Chief External Affairs Officer at Common Future

Job DescriptionAbout Common Future Overview Common Future works to close the racial wealth gap. Our current economic system does not work for everyone. Generations of Black and Indigenous communities and other communities of color have been and are currently intentionally locked out of wealth and power, holding us all back. Founded in 2001, Common Future is building a future where all people—no matter their race and class—have power, choice, and ownership over the economy. As a women-led, multiracial organization, our diverse team of strategists, community organizers, financial activists, and policy enthusiasts provides capital, operational support, and strategic partnership to budding solutions addressing racial and economic injustice. To advance racial and economic equity, Common Future incubates, co-creates, and funds field-defining initiatives and influences key sectors. We collaborate with leaders who have the imagination and courage to rethink our economy. We bring initiatives that model how to build wealth and power in excluded communities to life. Our culture values include centering equity, being the communities we serve, embracing experimentation, reimagining what’s broken, collectively solving problems, and modeling a new way of working. We strive to be an innovator that prioritizes the well-being of our employees. Read more about us at commonfuture.co. Purpose Common Future is seeking a Chief External Affairs Officer to serve as a senior executive leader responsible for building and sustaining the financial foundation and brand reputation that makes our mission possible. This is a pivotal role at a pivotal moment: as the landscape for equity-focused organizations grows increasingly complex and the need for durable, flexible funding becomes more urgent, Common Future needs a bold, relationship-driven leader who can match the ambition of our programmatic work with an equally ambitious funding and communications strategy. The Chief External Affairs Officer will own Common Future's revenue strategy across institutional philanthropy, individual donors, capital raising, and emerging revenue streams, developing a business model that supports both organizational sustainability and economic independence. Success in the role includes owning a $10M total annual fundraising goal, which includes $6 - 7M in operations and $3M in investment capital. The CEAO will hold a personal portfolio of funder and investor relationships, including high-net-worth and big-bet philanthropic prospects, and will be an active and visible presence in the field, traveling to conferences and convenings (20-25% time) to build new relationships and deepen existing ones. In addition, the Chief External Affairs Officer will steward Common Future's brand and strategic communications, including providing guidance to the team managing public relations and cross-platform media. This senior leader will remain attentive to the external environment and develop strategies to support the positioning of the Co-CEOs, our organizational impact, and our collective thought leadership. As a member of Common Future's Executive Leadership Team, the Chief External Affairs Officer will partner closely with the programmatic team leads on revenue strategy, ensuring that fundraising is tightly integrated with programmatic priorities, and will work in a matrixed fashion across the Impact Investments, Initiatives, and Finance teams. They will oversee Fund Development and Strategic Communications, and will set the tone for a culture of excellence, creativity, and deep relationship-building in service of an equitable economy. Position Responsibilities Revenue Strategy and Business Model (30%) Develop, own, and implement a comprehensive revenue strategy across institutional philanthropy, individual donors, high-net-worth giving, capital raising, and online/digital fundraising channels. In close partnership with the Co-CEOs, own a $10M total annual fundraising goal which includes $6 - 7M in operations and $3M in investment capital. Assess existing strategy and infrastructure quickly, identify what is working, and build forward without waiting for perfect conditions. Lead and steward Common Future's business model with a cross-organizational lens, identifying opportunities to diversify and strengthen revenue streams, increase unrestricted and flexible funding, and build long-term financial sustainability and economic independence. Partner with programmatic team leads and the CFOO to align fundraising strategy with programmatic priorities, ensuring that restricted and unrestricted funding opportunities are pursued in ways that serve organizational strategy and budgetary allocations. Collaborate across teams to align and integrate revenue strategies organization-wide, including: a) capital raising with Impact Investments and our affiliate organization, Community Credit Lab (CCL); b) restricted grant fundraising with our programs team; c) Finance; and d) digital fundraising. Track, analyze, and report fundraising performance to the Co-CEOs, Executive Leadership Team, and Board. Funder and Investor Relationship Management (20%) Generate, hold, and actively steward a personal portfolio of institutional funders, high-net-worth individuals, and capital investors, with a particular focus on big-bet and transformational giving opportunities. Travel to conferences, convenings, and in-person engagements at least 2 - 3 times per quarter to build and deepen funder and investor relationships and represent Common Future externally. Develop and lead cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship strategies for current and prospective funders across all giving levels, applying an equity lens to how capital is pursued, including prioritizing funders aligned with Common Future's values, challenging extractive funding dynamics, and modeling the kind of capital relationships the organization advocates for in the broader ecosystem. Identify and pursue new philanthropic