One of Greater Metro New York’s leading providers of services for the blind and visually impaired seeks a Chief Executive Officer to:
- Financially strengthen VISIONS, and ensure that each year the organization is in a
stronger position to fund its programs and facilities than in the previous year; - Continually improve and expand its suite of multilingual services to low and
moderate income families within the region (NYC’s five boroughs, Long Island,
Westchester, Lower Hudson Valley and the Northern Counties of New Jersey), and - Be a leading advocate for those living with blindness, providing information and
help to communities, businesses and government agencies on how to improve their
support for people living with visual impairments.
VISIONS is a direct services organization dedicated to supporting individuals and families whose members live with blindness or visual impairment. This mission is advanced through a broad range of services, education, facilities, events, convenings and activities for those living with visual impairment, their families, employers and prospective employers, government policy makers and communities. All VISIONS services are provided free of charge.
VISIONS was conceived in the early 1920s, and was one of the first providers to pioneer racially integrated and multilingual programs and services to those with multiple disabilities. From modest beginnings as Vacation Camp for the Blind, which hosted men for 2-week stays in a cabin located in Rye (NY), the organization was formally incorporated in 1926. Today VISIONS annually serves about 7,961 individuals, families and organizations; has a permanent staff of 102 (excl. temporary staff) and
60-70 seasonal and short term personnel for various programs; provides a broad array of non-site specific services in homes, educational institutions and other locations within communities served; and physically operates from two Manhattan locations (a headquarters office and a low income housing unit), and the 37.5-acre VISIONS Center on Blindness in Rockland County (NY). For the past 5 years,
VISIONS has been the #1 in job placements of legally blind New Yorkers.
A 17-member Board helps the organization drive fundraising activities and exercises governance oversight of the operating budget of about $13.8 million, an investment portfolio currently valued at over $100 million, and property and other assets valued at $10 million. Sources of revenue are roughly $6.4 million program service revenue, $1.5 million in contributions and the balance of the budget is funded from investment portfolio earnings. VISIONS is financially strong with a positive cash-flow, and the Board values close financial management.
Key objectives of the CEO include:
- Advance all VISIONS programs, services, education and advocacy;
- Strengthen the organization’s finances, fundraising, endowment; maintain its property assets;
- Directly supervise all members of the Executive Leadership Team; indirectly manage the entire team through empowered and capable senior management; hold the team accountable for expanding quality services within the region, and for delivering metrics that are meaningful to VISIONS constituents and funders;
- Measurably shift perspectives, policies and practices across society in the Greater New York Metro Region so that those with vision loss can fully participate in our economy and civil society at all levels;
- In alignment with the strategic plan, deliver (or partner with others to deliver), new services, new education, new employment opportunities, new means of digital inclusion, and other new and innovative kinds of support to those who are blind or who live with visual impairments.
The CEO will improve and expand services, and the number of people who are annually served, while strengthening the organization financially.
The CEO’s and Team’s success will specifically be measured in these mission-aligned terms.
BASIC FUNCTION
Reporting to the Board of Directors and the President of the Board, the CEO will ensure that VISIONS fiscal, operations, marketing and communications, human resources, technology, and program strategies are effectively implemented across all segments of the organization and will provide overall direction and day-to-day management of the organization.
The CEO will also define vision, strategy, objectives and messages; lead the staff team; and will function as the organization’s lead fundraiser and relationship builder.
MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES
LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT
- Articulate and continually refine VISIONS vision and mission statement to serve as a platform for cultivating support; develop, implement, execute and periodically update VISIONS long-range strategic plan outlining objectives, programs and success metrics;
- Motivate, evaluate, evolve, support and manage staff, ensuring that the team is well-suited to serving VISIONS clients and able to address contemporary challenges; define and implement a performance evaluation system for staff and the organization, with emphasis on well-defined goals and clear accountability for all; implement a staff development plan; ensure there is a culture of inclusion, belonging, equity and respect that encourages productive change, advances the mission and embraces new perspectives that lead to innovations.
- Ensure that the day-to-day operations and programs of VISIONS are smoothly and effectively administered; provide appropriate oversight of advocacy, program staff activities, fundraising, finances, systems and procedures;
- Work closely with the Finance Team, the Budget & Finance Committee and the Board in preparing budgets; ensure that the organization responsibly operates within the budgetary and audit guidelines to maintain the organization’s fiscal well being; ensure that there is alignment between programmatic objectives and available resources; develop long- and short-term financial plans and prepare financial and operating reports for the Board;
- Maintain effective relationships with a variety of external organizations including but not limited to the professional blindness field, governmental agencies, corporations and businesses, other nonprofits, and associations and organizations aligned with VISIONS goals and objectives; take a leadership role in coalition building, identifying issues and opportunities for collaboration across the blindness/vision loss field and create forums to address these issues.
