Author: McCormack+Kristel

The Client

In 1993, two graduate students launched an eight-week “pilot” project to provide a weekly after-school support group for LGBTQ youth. Meetings were held in the attic of a local social service agency and The Attic Youth Center was born. During the late 1990’s, The Attic grew its programming, services, and staffing. In 2000, The Attic incorporated as a nonprofit organization and received a gift from an anonymous donor to purchase its current home on 16^th Street, in Center City Philadelphia.

Today, The Attic is a nationally recognized, multi-service youth organization, and one of the largest community centers in the U.S. committed exclusively to serving LGBTQ youth and allies. The Attic’s youth programming focuses on assisting youth and young adults to develop essential life skills in the areas of job readiness, educational enrichment, leadership, arts and culture, and health and wellness. Services include HIV prevention, support groups, and case management. Counseling includes Comprehensive Risk Counseling Services (CRCS) and clinical mental health counseling. Additionally, the Bryson Institute provides training and education to build inclusive environments that recognize and promote the value of diversity. Since 2001, the Institute has been working with educational systems, social service agencies, workplaces, faith-based organizations, and communities to improve the support systems for LGBTQ youth and young adults.

Headquartered in Philadelphia, PA, The Attic Youth Center is governed by a nine-person Board of Directors and operates with a $1.6 million annual budget and 22 staff.

The Mission

The Attic Youth Center creates opportunities for LGBTQ youth to develop into healthy, independent, civic-minded adults within a safe and supportive community and promotes the acceptance of LGBTQ youth in society.

The Opportunity

This is an extraordinary opportunity for an experienced change agent to provide transformational leadership to a dynamic organization that provides vital services to Philadelphia’s LGBTQ youth.  The new Executive Director will play an integral role in reducing the isolation felt by LGBTQ youth; counteracting the prejudice and oppression they often face; and developing healthy, independent, thriving adults.

The Position

The Executive Director will provide strategic leadership to advance the agency’s vision, mission, goals, and objectives. Reporting to a nine-member Board of Directors, comprised of prominent Philadelphia business and community leaders, the Executive Director is responsible for all agency programs, operations, and fiscal oversight. They will lead by example and set clear strategies and performance expectations developed in collaboration with the staff and board. The Executive Director is the primary representative of the agency and is directly responsible for engaging stakeholders and securing funds to enhance its services and ensure its financial health. The Executive Director supervises a five-person leadership team responsible for programs, development, finance, and operations. Essential responsibilities of the position include:

Leadership

• Inspire, motivate, and lead a team of committed and engaged staff to realize the organization’s mission, vision, and strategic goals;
• Lead by example to enhance a culture of transparency and accountability and ensure organizational cohesion;
• Champion a culture of inclusion throughout the organization by fostering diversity and implementing robust equity policies;
• Recruit, retain, and develop a competent, qualified team to manage programming, counseling, and business functions;
• Establish organizational policies and procedures and ensure compliance with all applicable laws and regulations.

Programs

• Oversee senior staff responsible for designing and delivering programming and counseling services;
• Ensure ongoing programmatic excellence, rigorous program evaluation, and consistent quality of services;
• Implement systems to track scaling progress and regularly evaluate program components to measure and effectively communicate successes to the board, funders and other constituents.

Fundraising and Fiscal Stewardship

• Lead the development of budgets and related program and staffing plans that advance the organization’s mission and strategic goals;
• Manage the organization’s financial resources, building on its foundation of fiscal stability and ensuring its long-term viability;
• Develop the overall fundraising strategy and maintain relationships with key stakeholders including individual, foundation, corporate, and government funders;
• Partner with the board to identify, solicit, and acquire new sources of funding, to encourage board giving, and to build sustainable sources of income for the organization.

Communications

• Serve as the organization’s primary spokesperson representing the Attic Youth Center in public, in the media, and at events;
• Foster strong relationships with other professional, civic, and private organizations and utilize those relationships to strategically enhance AYC’s Mission;
• Oversee marketing and communications efforts with goal of enhancing AYC’s brand.

