presents

Associate Vice President,

Marketing & Communications
The Saint Paul & Minnesota
Community Foundations

Ballinger | Leafblad is proud to present the following information on behalf of our

client, The Saint Paul & Minnesota Community Foundations, in its search foran
Associate Vice President, Marketing & Communications.
 presenting our client
The Saint Paul & Minnesota Community Foundations
ORGANIZATIONAL OVERVIEW
About Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundations
We believe in the best of Minnesota and the power of its communities. With roots in the East
Metro and partners across the state, we are Minnesota’s largest community foundation and
the partner of choice for thousands of donors, nonprofits, and community organizations. We
inspire generosity to make Minnesota better for all who call it home.

 We believe that our communities are only as strong as our most vulnerable.
 We believe there is no hierarchy in human value.
 We believe generosity inspires change.

Our highly-skilled team is known for stewardship and expertise, administering more than
2,000 charitable funds and managing $1.5 billion in assets. In just this past year, the
Foundations and our donors invested $100 million for community good.

We bring together donors, nonprofits, and community members to solve some of the biggest
problems facing Minnesota communities. Our partners are change agents, and together we
invest for good to make a lasting impact in our communities.

The staff of The Saint Paul & Minnesota Community Foundations are also proud to use their
expertise in supporting the work of F.R. Bigelow Foundation and Mardag Foundation – two
private family foundations.

spmcf.org ballingerleafblad.com
 presenting our client
The Saint Paul & Minnesota Community Foundations
ORGANIZATIONAL OVERVIEW
MISSION: The Saint Paul & Minnesota Community Foundations work to advance three
strategic goals: advance equity, strengthen healthy communities and broaden philanthropic
expression.

Advancing Equity
Council on Black Male Success – The Foundations have committed $1 million per year for
three years to support specific goals and opportunities related to housing stability,
education, economic opportunity and mental health and well-being for African American
youth and men ages 11-32.

East Metro Pulse – In partnership with Wilder Research, the Foundations commissioned
its first East Metro Pulse survey and report in 2016 asking a random sampling of Dakota,
Ramsey and Washington county residents about areas that impact their daily lives from
education to health. In 2017, the results were offered to policy makers, community
leaders and funders to bring the community voice into the work they are doing. The next
survey will be conducted in 2019.

Facing Race – The Facing Race

Awards honors individuals and
organizations working to eliminate
racism and its effects throughout
Minnesota. Nominations are
submitted by members of the
community and reviewed by a
panel of community volunteers
that also recommends finalists for
recognition.

Strengthening Community
Investing in Affordable Housing – In 2017, The Foundations began a partnership to address
the rapidly growing affordable housing challenge in the East Metro. The Foundations funded
CommonBond Communities and Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity with Program-Related
Investments (PRIs) of $1 million each.

spmcf.org ballingerleafblad.com
 presenting our client
The Saint Paul & Minnesota Community Foundations

Minnesota Super Bowl Legacy Fund – Hosted and supported by the Foundations, the
Minnesota Super Bowl Legacy Fund traveled
the state in 2017, giving out grants totaling
more that $3.5 million in 52 communities in the
52 weeks leading up to Super Bowl LII. The
grants focused on improving the health and
wellness of Minnesota’s children including
kitchens for healthy meals, playgrounds and
ballfields, community gardens and more.

Management Improvement Fund Statewide Expansion – The Foundations’ Management

Improvement Fund helps anchor nonprofits in stability through grants that strengthen their
internal operations. Grants ranged from less than $4,000 to more than $13,000 and helped
with strategic planning, financial assessment, capacity building and leadership and board
development.

Broadening Philanthropic Expression

El Fondo Boriqua Hurricane Relief – When Hurricane Maria hit the
Caribbean Islands in 2017, Minnesota’s Puerto Rican community and
the state came together around a donor advised fund of The Saint
Paul Foundation called El Fondo Boricua to raise funds for relief
efforts. More than $150,000 was raised for medical and social
services needs including a matching contribution from the
Foundations.

Muslim Community Endowment Fund – In 2017, the Foundations began a partnership with
the Muslim American Society of Minnesota and the Minnesota Education Trust to establish
the Muslim Community Endowment Fund. One of the fund’s goals is to broaden access to
philanthropy in the Muslim American community in Minnesota.