REVENUE GENERATION AND FUNDRAISING
- Understand the actual and prospective VISIONS funding sources, including for individual donors, foundation and government grants, business philanthropy and earned revenue sources; communicate fundraising goals, strategy and progress while actively engaging Board and staff in solicitation processes; keep abreast of external factors that could affect fundraising and revenue;
- Function as the organizations Fundraiser-in-Chief and Chief Revenue Officer; develop fundraising alliances; actively solicit philanthropic donations, government grants and earned income, in the process building ongoing relationships with corporations and other business entities, foundations, high-net-worth individuals and other donors, government funders and others; create special and donor cultivation events for VISIONS; ensure that all outreach is tracked on an end-to-end basis;
- Maximize long-term earned and contributed revenue; view fundraising and revenue generation as an extension of cause advocacy and organizational marketing, and in consultation with the Board and the development staff, create strategies to secure ongoing significant sources of private/unrestricted funds to support VISIONS; ensure that all staff and Board members, all events and all VISIONS resources are leveraged to increase earned and contributed revenue.
PROGRAMS, SERVICES AND EDUCATION
- Foster a strong service orientation that is innovative, compassionate and professional; continually evaluate existing programs and search for new ways to improve services and efficiency without compromising quality; define the impact that VISIONS could have in addressing unmet needs and gaps in service; seek and adopt models and services that enhance VISIONS suite of offerings;
- Implement “standard of care and impact” accountability models that are viewed as mission oriented and fair, and thus enable the organization to dispassionately evaluate the impact of programs on those served by VISIONS; recognize and reward staff for leadership and effective delivery of services; based on “standard of care and impact” approaches, periodically re-prioritize investments and shift resources to where they will do the most good;
- Develop relationships with policy makers, program professionals, education organizations, funders and employers in the Greater New York Metro Region; where appropriate, develop cross-cutting projects and services in collaboration with other organizations and funders;
- Advance VISIONS as a role model for collaborations that meet immediate and on-going personal assistance needs of those living with visual impairments and other disabilities; attract funding to VISIONS programs and education; create value propositions for programs, services and education that justify new funding and additional funding from existing sources; Strengthen VISIONS use
and implementation of current and new adaptive technology initiatives.
PUBLIC RELATIONS, MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS AND ADVOCACY
- Serve as the spokesperson for VISIONS to the general public, the media, governmental entities and funders, the blindness field and other key organizations and individuals;
- Review VISIONS communications materials, telecommunications, website, social media, rich media, written and other materials to ensure effective articulation of VISIONS mission and purpose; continually explore new and creative marketing strategies that extend VISIONS support to a broader base; create new opportunities for branding and enhancing the image of VISIONS;
- Build support for VISIONS work through convenings that cross organizational boundaries to include diverse partners, funders, businesses and community leaders.
BOARD RELATIONS:
- With the Board President, coordinate the efforts of various Board committees and task forces; ensure that all committees achieve objectives; encourage Board members’ involvement in VISIONS range of activities, including fundraising;
- Implement Board policies, program goals and objectives in accordance with Board bylaws; provide ongoing communication to the Board on critical matters related to VISIONS;
- Help identify and recruit new Board members, whose talents, backgrounds and commitment, and fundraising abilities are congruent with the needs and mission of VISIONS.
IDEAL EXPERIENCE
The successful candidate should ideally possess most of the following core qualifications and professional experiences:
- Experience with and/or knowledge of the realities of those who live with disabilities; advantageous but not required, is experience with blindness and visual impairments, services to family members of those who have visual impairments, or other applicable personal or professional experiences serving those who live with disabilities;
- Management experience in the private, nonprofit or public sectors with a track record of fundraising/friend-raising, program delivery, driving earned income, and advocacy;
- Leadership experience in developing, implementing, executing, and evaluating impactful strategic plans, with an emphasis on accountability and success metrics;
- Demonstrated track record in attracting and maintaining a diverse and effective team, and building a culture of collaboration and trust among constituents, staff, partners, and the Board;
- Experience working closely with industry leaders, government officials, heads of organizations and the news media, while serving simultaneously as an effective spokesperson, advocate, operating leader and fundraiser;
- Possessed of outstanding written and verbal communications skills, with strong interpersonal skills and ability to communicate the organization’s mission to diverse audiences;
- A person of unquestioned integrity whose values, ideals and actions mirror those of VISIONS, who is committed to a culture of organizational transparency and is, above all, a passionate believer in the mission and the potential of VISIONS.
COMPENSATION
The range of total base plus variable compensation amounts to $250,000 – $350,000 annually.
For more information please contact:
Oscar Quiros
(415) 762-2643 or oscarq@moppenheim.com
Mark Oppenheim
(415) 762-2640 or marko@moppenheim.com
m/Oppenheim Executive Search
558 Presidio Boulevard, Box 29625,
San Francisco, CA 94129-0625