Professional Requirements

The Attic Youth Center is seeking an entrepreneurial executive with fundraising and social services experience. The successful candidate will have a deep understanding of LGBTQ youth and proven leadership, coaching, and relationship management experience. The ideal candidate will have the following:

• A minimum of 10 years’ progressive management and organizational leadership experience in a social services agency. Prior experience as a CEO or Executive Director is strongly preferred;
• A dedication to and understanding of systemic oppression particularly as it relates to gender, sexual orientation, race, and adultism;
• Experience delivering programs and counseling services to youth, ideally LGBTQ youth;
• Demonstrable success leading and scaling a performance- and outcomes-based organization and a firm commitment to data-driven program evaluation;
• An understanding of case management services, ideally case management for homeless youth;
• A track-record of success developing donor relationships and generating new revenue streams;
• In-depth knowledge of nonprofit management and board governance best practices;
• Prior experience developing and implementing strategic plans;
• An undergraduate degree in a related field is desired, a graduate degree is preferred;
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite is essential.

Personal Characteristics

We are seeking a visionary leader who passionately believes LGBTQ youth deserve a safe space to express their identity, talk with a caring adult, participate in after-school activities, and receive assistance finding housing or a job. They will lead by example to create a culture of transparency and accountability. They will have exceptional interpersonal skills to engage and inspire donors and stakeholders and the business acumen to foster an innovative approach to fiscal planning and reporting. The ideal candidate will have:

• Knowledge of the history and issues affecting LGBTQ and gender non-conforming/non-binary (GNCNB) youth;
• An understanding of the intersectionality of racial equity, gender equity, and economic justice issues and their impact on LGBTQ, GNCNB youth;
• Strong relationship-building skills including a track record of success in fostering collaboration and strengthening networks;
• An approachable, collaborative, and transparent leadership style;
• A strong commitment to the values of diversity, equity, and inclusion, and a commitment to advancing social justice;
• Strong written and verbal communications skills, including persuasive and passionate interpersonal communication and public speaking ability.

Compensation

Our client is offering a competitive salary, commensurate with the experience and qualifications of the selected candidate, and an excellent benefits package including 100% employer paid health and dental insurance, a 401k retirement plan with annual budget-based employer matching (2% in FY20) contributions, and generous PTO and paid holiday policies.

Reimbursement toward basic relocation expenses will be considered for the exceptional individual they are seeking.

Location

When public health guidance in response to the COVID-19 pandemic permits, the Attic Youth Center’s new Executive Director will work in the agency’s 16^th Street, Center City offices. Currently, all staff are working remotely.

Contact

Please submit cover letter and résumé as attachments via e-mail to:

Michelle Kristel, Managing Partner

McCormack+Kristel

1740 Broadway, 15th Floor

New York, NY 10019

Phone: 212.531.5003 | Fax: 212.203.9599

Email: search@mccormackkristel.com | Website www.mccormackkristel.com

All inquiries will be held in strict confidence.  Please note that your education, dates of employment and other information will be verified prior to an offer.

The Attic is an equal opportunity employer. The Attic does not discriminate on the basis of religion, creed, age, sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, race, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, marital status, physical or mental disability, medical condition, veteran status, genetic information or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law.

History of Lambda Legal

Founded in 1973, Lambda Legal is a national organization committed to achieving full recognition of the civil rights of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender, queer/questioning (LGBTQ) people and everyone living with HIV through impact litigation, education, and public policy work. Lambda’s team of over 90 advocates work out of its national headquarters in New York City and five regional offices throughout the United States: Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, and Washington, DC.

