Ballinger | Leafblad is pleased to conduct the search for Chief Executive Officer at Interfaith Action of Greater Saint Paul in St. Paul, Minnesota.
ORGANIZATIONAL OVERVIEW
Interfaith Action of Greater Saint Paul mobilizes diverse faith and spiritual communities to support individuals and families who are striving for stability and economic mobility.
Together with the interfaith community, Interfaith Action provides critically needed shelter for families, free legal assistance, and emergency services related to food and clothing. Interfaith Action also seeks systemic solutions to poverty through programs focused on high-impact volunteering, learning events that advance understanding of the causes of poverty, and opportunities that bring clergy into conversation with civic leaders.
Since its beginnings in the early 1900s, Interfaith Action (then known as St. Paul Council of Churches) has focused on building a stronger community. Over the years, the organization has grown to become an interdenominational force that responds effectively to the ever-changing needs of the community.
The name was changed to Interfaith Action of Greater Saint Paul in 2015 to reflect the organization’s interfaith membership, its emphasis on service and community impact, and its commitment to serving the greater Saint Paul metropolitan area.
Over the past eight years, the organization has grown significantly. The leadership team has worked together to:
Nearly triple the budget and grow a healthy reserve
Triple the breadth of services, with the Department of Indian Work (DIW) distributing three times as much food and Project Home sheltering nearly three times as many people
Significantly increase the depth of services with all programming now focused on economic mobility in addition to stability: o Project Home has added a Rapid Exit Team that helps families achieve success more quickly and durably
DIW has moved to spacious new headquarters and is adding an economic mobility hub to help break the cycle of generational poverty
Launch a program to engage volunteers in multiple community nonprofits focused on economic mobility
Design a program to bring clergy and civic leaders together regularly to discuss solution to challenging issues
Participate in Ramsey County’s restorative justice work
Co-lead a project with the Minnesota Commissioner of Public Safety and interfaith congregations on improving public safety
Develop and maintain a free legal clinic, offered twice each month in partnership with Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services, The Cardozo Society, and the St. Paul Black Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance
ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE
IFA’s current strategic plan focuses on ensuring long-term vitality of the organization through careful stewardship and sustainability planning.
Build financial sustainability through a strong focus on increased unrestricted gifts while maintaining other income sources; support this effort through performance and data tracking and through effective communications.
Be an employer of choice: offer a fantastic work culture that attracts and retains a diverse, excellent workforce, with intentional, ongoing staff development and succession planning.
Build a strong, diverse and engaged board; its membership should reflect the widest possible range of race, gender, spiritual traditions and professional expertise needed to improve the effectiveness of the organization.
Engage professional expertise to help evaluate progress toward our goals and share our growing knowledge with the field; engage professional evaluation and staff learning opportunities to increase effectiveness by drawing on promising practices in the field.
MISSION Mobilize diverse faith and spiritual communities to engage in work that supports our neighbors’ stability and economic mobility.
VISION Opportunity grows and poverty recedes when people of faith invest themselves in effective action.
VALUES
Equity. Faith compels us to remove barriers and to eliminate disparities in pursuit of justice.
Interfaith Relationships. Authentic relationships among people of different faiths weave a stronger fabric of community that increases our effectiveness.
Responsibility. We all share responsibility to take action informed by deep understanding of the daunting barriers faced by many community members.
Deep listening: We are informed by the wisdom, strength, and insights of our guests, participants, volunteers, community partners, faith and civic leaders, staff, and board.
Connection: We believe that we are all connected to and have obligations to each other.
IMPACT
The last few years have brought significant challenges to the community. Interfaith Action of Greater Saint Paul has met these challenges, expanding services, engaging more congregations, and improving outcomes for the individuals and families served.
Advance our neighbors’ stability and economic mobility.
Pair faith community volunteers with effective volunteer work (Interfaith Action programs and carefully vetted nonprofit partners).
Provide warm, supportive shelter to stabilize families experiencing homelessness, paired with rapid exit social work to support economic mobility.
Provide food and clothing to stabilize American Indian families, paired with key resources and culturally specific out-of-school time programming to support economic mobility.
Provide critical information about legal rights and financial strategies through community education and our free legal clinic.
