Chief Impact Officer

About Run for Something

Run for Something recruits and supports young, diverse progressives to run for down-ballot races to build long-term sustainable power in all 50 states.

Since launching in 2017, RFS has recruited nearly 150,000 people who want to run for office, endorsed over 3,000 candidates, and won over 1,000 elections.

Once elected, RFS alumni have transformed state and local governments, making housing more affordable, abortion more accessible, and education more equitable. They are the present and future leaders of the Democratic Party and the country. No matter who wins the White House in November, RFS’s work is imperative to the future of democracy and the long-term power-building efforts.

At the same time, RFS has led the sector with an internal culture that prioritizes work-life integration, long-term sustainability of both mission and staff, and diversity, equity, and inclusion, all baked into the core DNA of the team and program.

Run for Something’s work is long-term, year-round, and strategic. The organization has ambitious plans for 2024 and beyond; you can read the strategic plan here. Learn more about our work in this clip.

We highly encourage all job applicants to visit our Careers page to learn about our work environment, values, compensation and benefits policies, interview process, and more.

Position Name: Chief Impact Officer

Comparable titles in other organizations include: Chief External Officer, Chief External Relations Officer, Chief External Affairs Officer

Position summary:

Run for Something is seeking a Chief Impact Officer to elevate our national communications strategy and raise the critical funds necessary to achieve our important mission.

The Chief Impact Officer will lead the Development and Communication teams to inspire donors, motivate young people to run for office, amplify profiles of RFS-endorsed candidates and alumni and broaden public understanding of the pivotal roles state and local offices play in shaping democracy.

The ideal candidate will have a command of electoral politics and possess exceptional people-centered management, strong relationship building, collaboration, strategic thinking capabilities and a deep belief in RFS’s mission.

This role represents a rare opportunity to be a leader at one of the most pivotal organizations to emerge in the post-2016 political landscape, shaping the long-term external relations strategy beyond the 2024 elections. This person will report to the Co-Executive Director/Co-Founder Amanda Litman and will shift to reporting to the to-be-hired Executive Director in the next six months.

Run for Something (RFS) is approximately $12 million and comprises of Run for Something’s 527 non-federal PAC, Run for Something Action Fund (a 501c4), and Run for Something Civics (a non-partisan 501c3).

Responsibilities

The Chief Impact Officer is an executive level role and leader on the RFS team, and will ensure that programs and stakeholders are moving efficiently and effectively in the same direction.

Lead Communications Program (30%)

• Lead, manage and coach the Communications team (currently 5 team members, including 2 direct reports (Digital Communications Director, Senior Manager of National Communications))
• As the Communications lead for the organization, set vision and develop innovative strategies to elevate RFS’s press coverage, social media, external communications, email program, branding and positioning on a national scale
• Collaborate with team to amplify compelling stories and content through social media and earned media that reflects the diversity of candidates we support and our broader RFS community
• Directly manage press consultants and lead media relations strategy
• Collaborate with press consultants by proactively pitching stories, anticipating opportunities for visibility and making decisions on media efforts
• Identify communications-related risks and design strategies and solutions for crisis situations
• Collaborate with Co-Founder, Amanda Litman, to shape a strategy that utilizes her voice in the most high-impact and strategic ways
• Collaborate with the Chief Campaigns Officer and other key stakeholders across RFS to elevate RFS’s programmatic and campaigns work into inspiring communications and drive cross-team projects

Lead Development Program (30%)

• Lead, manage and coach the Development team (currently 4 people, including 1 direct report (VP, Development)), to meet annual fundraising goals
• Serve as a strategic thought partner to the VP, Development when setting vision and innovating on fundraising strategy to inspire donors and identify future opportunities
• Collaborate with leadership on annual budgeting and long-term financial strategy
• Collaborate with Co-Executive Directors to shape a strategy that utilizes their voice in the most high-impact and strategic ways
• When needed, manage a portfolio of donors to build broader support of RFS’ work