For a half of a century, Lambda Legal has been a trailblazer toward ending inequality against the LGBTQ community and those living with HIV. The organization was its own first client, taking on the New York State government when it refused incorporation as a charitable organization, and winning in the state’s highest court. Other notable accomplishments include:

• a successful challenge to a ban on school activity by a gay student group at the University of New Hampshire in 1974;
• winning the nation’s first HIV/AIDS discrimination case in 1983;
• establishing the legal precedent that school officials violate the U.S. Constitution when they fail to protect students from anti-gay bullying by fellow students in 1997;
• persuading the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn all remaining sodomy laws in 2003;
• obtaining a historic, unanimous decision in Iowa Supreme Court that denying marriage to same-sex couple is unconstitutional in 2009, setting the stage for;
• serving as co-counsel in the historic 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges case at the U.S. Supreme Court that made marriage equality the law of the land;
• winning a national first federal appellate ruling in 2011 that employment discrimination against a transgender public employee in Georgia was unlawful sex discrimination;
• in 2017, in an Indiana case, obtaining the breakthrough federal appellate ruling that employment discrimination against a lesbian, gay or bisexual worker is unlawful sex discrimination, setting the stage of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Bostock decision in 2020.

Current Context for Lambda’s Work

Today, Lambda Legal serves as a firewall against the escalating attacks on the LGBTQ+ community and people living with HIV while continuing to push forward towards a world where LGBTQ people and those living with HIV are respected, protected, and celebrated. Lambda’s mission is advanced through both impact litigation and public policy advocacy in four areas:

1. Continuing to protect LGBTQ+ identities and relationships by, among other things, protecting the freedom to marry and the benefits of marriage for same-sex couples; safeguarding other, significant relationships; and ensuring access to official government-issued identity documents that accurately reflect one’s gender identity.

2. Continuing efforts to expand and defend protections against anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination within existing laws and developing and supporting efforts to enact new protections at the federal, state, and local level through the passage of new legislation and other policies.

3. Continuing to challenge policies and practices harming the health and well-being of LGBTQ+ people and individuals living with HIV, such as by reforming antiquated laws that impose disproportionate penalties on people living with HIV or that restrict access to medically necessary transition-related care for trans people.

4. Continuing to challenge anti-LGBTQ+ bias in the justice system by challenging judicial nominees with track records of bias against LGBTQ+ people or people living with HIV, by defending vulnerable LGBTQ+ people in government custody (including youth in child welfare and juvenile justice systems), and by developing and distributing anti-bias training for judges, court personnel, and attorneys.

Responding to a mercurial and demonstrably anti-LGBTQ+ administration has presented specific challenges since 2016. Lambda can no longer count on a receptive federal administration and they have had to respond forcefully and quickly to numerous instances of policy changes that overtly threaten LGBTQ+ people of all ages and people living with HIV. Under newly-appointed CEO Kevin Jennings, who took the helm of Lambda Legal in December 2019, the organization is working to develop a new strategic plan, with pro bono help from Bain Consulting, to help guide it as it prepares for its 50^th anniversary in 2023.

For more information about Lambda Legal, visit https://www.lambdalegal.org/

Lambda’s Board of Directors

Lambda Legal’s Board of Directors guides the work of the organization by setting its strategic direction, evaluating its CEO and monitoring the CEO’s progress towards the fulfillment of the organization’s strategic goals, setting and monitoring the organization’s budget, and helping secure the financial resources the organization needs to carry out its work. Members come from a variety of professional backgrounds as well as from across the nation and reflect the diversity of the communities Lambda Legal serves. Members attend three in-person meetings a year as well as one virtual one, and agree to the following roles:

1. Advancement: Members seek to identify and secure sources of financial support to help Lambda Legal advance its work, and each member agrees to fulfill a $25,000 annual “give-get” for the organization. Members have an assigned development staffer who will work with them to develop a plan to fulfill their “give-get” obligation and support them in their efforts to do so throughout the course of the year.

2. Advice: Members leverage their own professional expertise as well as that of their networks to bring important perspectives and skills to help advance Lambda Legal’s work.