Donor Advised Funds – Donor advised fundholders at The Saint Paul & Minnesota
Community Foundations make positive change possible every day. In 2017, donors partnered
with over 2000 nonprofits to grant funds totaling $55.1 million into the community. Donor
advised fund grants went to organizations in 62 of Minnesota’s 87 counties.

spmcf.org ballingerleafblad.com
 presenting the position of
Associate Vice President, Marketing & Communications
OVERVIEW OF POSITION
The AVP of Marketing and Communications is on the community impact team, which is the
community knowledge hub of The Saint Paul & Minnesota Community Foundations.
Comprised of experts from wide-ranging disciplines, this team works closely with nonprofit
organizations and leaders across Minnesota to strengthen local communities. The team
manages grantmaking for select affiliates of The Saint Paul & Minnesota Community
Foundations, supports community endowments and their donors around the state, and
leads community initiatives. The AVP of Marketing & Communications’ key responsibility is
to develop and implement an organization-wide marketing communications plan, including
developing strong messaging, stories of impact and collateral. The AVP is responsible for
managing all communication channels including web, e-comm, social and traditional media,
etc.

The Associate Vice President of Marketing & Communication works in collaboration with
colleagues across the organization to fulfill two primary responsibilities:
 Ensure marketing & communication initiatives are strategic and successfully fulfilling
business needs of the organization
 Be a creative resource to executive leadership team exploring new programs and initiatives
ensuring engagement with new audiences, primarily a broader and younger demographic of
donors

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES
 Defining and implementing marketing and communications strategies, ensuring the
goals of the organization are met
 Motivating and leading the marketing & communications team members, ensuring a
positive collaborative environment, high performance and continuous improvement
 Monitoring and assessing the quality of service delivered by the marketing &
communications team, making necessary adjustments in roles, responsibilities, and
resources
 Ensuring strong internal and external communication strategies are defined and
implemented
 Managing the evolution of the brand family of The Saint Paul & Minnesota Community
Foundations
 Managing the Foundation’s communications channels – website, intranet, e-
communications, social media, etc.
 Managing the marketing and communications budget
 Partner with VP of Community Impact to build and implement a strategic plan for the
organization that ensures growth and alignment to vision

spmcf.org ballingerleafblad.com
 presenting the position of
Associate Vice President, Marketing & Communications

 Serving in a leadership role for process optimization and operational excellence work
within department and cross functionally
 Demonstrating core organizational values in performing all duties

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS
 Bachelor’s degree and eight to ten years of demonstrated success in a leadership,
communications, and/or marketing role.
 Proven experience leading a marketing/communications team and developing programs
to engage new audiences.
 Outstanding judgment, strategic thinking, and project management skills; highly skilled
at juggling multiple projects and priorities.
 History and desire to think in new ways and successfully implement projects from
beginning to end.
 Excellence in time management, organization and commitment to meeting and
exceeding standards of excellence set for department and organization.
 Advanced reasoning abilities and proven experience to effectively manage, empower
and enable staff toward continuous improvement.
 Knowledge of nonprofit sector and/or work of community foundations.
 Demonstrated success in designing and implementing strategic marketing and
communication plans using long-term goals and annual objectives as a framework.
 Effective interpersonal, listening, verbal/written communication and presentation skills.
 Proven ability to work effectively with business leaders, donors, community leaders and
organizations that are in a position to partner with and contribute to the advancement
of the Foundations is a must.
 Confidence and competence in learning and using existing and new technologies.
 Demonstrated ability to effectively and proactively interact, communicate, and
collaborate on multidisciplinary teams and with people from cultural backgrounds other
than your own.

Other Characteristics, Skills, and Abilities

 The work of the organization changes as it continuously seeks to have greater impact. All
team members must be flexible and able to adapt to short and long-term shifts in their
job duties.
 Must be able to travel for business activities such as meetings, classes, and workshops in
and out of the area.

spmcf.org ballingerleafblad.com
 presenting the position of
Associate Vice President, Marketing & Communications

COMPENSATION
The compensation package for this position is highly attractive and includes an executive
base salary and participation in the organization’s benefits plan.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
For additional information and to apply for the position, please contact:

Lars Leafblad, MBA Marcia Ballinger, PhD

Co-Founder/Principal Co-Founder/Principal
612-598-7547 651-341-4840
lars@ballingerleafblad.com marcia@ballingerleafblad.com

CIVIC SEARCH REIMAGINED

The Saint Paul & Minnesota Community Foundations is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer

spmcf.org ballingerleafblad.com