Vice President of Strategic Initiatives

For more than a century, the United Way of Greater Rochester and the Finger Lakes (“UWROCFLX” or “the agency”) has been “on a mission to mobilize the goodwill and resources of our community so that everyone can thrive” (https://unitedwayrocflx.org/about-us/).  The agency plays a central role in strengthening the nonprofit ecosystem and improving quality of life across the region. Following a multi-county merger in 2021 and the continued expansion of innovative, community-based initiatives, UWROCFLX has emerged as one of the most robust and forward-looking United Ways in the country. With seventy employees and approximately $32 million in annual revenue, the organization combines scale, agility, and deep local credibility.

Serving Genesee, Livingston, Monroe, Ontario, Wayne, and Wyoming counties—more than 5,100 square miles—UWROCFLX bridges urban, suburban, and rural communities. This regional footprint enables the organization to mobilize thousands of donors and more than eight hundred workplaces, while maintaining close relationships with local nonprofits and community leaders. In doing so, UWROCFLX exemplifies the modern United Way model: aligning resources across sectors, focusing on outcomes rather than institutions, and ensuring access to critical supports regardless of geography.  The organization has made the strategic decision to concentrate efforts across four main impact areas: Youth Opportunity, Financial Security, Healthy Communities and Community Resiliency.  https://unitedwayrocflx.org/what-we-do

The agency is also widely recognized for its rapid response capacity and ability to convene partners during moments of urgency. During the COVID-19 pandemic, UWROCFLX coordinated volunteers, emergency funding, and shared services to stabilize nonprofits and address immediate community needs. More recently, in April 2026, it launched a $1.7 million Community Responsiveness Fund to help nonprofits navigate federal policy changes, funding disruptions, and surging demand for services.

Beyond crisis response, UWROCFLX advances long-term, systems-level change through United Way hosted initiatives such as the Dolly Parton Imagination Library and the Leadership Development Academy and serves as the fiduciary agent and strategic partner for the Rochester-Monroe Anti-Poverty Initiative. Together, these efforts reflect United Way’s evolution from a primarily fundraising intermediary to a strategic community impact organization that convenes partners, leverages data, influences policy, and drives measurable, equitable outcomes.

THE OPPORTUNITY

The nonprofit and philanthropic landscape has changed dramatically since the United Way model was first conceived decades ago. Individual nonprofits now have far greater fundraising capacity through professionalized development teams, digital platforms, and direct-to-donor campaigns. At the same time, shifts in workplace culture have weakened traditional workplace giving models. With a 2026 $17 million-dollar fundraising goal, UWROCFLX continues to be the leading mobilizer of resources in our community,  connecting 30,000 donors to over 1,000 nonprofits annually.  Despite this formidable annual effort, the demand for community services continues to grow and  systemic challenges have become more complex.

In response, UWROCFLX leadership is doubling down on the organization’s historic strengths: serving as a neutral convener, regional strategist, and systems-change leader. To advance this work, UWROCFLX is establishing the role of Vice President of Strategic Initiatives (VPSI).  The newly established VPSI will be responsible for:

1. Managing and maximizing community impact from programs and initiatives hosted by the United Way.  UWROCFLX is home to several programs and initiatives with tremendous opportunity for growth.  The successful candidate will identify sources of funding to increase the scope and reach of several programs under management by supporting the United Way project/program leader and will work to identify new efforts and opportunities to further enhance impact.  Three current examples of programs with amazing potential include:

Dolly Parton Imagination Library

Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library program sends free books monthly to children from birth to age 5.  As the Monroe County affiliate currently servicing the City of Rochester, UWROCFLX is responsible for enrolling families, raising funds to pay for the bulk purchase of books, and

managing mailing operations.  The data-informed value of this program to the community is undeniable – children served are better equipped to learn when starting kindergarten.  The successful candidate will introduce this program to potential funding partners and donors, dramatically expanding the program’s footprint and improving the learning potential of children..

ROC Family Teleconnects

This program is a collaborative maternal health initiative offered to families in Monroe County to assist parents and their newborn babies.  The model provides virtual visits from a nurse, a behavioral specialist, and a community health worker to positively influence infant development and provide guidance to mothers on feeding, lactation, sleeping, maternal depression/anxiety and links to additional community resources. The agency’s role is securing funding and supporting the collaborative work of University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester Regional Health, and Anthony Jordan.  The vision is universal home visitation for all new parents in Monroe County.