3. Ambassadorship: Members seek to represent Lambda in the community to raise its visibility.

Lambda Legal’s Board is very much a “hands-on” board where members work actively with each other and with staff to help the organization fulfill its mission. Each member serves on at least one committee (Administrations & Finance, Audit, Development, Diversity & Inclusion, Investment, Nominating, and Strategic Planning), with select other members serving on an Executive Committee which leads the Board under the guidance of its Chair, John Stafstrom of Bridgeport, Connecticut.

Opportunity

For more than 45 years, Lambda Legal has been leading the march toward full lived equality for LGBTQ+ people and everyone living with HIV. Throughout its history, but most profoundly today, the hard-fought progress that Lambda Legal has made is being eroded by powerful and well-resourced foes. At a critical time in history, this is an extraordinary opportunity to join the effort to defend and continue the expansion of rights for LGBTQ+ people and everyone living with HIV.

Contact

If you are interested in exploring board service with Lambda Legal, please submit a brief cover letter and résumé or biography as attachments via e-mail to:

Michelle Kristel, Managing Partner

Soladé Rowe, Senior Consultant

McCormack+Kristel

1740 Broadway, 15th Floor

New York, NY 10019

Phone: 212.531.5003 | Fax: 212.203.9599

Email: search@mccormackkristel.com | Website www.mccormackkristel.com

All inquiries will be held in strict confidence. 

McCormack+Kristel works only with equal opportunity employers. People of color, people of all gender identities and gender expressions, people with HIV, and people with disabilities are encouraged to apply.

The Client

Established in 1977, the Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice (Astraea) is one of the first women’s funds in the world and the only solely dedicated to LBTQI rights globally. Their founders – a cross-class, multi-racial group of women activists – dreamed of a feminist movement that centered the leadership of lesbians and women of color. For over four decades, Astraea has uniquely supported women’s rights and LBTQI movements working at the crossroads of gender justice, racial justice, bodily autonomy, sexual rights, and self-determination.

As a LBTQI women’s fund, Astraea uniquely fuels groups at the nexus of feminist and LBTQI movements. Astraea’s reach is unparalleled: since its inception, they have granted over $40 million via nearly 5,000 grants to 1,700+ grantee partners in 100+ countries and nearly all 50 states in the United States (U.S.). Astraea shifts power and resources to LBTQI and feminist activists so that they can build strong, intersectional movements that combat violence and discrimination, counter structural economic and social inequalities and drive transformational cultural change.

Headquartered in New York City, Astraea’s mission is advanced by more than 30 staff in the U.S. and around the world. The team comes from diverse backgrounds and possesses a wealth of experience and knowledge. Tied together by a deep passion for human rights and social justice, the staff places a high value on self-awareness, commitment to racial justice, shared learning, and genuine kindness.

Over the years, Astraea has continued to honor the legacy of its founding mothers: uncompromising in a vision of rights for all, upholding values such as belief in self-determination, community empowerment, movement building, and building across issues and generations. The organization that grew from this lesbian feminist vision is a multi-gendered, multi-racial, multi-identity public foundation that last year granted over $4.2 million to 190 grantee partners in 64 countries, including the United States.

Astraea operates with a budget of $14 million and is governed by a 12-person Board of Directors. To learn more, please visit: https://www.astraeafoundation.org/

The Opportunity

The mission of Astraea is needed now more than ever. Our world and our people are up against unending challenges – closing civil societies, the rise of nationalist governments, escalating anti-Black, anti-immigrant violence, discrimination of people already pushed to the margins, increased economic inequity, growing power of religious, cultural and economic conservatism, and the use of gender “paranoia” to mobilize masses of people toward these conservative and increasingly authoritarian agendas.

