Chief Executive Office (CEO)

Potrero Group is honored to coordinate this search on behalf of Center for Volunteer & Nonprofit Leadership.

Center for Volunteer & Nonprofit Leadership (CVNL) seeks a Chief Executive Officer to provide overall strategic, operational, and external leadership for the organization and ensure its fiscal health and long‑term sustainability. Working in close partnership with the Board of Directors, the CEO will lead a talented team across CVNL's four‑county footprint, serving as both internal culture‑builder and the organization's primary external ambassador.

The ideal candidate is a servant leader whose confidence inspires trust, whose humility invites collaboration, and whose genuine investment in relationships builds lasting community. They bring proven executive experience, strong financial acumen, and a track record of growing and diversifying nonprofit revenue. An entrepreneurial mindset is essential as is a genuine passion for strengthening the social sector and the communities it serves.

The incoming CEO will be both steward and architect, honoring CVNL's strong foundation while modernizing service delivery, unifying a multi‑county organization around a shared identity, and positioning CVNL as the cutting‑edge regional leader in nonprofit capacity building.

The Chief Executive Officer provides visionary leadership and effective management for the premier regional hub serving the North Bay's social sector nonprofits in Marin, Napa, Solano, and Sonoma Counties. The CEO will position CVNL as a cutting‑edge leader in capacity building, promoting innovation and empowering communities to create lasting impact by providing resources, training, and opportunities that enhance their skills and effectiveness in driving positive social change. The incoming CEO will steward CVNL's 60‑year legacy while modernizing service delivery to meet evolving community needs.

Internally, the CEO will guide strategic direction, operational excellence, and fiscal stability while cultivating a high‑performing staff to carry out that vision. Working closely with the Board of Directors, the CEO will scale this complex $6M organization by deepening partnerships, streamlining programs and operations, diversifying revenue streams, and strengthening earned‑income models. Externally, the CEO will serve as CVNL's ambassador, building influential relationships with community leaders, foundations, and government partners to ensure the organization's long‑term impact and sustainability.

Strategic Vision & Leadership

• Forge and execute a bold strategy, building upon its success and pivoting the organization toward future‑ready growth.
• Make deliberate decisions on service lines to prioritize, streamline, or sunset, and communicate and implement them with transparency.
• Integrate CVNL's four‑county footprint into a meaningful regional narrative that unifies internal operations and elevates external positioning.
• Serve as a thought partner to the Board of Directors, fostering a relationship built on transparency, collaboration, and mutual accountability.

Philanthropy & Revenue

• Development Balance and grow a comprehensive, diversified revenue portfolio that includes fee‑for‑service, government contracts, and philanthropic gifts.
• Apply an entrepreneurial lens to nonprofit challenges to identify new revenue opportunities for CVNL's leadership services.
• Strategically leverage CVNL's current cash reserves and develop a sustainable long‑term financial strategy.
• Support fundraising efforts by cultivating strong relationships with key grantmakers and other potential funders, including foundations, corporate partners, and donors.

Institutional & Operational Excellence

• Streamline CVNL's organizational structure by aligning role clarity and programmatic strategy.
• Foster a collaborative, mission‑focused internal culture that prioritizes professional growth and inclusivity, and attracts and retains top talent.
• Empower senior staff to lead their respective departments with autonomy and accountability in support of a coordinated organizational strategy.
• Unify staff across counties and programs as a cohesive team with strong internal coordination and a shared sense of identity.
• Complete a technology integration initiative and guide the organization's transition to a unified platform.

External Relations & Regional Influence

• Establish a strong presence across Marin, Napa, Sonoma, and Solano Counties, building relationships with prominent community members, funders, and civic leaders in each region.
• Champion CVNL's value proposition, engaging the nonprofit community as a clear, credible, and compelling market‑facing leader.
• Act as a high‑level connector between nonprofit, business, and civic sectors to address regional systemic challenges.
• Serve as CVNL's lead representative in county level emergency management coordination with government agencies and community organizations to ensure seamless disaster response, volunteer mobilization, and resource deployment.

Start Date

June or July 2026

LINK TO APPLY

https://app.loxo.co/job/MTczNzItMHdneXJoZXY1cWppcmdjbQ==?t=1772407515096

Please include a resume and a cover letter describing your qualifications that match the position criteria and what you will bring to the role. Interested and qualified candidates should apply by March 29, 2026 for priority consideration. The position is open until filled.