Management and leadership (40% of time)

• Ensure Communications and Development team’s capacity, resources and processes are aligned to RFS’s organizational priorities
• Support teams to navigate competing priorities and change management
• As a member of RFS leadership team, contribute to organization-wide strategy and initiatives; be an active leader and advocate for RFS’ philosophy, mission, values, culture, and DEI goals throughout the organization
• Manage, mentor, and coach staff in line with RFS values and performance management standards to ensure relevant key performance indicators are met; identify and support areas for professional development; as a manager of managers, ensure RFS performance standards and values are apparent through all departments
• Develop quarterly board reports for Co-Founder/Co-Executive Director as well as presenting to the board as-needed
• All members of the communications and fundraising teams are aligned on expectations, roles, and responsibilities, under a cohesive external relations vision and strategy
• Departments under the Chief Impact Officer are hitting their own goals
• Successful coaching and management of team leads and support in their respective management
• Smooth cross-team facilitation in support of hitting key performance indicators

Minimum Qualifications

• Relevant work experiences in campaigns or electoral political organizations
• Experience with both managing the strategy and direct execution of a communications program (including digital communications, media relations and paid ads)
• Experience in 501c4 or PAC fundraising
• Demonstrated success in thinking strategically about revenue diversification and revenue growth
• Significant experience leading, managing, coaching and inspiring teams to meet ambitious goals and navigating through change and transformation
• Experience managing other managers
• Experience with coaching others on open dialogue, receiving and giving feedback, and having difficult conversations that strengthen relationships
• Outstanding people-management skills, combined with a demonstrated ability to navigate diverse cultural contexts and identities with compassion and collaboration while actively fostering inclusivity and a sense of belonging and psychological safety
• Strong project management skills and experience, which includes being organized, detail-oriented, coordinating across multiple departments, managing different stakeholders with competing goals, and holding folks accountable to deadlines
• Experience managing budgets
• Effective problem-solver with judgment and discretion; able to quickly triage crises and identify which can be solved independently and which require input, and from whom, and ability to anticipate challenges
• Engaging verbal and written communication skills with ability to inspire and motivate
• Exceptional ability to build strong, inclusive, trusting and collaborative relationships with stakeholders at all levels to work towards collective goals with deep emotional intelligence
• Ability to adapt to changing environments and navigate complexities inherent in politics with resilience and agility
• Comfortable and experienced in managing a unionized staff
• Demonstrated ability to work in and contribute to a diverse, equitable, and inclusive environment
• Ability to demonstrate Run for Something’s organizational values: Bold & Fearless; Open & Honest; Supportive & Respectful; Progressive & Diverse; Long-term & Strategic
• Ability to work independently for extended periods of time in a remote environment
• Strong commitment to the Run for Something mission

Plus Qualifications

• 10+ years work experience
• Comfort and experience with on-the-record work in the press
• Comfort and experience working directly with major donors

Work Environment

Run for Something is (and always has been and will be) a remote office environment; you will collaborate with colleagues who are based across the United States.

This position requires the ability to work core hours, Monday through Thursday. This position will require some nights and weekends work.

Compensation & Benefits

Salary for this position is set at $198,100. In order to counter pay inequality and uphold internal parity, salaries are non-negotiable for new and current employees.

Learn more about our compensation policy here.

Benefits at Run for Something include:

• Four Day Work Week (learn more here)
• Unlimited Paid Time Off policy
• Platinum Medical Insurance (100% of premium covered for employees; 50% of premium covered for dependents)
• Dental and Vision Insurance (100% of premium covered for both employees and dependents)
• Professional Development Stipend
• Treat Yourself Stipend ($500 a year to do something that brings you joy)
• Equipment Stipend
• 401k
• Work from Home Stipend
• Cell Phone/Internet Stipend
• 12 weeks paid family leave
• Paid Sabbatical (after 3 years of service to RFS)
• Employee Assistance Program
• ~ Four weeks in organization-wide holiday closures, including a two-week winter break