Leadership Development Academy

For over four decades, UWROCFLX has provided signature leadership development programs, empowering individuals to become impactful leaders who drive positive change in the community.  The successful candidate will support the continued growth of these programs supporting the Manager of Leadership Academy’s vision for new strategies and sources of funding to connect program graduates to the businesses and community organizations that will benefit the most from their newly developed skills.

1. Taking the lead for UWROCFLX to explore the viability of new ideas/initiatives, however sourced, that aren’t supported/housed elsewhere in the community.  The successful candidate will work within the four impact areas to identify opportunities to strengthen impact through projects, initiatives, and collaborative work.  This work may include identifying roadblocks that nonprofit and government leaders acknowledge as persistent problems, but no one leader or organization has the time to tackle.  This work may also include facilitating a group of organizations to seek collective funding support as a collaborative to address an identified issue or need.  The VPSI will develop data-supported strategies to eliminate roadblocks, advocate for policy change, identify and pursue funding sources, and team with community-based organizations to launch funded, high-impact initiatives.

Working in close partnership with the Vice President of Impact on the agency’s four identified impact areas, the VPSI will focus on translating new strategies into coordinated action. The  VPSI will drive strategy, partnerships, grants received, and influence policy change while the VP of Impact will continue to manage grantmaking (grants paid to nonprofits) execution, outcomes measurement, and budget management.

The VPSI won’t be successful without partnering with the many high-quality community organizations, conveners and funders in the region who are focused on resolving systemic challenges.  The successful candidate will deftly identify how to leverage existing and newly imagined resources to improve community outcomes. With humble persistence, the VPSI will soon be recognized as a thought partner who shares a common goal to eliminate systemic barriers.

To support this work, three positions will initially report to the VPSI.  Additional staff will be added when needed and funded to support new or growing initiatives.   The VPSI is a member of the Executive Leadership Team and will report directly to the President and CEO of the agency.

IS THIS THE RIGHT CAREER MOVE FOR YOU?

If you are fatigued with being on the sidelines of doing work that makes a meaningful difference, this opportunity commands your attention.  This role offers a rare opportunity to move beyond incremental solutions and drive change at scale. As a senior member of the Executive Leadership Team, the VPSI will shape and lead regional strategies that address root causes, not symptoms, of persistent community challenges. You will highlight emerging issues in the community, work with partners to assess need, pilot new solutions, strategize and pursue grant support, and liaise with the data team to evaluate and report impact to the community.  The role combines coalition-building, program design and implementation,  policy strategy, and resource development, positioning UWROCFLX as a catalyst for collective action. 

In addition to the description above, the successful candidate will bring: 

• Senior leadership experience in community impact or systems-change work
• A strong interest in, and track record for securing government and philanthropic funding
• A track record of leading through influence rather than authority
• Experience convening and aligning diverse stakeholders around a common goal.
• Policy advocacy or systems-level change experience
• Examples of converting complexity to simplicity by leveraging proven project management skills
• Examples of cultural competence in prior work assignments.
• Experience synthesizing large amounts of information and data from a variety of sources into common themes and actionable, easy-to-understand goals.

Within the first year, the successful candidate will execute the following goals: 

• Support, assess and refine current United Way led programs and initiatives in partnership with Project Leader, including required funding and staffing support, to increase the impact of United Way hosted programs and initiatives.
• Develop a process for identifying, filtering, prioritizing and selecting initiatives and programs to pursue at UWROCFLX.
• Pursue government and corporate funding support for targeted programs and initiatives under management.
• Build relationships with established community-based organizations and conveners to identify common roadblocks that impede the effectiveness of those organizations.
• Research and identify workable “best in class” practices from organizations who have a track record of success in executing similar goals, including those in the United Way network.
• Identify local, regional, and statewide government champions of relevant work and any sources of funding that may be within their sphere of influence.
• Identify the best sources of reliable community data to establish a baseline for the aforementioned selected initiatives. Identify and execute a plan to resolve any gaps in available data.
• Develop a communication plan to report progress to community partners and the community at large on selected initiatives.

Please send your resume and cover letter to:

Deb Rosen, Vice President of Retained Search, at debrosen@clarityracm.com

Please also feel free to be in touch via email with any questions.