Job Opening – President

Communities on the margins of opportunity deserve a trusted partner on their journey towards financial growth and stability. As a locally invested, collaborative partner in social justice and financial equity, Community Vision (Community Vision) provides nonprofits, small businesses, and social enterprises with strategic investment and guidance deepening work, scaling impact, and strengthening our communities.

Community Vision promotes diversity and equal opportunity in the workplace and believes it is important for the continuing success of the Fund. In accordance with state and federal law, Community Vision will not discriminate against an employee or applicant due to race, disability, color, creed, religion, sex, age, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, veteran status, gender identity, sexual orientation, weight or height or other protected categories in hiring, promoting, demoting, training, benefits, transfers, layoffs, terminations, recommendations, rates of pay or other forms of compensation. Opportunity is provided to all employees based on qualifications and job performance.

President

San Francisco, California

Community Vision (Community Vision) seeks an exceptional President who is committed to building financially strong and culturally vibrant communities. The successful candidate will be a strong and innovative leader, a stellar communicator, and be firmly committed to advancing racial and economic equity in underserved communities. Community Vision’s current President, Mary Rogier, will be leaving the organization in early 2019 after providing 20 years of outstanding service.

The Organization:

The Community Vision (Community Vision) works in collaboration with local partners to confront issues of social justice and financial equity. Community Vision provides nonprofits, small businesses, and social enterprises with strategic investment and guidance to deepen work, scale impact, and strengthen our communities.

Community Vision is one of the country’s 950 Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs). Since its inception in 1987, Community Vision has invested more than $254 million into projects throughout Northern and Central California, impacting the lives of over 1.5 million community members. The organization’s lending and consulting services support organizations that develop affordable housing; provide critical social, medical and youth services to low-income people; create community arts programs; and increase people’s access to healthy foods.

Community Vision is governed by a 13-member board of directors. The organization’s current operational budget is approximately $7M. There are currently 37 staff, including a Leadership Team of 6.

Community Vision’s programs and services include:

• Lending – Community Vision provides real estate loans for affordable housing, community facilities, healthy foods, and economic development projects; working capital loans to meet the short- and medium- term operating needs of nonprofits and other mission-driven enterprises serving low-income communities.
• Consulting – Community Vision offers financial management and real estate guidance to nonprofits, small businesses and social enterprises seeking to expand capacity, evaluate real estate readiness, and use financial resources more strategically. Community Vision intentionally creates equitable opportunities for people who have been shut out of traditional financial spaces, and offers strategic guidance to help them achieve stability and financial growth.
• Social Impact Investing – Community Vision invites investors to join the organization as community allies, displacement mitigators, and long-term equity builders through impact investments. Each investment is made to fund positive social change within underserved communities while offering the potential of financial return for investors.

Recent Accomplishments:

Over the past 30 years, Community Vision has made tremendous improvements to nonprofits and enterprises in the community. Its recent initiatives have further advanced the viability of these organizations across Northern and Central California. For example:

• Community Vision is one of very few CDFIs in the nation to receive the highest rating, four-star AAA policy plus, from the AERIS CDFI Assessment and Ratings System in recognition of Community Vision’s financial strength, policy advocacy, and social impact.
• Community Vision expanded its focus on food equity and access by assuming leadership of the California Fisheries Fund, a loan pool dedicated to bringing capital to small family fishing operations in California coastal communities. In 2017, Community Vision also became the administrator of the California FreshWorks initiative, which unlocks capital for innovative projects that bring healthy food options to areas of low access throughout California.
• For over a decade, Community Vision has run a place-based initiative in San Joaquin Valley focused on increasing equity in rural communities, with particular focus on strengthening the nonprofit sector and supporting enterprises that contribute to the advancement of racial and economic equity.
• Community Vision partners with California State University Fresno to offer a Community Facilities Challenge where students from Finance, Design, Construction Management and Humanics work together to develop a real estate analysis on behalf of a community based organization to benefit a low- income community.
• In 2016, Community Vision launched PRO Oakland, a three-year collaboration with Main Street Launch, which supports nonprofits and small businesses impacted by the Alameda County Transit Bus Rapid Transit project. PRO Oakland offers expert technical assistance and flexible capital to these organizations in order to mitigate disruption, avert displacement, and prepare these entities to thrive once construction is complete.
• In 2013, Community Vision helped develop the Community Arts Stabilization Trust (CAST), which purchases real estate to protect arts organizations from the surging San Francisco real estate market.
• In 2011, Community Vision launched its partnership with the City and County of San Francisco to provide technical and financial assistance to nonprofits at risk of being displaced. The Nonprofit Displacement Mitigation Program administered more than $2.5M in financial assistance grants to 57 organizations, and provided technical assistance to 80 nonprofits at risk of displacement.