Raise awareness among civic leaders, faith and spiritual leaders, and the philanthropic community about fruitful pathways to advance stability and economic mobility.
Engagement and Connection.
Engage and connect volunteers, clergy, congregations, and civic and philanthropic leaders to build a deep, enduring, and joyful commitment to this work.
Offer robust learning opportunities to advance understanding of systemic causes of and solutions to poverty.
Convene clergy and civic leaders to build understanding of equity and pathways to economic opportunity.
Provide thought leadership by developing, highlighting, and supporting innovative approaches to positive community change.
Stronger Faith and Spiritual Communities.
Support faith communities’ efforts to embrace equity and increase their social justice work.
Offer faith and spiritual communities accessible, meaningful opportunities to add vitality to their congregations and bring their faith to life through work that advances equity, stability, and economic mobility.
Increase the number of faith and spiritual communities and volunteers engaged in Interfaith Action’s work.
Provide communications resources to support faith and spiritual communities’ engagement.
INITIATIVES
Interfaith Action continues to find ways to build stability and economic mobility and to engage diverse faith communities in effective action.
Project Home of the Provincial House.
In March 2021, Interfaith Action joined with the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet and Ramsey County to relocate the family shelter to the Provincial House, the former home of the Sisters, in the Highland Park neighborhood of Saint Paul.
Project Home provides emergency shelter and rapid exit case management services for up to 100 people at a time. In this supportive environment, families have a safe place to live and assistance with finding employment and permanent, affordable housing.
In 2022, Project Home served 128 families, a total of 409 individuals, and provided more than 24,500 meals and 23,458 shelter bed night for families experiencing homelessness.
Department of Indian Work (DIW)
DIW serves 25,000 individuals a year and is the only culturally specific food shelf for American Indians in Ramsey County; a trauma-informed, student-centered afterschool and summer program for American Indian youth, a clothing closet; social service referrals and screenings for public benefits.
Health Services including diabetes prevention education, plus food demonstrations and community healthy food/diabetes consultation. DIW was chosen by the State of Minnesota to serve as the Covid Community Connector for the American Indian community, answering thousands of hotline calls, providing supplies and vaccination clinics, and more for 18 months.
American Indian Youth Enrichment is an after-school and summer program focused on Indigenous cultural wellness and educational activities. Youth learn from Indigenous leaders, gain awareness of their heritage and history, and receive culturally relevant educational support that has long-term impact. Through this work, American Indian youth gain a strong Indigenous identity, become advocates for their culture, and succeed in school.
Economic Mobility Hub. Design is underway for an economic mobility hub where the American Indian community will access multiple resources for housing, employment, food and clothing, youth enrichment, early childhood education, and more in one accessible location.
Opportunity Saint Paul (OSP)
OSP matches volunteers with nonprofit partners to provide tutoring, legal services, job coaching, mentoring and adult education. In 2022, volunteers provided almost 3,000 hours of service.
POSITION PROFILE
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER The Chief Executive Officer of Interfaith Action of Greater Saint Paul, is responsible for overall leadership and management, and assures the integration of the organization’s mission in its actions and policies.
MANAGEMENT RESPONSIBILITIES
The CEO reports to the Board Chair. Direct reports to the CEO are the Director of Development, Director of Project Home, Director of Department of Indian Work (DIW), Director of Finance and Administration, and Director of Opportunity St. Paul. A total of 16 full-time and 17 part-time dedicated employees work at Interfaith Action as well as 550 volunteers representing 100 houses of worship.
ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES
Strategic Development
Working with the Board, set a meaningful strategy and stretch goals and objectives.
Demonstrate a commitment to racial, ethnic, and religious diversity and inclusion.
Provide thought leadership where appropriate.
Track and report on progress.
Commitment to the Mission and Vision
Demonstrated passion for the mission of Interfaith Action.
Able to articulate and promote the mission with multiple audiences including staff, donors, volunteers, faith congregations, broader community.
Program Development, Planning, and Administration
Initiate and facilitate, with the Board and staff, effective long- and short-range program planning processes, which enable IA to fulfill its mission through vital, effective, and needed programs.
Initiate programs where there is a need that is compatible with the mission and objectives of Interfaith Action.