Astraea experienced exponential and transformative growth over the past several years. With a significantly increased base of institutional funding, Astraea radically increased its reach and impact. Now, while continuing to build power and challenge the status quo, Astraea is utilizing this leadership transition period to invest in organizational development and staff well-being. The new leader(s) will inherit a financially stable, mission-driven organization with a strong culture that is living its feminist social justice values.

With the confluence of global health, political, and economic disruptions unfolding amid tectonic shifts in philanthropy and LGBTQI movements, the need for bold queer feminist funding has never been greater. This is an exceptional opportunity for a strategic and visionary leader(s) to build on four decades of innovative grantmaking and philanthropic advocacy to fuel the organizing of powerful grassroots movements and realize a world where all people can actively and enthusiastically belong.

The Position(s)

Reporting to the Board of Directors, the new Executive Director or Co-Directors will build on Astraea’s proud radical history to create a nimble, thriving, and resilient organization that effectively and efficiently shifts power to LGBTQI people. In collaboration with the board and staff, the new Executive(s) will leverage the organization’s expertise to center its activist-centered grantmaking and expand its global presence. In keeping with Astraea’s commitment to upholding feminist leadership principles and decentralizing power, the Board of Directors is open to structuring the role for an individual Executive Director or for a team of two Co-Directors. Primary responsibilities include the following:

Leadership

• Inspire, mentor and motivate an international team of experts connected by a deep passion for human rights and social justice;
• Model feminist leadership principles that support self-determination and advance equity and inclusion;
• Champion a culture grounded in transparency and accountability;
• Center healing justice practices and uphold the ongoing supportive work to nourish and strengthen staff;
• Leverage networks to develop a global board of directors.

Strategy & Vision

• With staff, board, grantees, advisors, and peers, develop a strategic plan that defines Astraea’s role in the global ecosystem of feminist funds and movements;
• In collaboration with regional and feminist funds, enhance Astraea’s role in building LGBTQI movements and the philanthropic infrastructure;
• Center participatory grantmaking that shifts power to activists and refine funding models to be even more nimble, responsive, and flexible.

Fundraising and Fiscal Stewardship

• Enthusiastically lead and actively engage in Astraea’s diverse fundraising efforts;
• In partnership with board and staff, develop and maintain relationships with key stakeholders including individuals and institutions to expand Astraea’s base of supporters;
• Leverage external presence to grow Astraea’s fundraising initiatives;
• Diversify and increase unrestricted funding sources, especially from individual donors, and grow Astraea’s reserves and endowment;
• Oversee the effective and efficient management of the organization’s financial resources ensuring its fiscal stability and long-term sustainability.

Communications & Outreach

• With an authentic and progressive voice, represent Astraea in the media, in the activist and philanthropic communities, and to a broad range of stakeholders including grantee partners, donors, and advisors;
• Increase visibility and provide leadership within the network of women’s funds;
• Serve as a trusted advisor to governments, private foundations, movements, and grassroots organizations.

Organizational Development

• Ensure the organizational structure supports the recent expansion of grantmaking and programs, while centering staff and reinforcing an anti-oppression frame;
• Dedicate resources and expertise to build a robust human resources department;
• Oversee the updating and integration of technology systems adequate to meet the needs of globally distributed organization;
• Refine and implement policies and procedures that reflect Astraea’s values;
• Center mentoring and coaching of the management and senior teams, providing support to build strong teams;
• Support the development of a leadership pipeline for diverse staff;
• Prioritize professional development and mentoring for the next generation of leaders.