Strategic Priorities:

Community Vision’s FY19 – FY21 strategic plan outlines three core focus areas which include:

• Impact and Influence – A commitment to advancing economic equity by providing products and services to enterprises that lack access to capital or fulfill a community need; advancing racial equity by supporting enterprises that are led by people of color or address issues related to people of color; meeting the needs of low and moderate income individuals by preserving and supporting the community through lending that fills a gap in the housing market; supporting the growth and sustainability of nonprofits that align with Community Vision’s mission;  and, forging strategic partnerships, sharing best practices and participating in systems change work.
• Financial Sustainability – Actively seeking a healthy mix of revenue sources and implementing robust financial scenario planning that allows Community Vision to react proactively to changes in the funding climate.
• Organizational Excellence – Strengthening Community Vision’s capacity to attain its organizational goals by implementing decision-making and change management processes that are rooted in the organization’s values and culture, enhancing professional development for staff, strengthening program evaluation systems, and deepening efforts to share compelling stories about Community Vision’s impact.

The Position:

The new President should be passionate about Community Vision’s work, have a strong vision about Community Vision’s future direction, and provide strong, credible leadership both inside and outside the organization. The new leader will directly engage with marginalized communities in accordance with Community Vision’s commitment to promoting equity and building strong and healthy communities.

Key Responsibilities:

The President will report to the Board of Directors, and will have direct reports including the Director of Finance and Administration, the Director of Development and Communications, the Chief Lending Officer, the Director of Strategic Initiatives, and the Director of Consulting Services. The President will also:

• Provide vision and leadership in pursuit of the Fund’s mission; and ensure that Community Vision continues to implement impactful, high quality programs and services.
• Provide thought leadership across the CDFI network and beyond.
• Foster an organizational culture that values high performance, high quality services, successful and measurable outcomes, and rigorous evaluation.
• Advance Community Vision’s firm commitment to racial and economic equity.
• Guide the implementation of the strategic plan; oversee the identification and development of new programs and products including lending, technical assistance and capitalization.
• Further the Fund’s public relationships by representing the Fund in public forums, foster key external relationships and partnerships, and oversee the growth and focus of the Fund’s public visibility and image.
• Oversee Community Vision’s rebranding efforts and work collaboratively with the communications team to ensure the thoughtful implementation of all rebranding efforts.
• Provide leadership in fundraising and capitalization by overseeing development strategies, and serve as a liaison to major development partners and funders.
• Ensure the Fund’s financial strength and ongoing sustainability through oversight of the financial management function.
• Oversee management of assets and compliance with all government and investor requirements.
• Oversee lending activity by reviewing and approving organizational lending decisions including loan commitments, closings, extensions, renewals, and other actions.
• Coordinate involvement in public policy, advocacy work, and public education efforts.
• Provide vision and direction to senior management, and inspiration to Community Vision’s workforce by encouraging innovation and continuous development; and foster a healthy and vibrant organizational culture.
• Advise the Board on policy and strategic matters, nurture and support Board leadership efforts to ensure exemplary governance and oversight of all Community Vision activities, and assist with Board recruitment, orientation and development efforts.

Experience and Attributes:

Ideal candidates for this position will bring a variety of experiences and attributes to Community Vision, including:

• A career that demonstrates a strong commitment to building social, economic, and political power in marginalized communities.
• Demonstrated experience in one or more of Community Vision’s core lines of business.
• An innovator and stellar strategist with a successful track record aligning multiple stakeholders around a common vision and related strategies; and the ability to also foster an outcomes-driven team.
• Well-honed business acumen; and proven experience with fiscal management and operations.
• A successful track record developing relationships with investors, cultivating and expanding investor relationships, and securing funding from individual and institutional investors.
• A collaborative leadership style, including experience inspiring and motivating staff, and fostering collaboration and professional development.
• Demonstrated experience fostering high performance teams.
• Demonstrated experience in advancing a racial and economic equity agenda.
• Experience and ability to interact with diverse audiences and stakeholders, and the ability to listen to and be responsive to communities served.
• Masterful communication skills with excellent interpersonal and networking skills: a communicator who inspires genuineness and trust.
• Experience supporting the Board of Directors in its governance role, fostering its ongoing development, and engaging its members in strategy and resource development.
• Familiarity with CDFI’s business lines and the community development sector a plus.