ABOUT UNITED WAY BAY AREA

United Way Bay Area (UWBA) mobilizes the Bay Area to dismantle the root causes of poverty and build equitable pathways to prosperity. UWBA brings together partners from the nonprofit, business, and government sectors to address Bay Area poverty. We partner across sectors, develop solutions, capture the data we need, and use those insights to support public policy and create research-backed community initiatives. These initiatives include:

• Housing Justice: Improve access to stable, affordable housing and homelessness prevention.
• Employment & Career Opportunities: Build systems and pathways to career and employment opportunities.
• Financial Stability: Help families increase income and savings on their way to financial stability.
• Basic Needs: Ensure access to basic needs like food, housing, and legal services.

United Way Bay Area (UWBA) is leading a network of corporations, government agencies, nonprofits, and individuals to create lasting change for Bay Area residents and families. With a history that spans over 100 years and programs that tackle the issue of local poverty from every angle, UWBA is uniquely positioned to mobilize and motivate all sectors of the community toward the vision of ending the cycle of poverty.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Minimum 10 years of progressively responsible leadership experience in fundraising, donor engagement, communications, or nonprofit management.
• Demonstrated ability to lead diverse teams and large portfolios with complex revenue streams across regions or sectors.
• Strong fluency in development operations, donor pipeline strategy, segmentation, and performance analytics.
• Proven track record of implementing and scaling engagement strategies that deepen donor commitment and expand organizational reach.
• Excellent relationship-building skills with experience engaging major donors, foundations, corporate leaders, and public stakeholders.
• Deep understanding of equity-informed, community-centered fundraising and storytelling practices.
• Experience managing growth, change, and cross-departmental collaboration in complex or evolving nonprofit organizations.
• Expertise in Salesforce or comparable CRM systems preferred.

ABOUT THE ROLE

The Chief Philanthropy Officer (CPO) serves as a key member of UWBA’s Executive Team and leads the Organization’s Philanthropy & Engagement—integrating fundraising, donor engagement, marketing and communications, and development operations into a cohesive, high-impact function.
This role is ideal for a seasoned executive who thrives on stewarding and optimizing existing strategies, rather than building from scratch. The CPO will advance a strong infrastructure, bring rigor to execution, and deliver on strategic revenue and engagement goals. In close partnership with internal teams and external stakeholders, the CPO ensures that UWBA’s philanthropic work is values-aligned, community-rooted, and positioned for long-term growth.
The ideal candidate brings a disciplined leadership style, a commitment to equity, and the ability to foster meaningful relationships that span diverse donors, geographies, and sectors across the Bay Area.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Strategic Leadership & Organizational Alignment

• Serve as a core member of the Executive Team, aligning development strategy with organizational goals, impact priorities, and cultural values.
• Translate organizational vision into clear operational objectives across fundraising, marketing, donor engagement, and communications functions.
• Partner with the CEO, Board, and senior leadership to support enterprise-wide initiatives and increase cross-functional integration.
• Maintain strategic discipline while continuously identifying opportunities to adapt, evolve, and optimize how UWBA connects mission with investment.

Revenue Leadership & Growth

• Oversee a diverse fundraising portfolio with responsibility for meeting and exceeding multi-million-dollar annual revenue goals.
• Lead high-performing teams across major gifts, workplace giving, corporate and foundation relations, planned giving, and donor engagement.
• Strengthen existing funding channels while exploring new, mission-aligned opportunities for revenue expansion.
• Drive donor pipeline development, portfolio diversification, and data-informed decision-making to maximize both short-term yield and long-term sustainability.

Donor Engagement, Marketing & Brand Stewardship

• Implement a year-round donor engagement model that builds lasting relationships and increases donor retention and lifetime value.
• Provide strategic oversight of all external messaging and brand assets—including digital marketing, earned media, advertising, content creation, and storytelling.
• Lead a unified brand strategy that is bold, equity-forward, and designed to build visibility, deepen public trust, and inspire action across diverse audiences.
• Ensure alignment between fundraising efforts and a mission-centered communications strategy that enhances UWBA’s visibility and voice.
• Oversee the development of messaging and storytelling that inspire action, reflect community voice, and deepen public trust.
• Serve as a primary spokesperson and media representative alongside the CEO, where appropriate.
• Represent UWBA as a lead spokesperson in the philanthropic community, at key events, and with media—alongside the CEO and other leaders.

Regional Partnership Development

• Cultivate deep relationships with donors and stakeholders across UWBA’s diverse regional footprint, tailoring approaches to local context and priorities.
• Advance a community-informed approach to fundraising, ensuring responsiveness to the unique needs, assets, and identities of each county UWBA serves.
• Build and maintain collaborative partnerships with public, private, and nonprofit leaders that increase awareness, engagement, and shared investment.

Internal Collaboration & Program Alignment

• Partner with Program, Policy, and Finance teams to translate impact goals into compelling, fundable initiatives.
• Ensure alignment between community outcomes, funding strategies, and donor expectations, with a focus on transparency, accountability, and storytelling.
• Serve as a connector across departments to strengthen internal readiness, foster shared ownership of development goals, and improve organizational agility.

Operational Excellence & Team Leadership

• Oversee fundraising systems and operations—including CRM infrastructure (Salesforce), prospect research, data analysis, and performance tracking.
• Establish clear metrics and dashboards that drive accountability, monitor progress, and support real-time course correction.
• Lead a diverse team through inclusive, strengths-based management practices that promote growth, collaboration, and a shared sense of purpose.
• Foster a culture of learning, innovation, and high performance rooted in equity, trust, and continuous improvement.