Vice President, Marketing and Communications
About California Community Foundation (CCF)
The California Community Foundation is one of the largest and most influential philanthropic institutions in the Greater Los Angeles region. We connect donor generosity with community wisdom to create lasting, equitable change — mobilizing resources, building civic infrastructure, and amplifying the voices of the communities most impacted by systemic inequity. CCF's 2025-2035 Strategic Framework centers transformational philanthropy, and every function of the organization — including marketing, communications, and storytelling — plays a direct role in advancing that mission. Learn more about CCF at www.calfund.org.
The Opportunity
Reporting to the Chief Philanthropy Officer and working closely with the President/CEO and senior leadership, the Vice President of Marketing and Communications will serve as CCF's most senior brand and narrative leader and Chief Storyteller. At a pivotal moment for one of Los Angeles' most important civic institutions, this leader will elevate how CCF tells its story, communicate its impact, and engage donors, community partners, civic leaders, media, and the broader public.
Build on a strong foundation of community impact and storytelling, bringing greater clarity, cohesion, strategy, and brand discipline to ensure CCF's communications consistently reflect its mission, values, philanthropic leadership, and distinctive role in the region.
Lead a multidisciplinary team across earned media, brand and digital marketing, and storytelling, developing and executing integrated strategies that amplify CCF's mission, sharpen its value proposition, strengthen brand continuity, and deepen engagement across diverse constituencies.
Hold enterprise-wide responsibility for institutional voice, messaging, and brand strategy, setting the standard for how CCF communicates across channels, audiences, and high-profile moments.
Lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing team of directors and officers spanning earned media, storytelling, brand, digital, and content operations — investing in individual growth, fostering a collaborative culture, and building clear succession pathways within the department.
Own the department's budget, vendor relationships, and operational infrastructure.
Develop scalable systems (templates, style guides, review workflows) that allow other departments to draft strong first versions of their own communications while preserving centralized quality control and institutional consistency.
Ensure executive and Board-facing communications — regardless of which department originates them — reflect a single, coherent institutional voice consistent with CCF's strategic framework and brand standards.
Key Responsibilities
Serve as the primary communications advisor and thought partner to the President/CEO, providing direct support on speeches, public remarks, op-eds, and high-visibility messaging that shapes CCF's civic and philanthropic standing.
Extend executive communications support beyond the Office of Philanthropy — partnering with the Chief of Staff, Chief Impact Officer, Chief People Officer, CFO, and other senior leaders to ensure consistent voice, framing, and quality across all CEO- and SLT-facing communications, regardless of originating department.
Act as a foundation-wide resource on communications strategy, counseling senior leaders across divisions on positioning, audience, and messaging risk for their respective initiatives, launches, and public-facing moments.
Build and maintain trusted working relationships with fellow members of the Senior Leadership Team, establishing the VP as the go-to partner for communications counsel on cross-departmental initiatives, Board matters, and organization-wide announcements.
Ensure executive and Board-facing communications — regardless of which department originates them — reflect a single, coherent institutional voice consistent with CCF's strategic framework and brand standards.
Design and lead the department's integrated communications, marketing, and storytelling strategy, aligned with CCF's 2025-2035 Strategic Framework and organizational priorities across all divisions.
Represent CCF with media, donor audiences, and civic partners with credibility and fluency.
Lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing team of directors and officers spanning earned media, storytelling, brand, digital, and content operations — investing in individual growth, fostering a collaborative culture, and building clear succession pathways within the department.
Oversee the management of contracted support — including photographers, Spanish-language translators, and specialized consultants — as embedded partners within the department.
Own the department's budget, vendor relationships, and operational infrastructure.
Hold enterprise-wide decision rights over institutional voice, messaging, and communications standards — ensuring consistency, quality, and mission alignment across all CCF divisions, not just the Office of Philanthropy.
Serve as a close and trusted strategic partner to the President/CEO — advising on positioning, narrative framing, and communications approach in high-stakes civic, donor, and reputational moments.
