategic alignment across authors.
• Own reputation management strategy — anticipating reputational risks, navigating politically and civically sensitive dynamics, and serving as the senior decision-maker in crisis communications and rapidly evolving situations.
• Develop and maintain a master content and editorial calendar that coordinates keynotes, publications, campaigns, and internal communications across all channels and organizational moments.

Editorial Direction & Writing Management

• Manage a writing roster of staff and contracted writers, providing editorial direction, feedback, and quality control to ensure all outputs meet CCF's standards for clarity, impact, and mission alignment.
• Assign and oversee writing across the department — distributing work across in-house staff and contracted talent based on capacity, expertise, and strategic priority.
• Establish and uphold editorial standards, style guidelines, and approval workflows that govern all written outputs across the Office of Philanthropy and institutional communications.

Storytelling & Community-Centered Narrative

• Champion storytelling as the connective tissue across philanthropy, impact, and marketing — ensuring that grantee and community narratives fuel earned media, donor communications, and public understanding of CCF's work.
• Work collaboratively across CCF's departments, including the Impact Team and Office of Philanthropy, to surface and amplify stories that celebrate grantees and illustrate the Foundation's regional impact.
• Lead internal communications strategy, serving as the connective tissue between the Office of Philanthropy, the Impact Team, and the broader organization — translating departmental priorities and institutional developments into clear, timely staff-facing communications.
• Ensure storytelling reflects the full diversity of Los Angeles communities, with particular attention to communities experiencing systemic inequity, including immigrant families and other historically underserved populations.

Marketing, Donor Engagement & Audience Development

• Design and execute marketing strategies that engage current and prospective donors, clearly articulate CCF's value proposition, and directly support fundraising goals — with a clear line of accountability to donor cultivation, stewardship, and conversion outcomes.
• Drive brand visibility and digital growth through effective audience targeting, social media strategy, content campaigns, and channel optimization.
• Advance visibility opportunities for CCF leadership, Board members, and the donor community — including thought leadership placement, events, and earned media.
• Partner closely with Philanthropic Impact Advisors and the CPO to ensure communications strategies support donor cultivation, stewardship, and conversion.

Media Relations & External Engagement

• Cultivate and maintain relationships with journalists, editors, and media outlets across the Greater Los Angeles region and relevant national platforms.
• Lead proactive earned media strategy including press releases, rapid response, media pitching, and editorial placement.
• Maximize all external engagement opportunities — ensuring CCF is visible, credible, and proactively shaping public understanding of its work and civic role.
• Monitor market trends, audience feedback, and the media landscape to inform strategic decision-making and adapt positioning as needed.

First Year Priorities (Months 1–12)

Success in the first year will be defined by the following priorities and outcomes:

Months 1–3: Listen, Learn & Establish Presence
• Conduct a comprehensive communications audit, assessing brand presence, media relationships, content performance, and digital metrics across all channels.
• Build trusted relationships with the President/CEO, CPO, Board leadership, and key cross-functional partners; establish clear communications protocols and decision-rights frameworks.
• Assess team structure, capabilities, and culture; identify immediate capacity or talent gaps and develop a plan to address them.

Months 4–6: Build, Align & Activate

• Develop and begin executing an integrated communications and brand strategy aligned to CCF's 2025–2035 Strategic Framework, with clear audience segmentation and channel strategies.
• Strengthen and activate CCF's media relationships, securing meaningful earned media placements that advance CCF's visibility and mission narrative in Los Angeles and beyond.
• Establish or refresh editorial standards, approval workflows, and a master content calendar that coordinates across all channels and institutional moments.

Months 7–12: Demonstrate Impact & Set the Standard

• Demonstrate measurable growth in key metrics: media placements and impressions, digital audience growth, donor engagement rates, and overall brand awareness in the philanthropic and civic sectors.
• Deliver a cohesive and compelling donor engagement communications strategy, visibly contributing to fundraising and cultivation outcomes in partnership with the CPO and Philanthropic Impact Advisors.
• Be recognized internally and externally as CCF's institutional voice authority — a trusted leader, thought partner, and cultural steward for the organization's reputation and narrative.

Leadership Competencies and Qualifications

The ideal candidate will be a seasoned marketing, communications, and storytelling leader with the strategic judgment, regional fluency, and management experience needed to elevate CCF's voice, visibility, and engagement across Los Angeles. Candidates should bring at least 10 years of progressive experience in communications, marketing, public affairs, or a related discipline, including at least five years in senior leadership roles managing multidisciplinary teams in complex organizations.

A bachelor's degree in Communications, Journalism, Marketing, Public Affairs, or a related field is required; a master's degree or equivalent advanced credential is preferred. This leader will bring a sophisticated understanding of integrated communications, brand strategy, media relations, donor and stakeholder engagement, and community-centered storytelling. They will be both a strategic advisor and a hands-on leader, able to guide an in-house team, manage external creative and communications partners, and work effectively across a complex, mission-driven organization.