Oversee the operations of all programs. Work with the department directors to outline the scope of each program and to set annual goals and means for evaluation.
Fund Development/Advancement
Create the strategic direction and vision and lead an effective program of fundraising.
Develop and maintain relationships in the non-profit community with heads of foundations, other non-profits, major individual donors and potential donors, congregations.
Be seen as a thought leader in the non-profit/foundation world by being current on literature, and providing briefings for various foundation and non-profit groups.
Oversee the major gift, grants management, events, annual campaign.
Staff Leadership and Development
Oversee the work of the senior leadership team, and of all staff through direct reports.
Recruit, train, and retain strong individuals for senior leadership positions and oversee the recruitment and training of all staff.
Maintain clear, communication with staff to ensure that everyone understands Interfaith Action’s vision, mission and strategy
Maintain clear, fair, anti-racist and effective personnel policies/administration.
Coach, mentor and encourage continuing personal and professional growth and collaboration among staff. Ensure that succession planning is implemented for all key positions.
Maintain a positive organization culture that is inclusive, transparent and collaborative.
Financial Planning and Management
Oversee the work of staff who prepare the Annual Budget, maintain and control all expenditures, ensure proper record keeping, and authorize timely payments of bills and fulfillment of other contractual agreements.
Work with Finance and Administration Director, Executive committee and Finance committee to ensure thorough and timely understanding of financial status and issues.
Boards and Committees
Provide staff services and ensure the effective functioning of the Boards and all Committees, and represent the Council on community boards and committees that do work congruent with Interfaith Action’s strategic plan.
Maintain strong working relationships with Board members and effectively use Board members to further the organization’s mission.
Recruit Board members to ensure the Board reflects the diverse communities that Interfaith Action serves, and includes the skills and backgrounds needed for the organization.
Community Engagement and External Relations
Build and maintain positive relationships and with leaders and organizations in faith communities, elected officials, and the broader community.
Establish Interfaith Action as a respected thought leader, viewed as an important community partner.
Be a good partner with other organizations to get things done.
Prepare agendas, report, and participate in the Executive Committee and full Board meetings.
Public Relations and Collaborative Community Planning
Oversee the development and implementation of an effective program of communication, so that Interfaith Action’s various publics are kept well informed of activities/programs and are motivated to support and participate in Interfaith Action’s work.
Legal Compliance, Risk Management
Assure compliance with current legal and statutory requirements as well as with defined internal personnel and administrative policies.
Ensure all contracting is completed within appropriate guidelines.
DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS
The CEO will be committed to Interfaith Action’s mission with proven leadership, coaching and relationship management experience. Concrete demonstrable experience and other qualifications include:
Minimum of 10+ years of experience in progressively responsible leadership positions in developing and operationalizing strategies which advanced an organization to the next stage of growth.
A Bachelor’s degree or equivalent professional experience.
A high level of skill in coaching and managing staff and high-performance teams, setting objectives and building accountability and commitment and developing others to build capacity. Skilled in assessing and retaining talent.
Experience in building organizational cultures with a high level of employee engagement.
Expertise in guiding organizations through change.
Skills in working with a Board of Directors and other constituents with a high ability to cultivate relationships.
Strong connections and relationship building skills across private, public and corporate sectors.
A passionate communicator with well-developed interpersonal skills.
Ability to oversee and support multidisciplinary projects and build organizational collaboration.
Exhibits a high degree of ethical conduct, integrity, confidentiality, and professional behavior.
LEADERSHIP CHARACTERISTICS
Passion for the mission of IFA and the individuals served.
An inclusive, collaborative and enthusiastic leader.
Demonstrated experience and interest in social issues including affordable housing.
Committed to supporting a culture of staff growth and development.
Strong verbal and written communication skills.
COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS
The salary range for this position is $145,000-$165,000. Compensation includes participation in the comprehensive benefits plan.
TO APPLY Inquiries may be directed to Lars Leafblad: [email protected]
Applications will be accepted until August 4, 2023 or until the position has been filled, which may be earlier. There will be an immediate and ongoing review of candidates, so we encourage and appreciate early applications. All inquiries will remain confidential.
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