Develop and steward CCF's brand identity — ensuring consistent, mission-aligned messaging across all external touchpoints, channels, and audiences.
Craft compelling and concise institutional messaging that reflects CCF's commitment to advancing systemic change and the advancement of all Angelenos.
Lead executive communications, including speeches, op-eds, and thought leadership content for the CEO and senior leadership.
Oversee the development and execution of keynote addresses, remarks, talking points, and Board communications for the CEO, CPO, and senior leadership across donor convenings, community events, Board presentations, and public platforms — ensuring every high-profile moment is strategically positioned and flawlessly executed.
Direct and assign all institutional writing — including speeches, op-eds, executive correspondence, Board communications, newsletter content, and campaign materials — ensuring consistent voice, tone, and strategic alignment across authors.
Own reputation management strategy — anticipating reputational risks, navigating politically and civically sensitive dynamics, and serving as the senior decision-maker in crisis communications and rapidly evolving situations.
Develop and maintain a master content and editorial calendar that coordinates keynotes, publications, campaigns, and internal communications across all channels and organizational moments.
Manage a writing roster of staff and contracted writers, providing editorial direction, feedback, and quality control to ensure all outputs meet CCF's standards for clarity, impact, and mission alignment.
Establish and uphold editorial standards, style guidelines, and approval workflows that govern all written outputs across the Office of Philanthropy and institutional communications.
Champion storytelling as the connective tissue across philanthropy, impact, and marketing — ensuring that grantee and community narratives fuel earned media, donor communications, and public understanding of CCF's work.
Work collaboratively across CCF's departments, including the Impact Team and Office of Philanthropy, to surface and amplify stories that celebrate grantees and illustrate the Foundation's regional impact.
Lead internal communications strategy, serving as the connective tissue between the Office of Philanthropy, the Impact Team, and the broader organization — translating departmental priorities and institutional developments into clear, timely staff-facing communications.
Ensure storytelling reflects the full diversity of Los Angeles communities, with particular attention to communities experiencing systemic inequity, including immigrant families and other historically underserved populations.
Design and execute marketing strategies that engage current and prospective donors, clearly articulate CCF's value proposition, and directly support fundraising goals — with a clear line of accountability to donor cultivation, stewardship, and conversion outcomes.
Drive brand visibility and digital growth through effective audience targeting, social media strategy, content campaigns, and channel optimization.
Advance visibility opportunities for CCF leadership, Board members, and the donor community — including thought leadership placement, events, and earned media.
Partner closely with Philanthropic Impact Advisors and the CPO to ensure communications strategies support donor cultivation, stewardship, and conversion.
Cultivate and maintain relationships with journalists, editors, and media outlets across the Greater Los Angeles region and relevant national platforms. Lead proactive earned media strategy including press releases, rapid response, media pitching, and editorial placement.
Maximize all external engagement opportunities — ensuring CCF is visible, credible, and proactively shaping public understanding of its work and civic role.
Monitor market trends, audience feedback, and the media landscape to inform strategic decision-making and adapt positioning as needed.
First Year Priorities (Months 1-12)
Conduct a comprehensive communications audit, assessing brand presence, media relationships, content performance, and digital metrics across all channels.
Build trusted relationships with the President/CEO, CPO, Board leadership, and key cross-functional partners; establish clear communications protocols and decision-rights frameworks.
Assess team structure, capabilities, and culture; identify immediate capacity or talent gaps and develop a plan to address them.
Develop and begin executing an integrated communications and brand strategy aligned to CCF's 2025-2035 Strategic Framework, with clear audience segmentation and channel strategies.
Strengthen and activate CCF's media relationships, securing meaningful earned media placements that advance CCF's visibility and mission narrative in Los Angeles and beyond.
Establish or refresh editorial standards, approval workflows, and a master content calendar that coordinates across all channels and institutional moments.
Deliver a cohesive and compelling donor engagement communications strategy, visibly contributing to fundraising and cultivation outcomes.
Maximize all external engagement opportunities — ensuring CCF is visible, credible, and proactively shaping public understanding of its work and civic role.