The ideal candidate will demonstrate many of the following professional and personal qualities, skills, and characteristics:

Strategic Communications, Brand, and Reputation Leadership

Candidates must bring a strong track record of developing and leading integrated communications and marketing strategies across digital and traditional channels. This includes experience with brand management, institutional messaging, earned media strategy, press relations, rapid response communications, and analytics-informed audience engagement. The successful candidate will have experience overseeing reputation management and crisis communications, particularly in high-profile, politically sensitive, civic-facing, or community-centered environments. They will bring sound judgment, discretion, and the ability to anticipate issues, prepare leadership, and ensure that communications are clear, timely, and aligned with CCF's mission and values.

Storytelling, Executive Communications, and Audience Engagement

The ideal candidate will be an exceptional writer, editor, and verbal communicator with the ability to develop compelling content across a wide range of formats, including executive-level messaging, media pitches, public speeches, donor communications, digital content, and institutional narratives. This leader will bring strong storytelling instincts and the ability to identify, shape, and deploy narratives that connect mission to impact. They will understand how to tailor messages for different audiences, translate complex work into accessible and inspiring communications, and ensure that CCF's stories reflect both the breadth of its community impact and the distinctiveness of its role in Los Angeles. Experience developing donor or stakeholder communications in a fundraising, development, or philanthropic context is preferred.

Los Angeles Civic, Community, and Media Fluency

Deep knowledge of the Greater Los Angeles region is required, including its communities, civic landscape, media ecosystem, and social, economic, and cultural dynamics. The successful candidate will understand how institutions show up in Los Angeles, how to build trust with diverse communities, and how to position CCF as a credible, responsive, and values-driven civic leader. Experience working in philanthropy, nonprofit, community development, or civic sector settings is preferred. Familiarity with philanthropic sector trends, donor psychology, and donor-advised fund holder engagement is also preferred.

Equity, Cultural Competency, and Community-Centered Practice

The successful candidate will bring strong cultural competency and the ability to engage authentically with diverse communities. Professional working proficiency in Spanish is required, including the ability to review and guide Spanish-language content, communications, and community engagement. A demonstrated commitment to racial equity, social justice, and community-centered communications practice is essential. This leader will bring humility, care, and intentionality to the work, ensuring that CCF's communications reflect the communities it serves and uphold the Foundation's values.

Digital Strategy, Systems, and Marketing Technology

Candidates should bring experience with digital content strategy, social media platforms, audience analytics, and marketing tools that support engagement, visibility, and measurement. The successful candidate will understand how to use data and insights to shape content strategy, strengthen audience development, and assess the effectiveness of communications efforts. Proficiency with content management systems, CRM platforms, and marketing automation tools is preferred.

Team Leadership and Cross-Functional Collaboration

This leader will have demonstrated experience managing both in-house staff and contracted talent, including photographers, translators, consultants, and other creative partners. They will build and sustain effective working relationships across CCF, including the Impact Team, Grants Management, the Office of Philanthropy, and the Office of the CEO. They will contribute to a high-performing, inclusive team culture within the Marketing, Communications, and Storytelling department and bring a collaborative, solutions-oriented approach to working across the Foundation. The successful candidate will share expertise, time, and institutional knowledge generously; respond to internal and external stakeholders with professionalism and agility; and demonstrate flexibility as organizational priorities evolve. They will be a trusted partner to colleagues and senior leaders, ensuring that communications are coordinated, consistent, timely, and mission-driven.

Compensation and Benefits

Salary is competitive and commensurate with experience. The salary range for this role is $244,000 – $258,000 with a generous benefits package.

Contact

DSG | Koya has been exclusively retained for this engagement. Express interest in this role by filling out our Talent Profile or emailing the search team directly at [email protected]. All inquiries and discussions are strictly confidential.

DSG | Koya is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals living with disabilities. If you are a qualified individual living with a disability and need assistance expressing interest online, please email [email protected]. If you are selected for an interview, you will receive additional information regarding how to request an accommodation for the interview process.

California Community Foundation is an equal opportunity employer and strongly encourages applications from people of color, persons with disabilities, women, and LGBTQ+ applicants.

About DSG | Koya

DSG | Koya, a DSG Global company, is the nation's premier search firm dedicated to mission-driven leadership. Since its founding in 2004, DSG | Koya has had an exclusive focus on mission-driven clients and was founded on the belief that the right leader can transform an organization and have a deep and measurable impact on our world. DSG | Koya works with nonprofits & NGOs, responsible businesses, and social enterprises in local communities and around the world.

DSG Global is consistently recognized by Forbes on its top 10 list of "America's Best Executive Recruiting Firms" and is an industry leader in recruiting transformational leaders for a changing world. The firm is deliberately different in its approach, with best-in-class teams who have decades of experience in cultivating inclusive leaders, understanding the dimensions of diversity, and building equitable teams.
Learn more about DSG | Koya via the firm's website.

To apply, visit: https://www.dsgco.com/search/23333-ccf-vpmc/





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