Professional Requirements

The ideal candidate(s) will be transformative leader(s) and respected social justice thought partner(s). They will have a nuanced understanding of the philanthropic climate including current trends and tensions, and Astraea’s place among global LGBTQI and feminist funders. They will have deep connections to grassroots communities and movements. The successful candidate(s) must have the following:

• Executive or senior leadership experience with a global or multinational organization, including experience managing remote teams;
• Prior executive or senior leadership experience in a grantmaking or philanthropic support organization;
• Proven success building strong and effective teams and creating cultures defined by transparency, accountability, trust and respect;
• Strategic fundraising experience that includes cultivating individual and institutional donor relationships, soliciting major gifts, and negotiating government contracts;
• Prior experience working with a nonprofit board and a demonstrable understanding of board development, governance and decision-making;
• Financial acumen to develop, track, and manage a $14 million budget that includes restricted government contracts, foreign funds, complex investments, and fiscal sponsorships;
• An understanding of the fiscal and donor reporting requirements associated with global grassroots grantmaking;
• Demonstrated experience leading the creation and implementation of strategic plans;
• Exceptional communications skills including the ability to effectively convey radical ideas and to engage individuals and large groups;
• Fluency in English and another/other language(s);
• Enthusiasm for significant domestic and international travel;
• Authorization (for the Executive Director or at least one Co-Director) to work in the United States.

Personal Characteristics

The new Executive Director or Co-Directors will be fierce feminist leaders with an uncompromising commitment to advancing gender, racial, economic and environmental justice. They will be rooted in the politics of global solidarity, and comfortable holding and articulating a radical vision. They will be an innovative, transparent and adaptive leader(s) with a commitment to lifelong learning and a drive to mentor, coach, and support leadership. They will bring an international perspective to Astraea and ideally will have lived experience in the Global South and/or East. The ideal candidate(s) will have the emotional intelligence to engage in honest self-reflection and receive constructive feedback, and the humility to share power and make collective decisions.

Compensation

Commensurate with the experience and qualifications of the selected candidate(s), the salary range for the position(s) is $200,000 – $225,000 per annum. In addition to generous PTO, our client provides an excellent benefits package including health, dental, vision, short- and long-term disability, and ancillary insurance, as well as flex spending and health reimbursement accounts, and a 401(k) savings plan with employer match.

Reimbursement of basic relocation expenses will be considered for the exceptional individual(s) they are seeking.

Location

In response to public health guidelines concerning COVID-19, Astraea’s staff is currently working remotely. It is expected that they will continue working remotely at least through the end of 2020. Ideally, when restrictions are lifted and congregant workplaces are deemed safe, the new Executive Director or at least one Co-Director will work on-site in the Foundation’s New York office. For Co-Director applicants, the Board is open to considering one remote (U.S. or international) candidate. For individual Executive Director applicants, the Board is open to considering U.S.-based remote candidates. If selected, an individual Executive Director living outside of the New York metropolitan area, will be expected to spend one week per month on-site in the Foundation’s New York office. The Foundation will cover the cost of travel and accommodations related to the candidate establishing a New York presence.

Contact

For individuals wishing to be considered for the Executive Director position and pairs wishing to be considered for the Co-Director roles, please submit a cover letter and résumé(s) as attachments via e-mail to:

Please note: Pairs wishing to be considered for the Co-Director positions, must apply as a team. Individual applications for Co-Directors will not be combined.

Michelle Kristel, Managing Partner

Soladé Rowe, Senior Consultant

McCormack+Kristel

1740 Broadway, 15th Floor

New York, NY 10019

Phone: 212.531.5003 | Fax: 212.203.9599    

Email: search@mccormackkristel.com | Website www.mccormackkristel.com

All inquiries will be held in strict confidence.  Please note that your education, dates of employment and other information will be verified prior to an offer.

Astraea is an equal opportunity employer. Our policy is to select, place, train and promote the best qualified individuals based upon relevant factors such as work quality, attitude and experience so as to provide equal opportunity for all of our employees in compliance with applicable local, state and federal law, and without regard to non-work related factors such as sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, marital status, disability, economic status, personal appearance including height and weight, family responsibility, matriculation, political affiliation or any other status protected by applicable law. This policy applies to all activities, including but not limited to, recruiting, hiring, training, transfers, promotions and benefits. This policy governs all aspects of employment, including selection, job assignment, compensation, discipline, termination and access to benefits and training.