For More Information

For additional information regarding this opportunity, please contact Jena Kuznik, Senior Consultant and Search Lead at Potrero Group, at jkuznik@potrerogroup.com.

Requirements

Desired Experience and Competencies

The ideal candidate is a servant leader whose confidence inspires trust, whose humility invites collaboration, and whose genuine investment in relationships builds lasting community. A strategic visionary, they bring clarity to complexity and approach organizational transitions with curiosity, innovation, and an opportunity‑oriented mindset.

Strategic Vision & Leadership

• Proven executive leadership and success managing a team, direct reports, and an organization of comparable complexity and scale.
• A track record of designing and implementing multi‑year strategies that yield measurable results in programmatic impact, organizational excellence, and fiscal sustainability.
• Collaborative partnership with a board to establish high‑level vision leading to measurable operational outcomes.

Institutional & Operational

• Excellence Leadership experience guiding and navigating organizational evolution and change management, bringing along internal and external constituents with empathy and clarity.
• Demonstrated experience fostering high‑performing teams and building high‑trust environments.
• Familiarity with HR functions, including recruitment and retention, performance reviews, and professional development.
• Familiarity with technology integration to ensure back‑office excellence matches front‑facing services.

Philanthropy & Revenue Development

• Strong financial acumen with experience in nonprofit financial management, budgeting, and fiscal oversight.
• Experience optimizing diverse organizational revenue streams, including fee‑for‑service, government contracts, grants, and donations, with a proven ability to identify and capitalize on innovative funding opportunities.
• Demonstrated ability to articulate a persuasive case for support to diverse funder audiences and community partners.

External Relations & Regional Influence

• An authentic and compelling communicator with experience serving as primary spokesperson to partners, government, business leaders, and diverse community constituents.
• Established ability to cultivate and nurture influential partnerships with private foundations and community leaders.
• Experience activating networks at scale, transforming community and volunteer relationships into a powerful base of advocates and ambassadors.
• Demonstrated composure and sound judgment under pressure, bringing an organized, resourceful approach to managing complex needs and competing priorities during times of community crisis such as natural disaster response.

Desired Attributes

• A strategic and visionary leader who acts as the architect of organizational direction.
• A servant leader who operates with high confidence while genuinely empowering others to excel.
• A natural collaborator and connector who brings communities together without losing sight of the big picture.
• An entrepreneurial mindset that sees both the business and the mission of nonprofit leadership and knows how to hold both in harmony.
• Experienced and comfortable navigating ambiguity, making adaptive decisions, and building trust through earned confidence over time.

Location

CVNL's primary offices are located in Santa Rosa and San Rafael, with additional offices in Napa and Fairfield. The CEO position requires significant in‑person leadership presence across CVNL's offices and service region to foster culture, collaboration, and community relationships.

Additional Requirements

• Availability for evening and weekend events.
• Frequent regional travel for programs and partner cultivation.
• Some statewide or national travel is expected for meetings and conferences.

Benefits

• Vacation: 12 days in year 1, 15 days in year 2, 20 days in year 5.
• Sick: 11 sick days per year.
• Holidays: 13 days total, 12 observed with 1 floating.
• Health Insurance with base plan 100% covered by employer.
• Vision and dental insurance.
• 403(b) retirement plans with 3.5% employer contribution after 12 months.
• Staff have regular opportunities to participate in professional development workshops and classes offered at CVNL.

Compensation

This is a full‑time, exempt, benefit‑eligible position. The anticipated annual salary range for this position is $200,000–$230,000, commensurate with experience. This takes into account the wide range of factors that are considered in making compensation decisions including but not limited to experience, skills, knowledge, abilities, education, licensure and certifications, analysis of internal equity, external market comparisons for similar positions in similar geographic locations and size.

Offers are determined based on final candidate qualifications and experience.

CVNL is an equal‑opportunity employer and makes employment decisions on the basis of qualifications. The agency policy prohibits unlawful discrimination in any employment decision based on pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, race, religious creed, color, national origin or ancestry, physical or mental disability, medical condition, marital status, age, sexual orientation or any other basis protected by federal, state or local law or ordinance or regulation.

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