Executive Director

Executive Director Friends of the Children – San Diego

San Diego, California

The Moran Company is pleased to partner with Friends of the Children-San Diego to recruit the organization's first Executive Director. This is an exceptional opportunity for an entrepreneurial nonprofit leader to build a new chapter of a nationally proven professional youth mentorship model in San Diego. Friends of the Children–San Diego's first Executive Director will build the team, expand philanthropic investment, and become the leading ambassador in San Diego for the nation's most proven long-term, professional youth mentoring model.

Organizational Background

Friends of the Children is a nationally recognized nonprofit organization with a powerful mission to impact generational change by empowering youth who face the greatest obstacles through relationships with paid professional mentors—12+ years, no matter what. For more than three decades, the Friends of the Children model has produced measurable outcomes for children and families across the country. Friends of the Children's impact is evident - a longitudinal study by the Harvard Business School Association of Oregon confirmed that for every $1 invested in Friends of the Children, the community benefits over $7 in saved social costs.

Now, Friends of the Children is bringing its proven model to San Diego. Friends of the Children–San Diego is launching with extraordinary momentum. Rather than building from scratch, the organization's first Executive Director will inherit a remarkable opportunity to accelerate an already well-established vision. Over the past 18 months, Friends of the Children National and local community leaders have worked together to establish a strong foundation for the organization's long-term success.

Multi-year seed capital has already been secured, relationships have been cultivated with philanthropic, civic, and nonprofit leaders throughout the region, and the model has been enthusiastically welcomed into collaborative efforts, such as the United 4 Youth Collaborative. Friends of the Children–San Diego will intentionally enroll children ages 4 to 6 and their caregivers who face the greatest challenges to long-term stability and well-being, with an initial focus on former foster youth who are parenting and families most at risk of child welfare involvement.

The chapter will launch as an independent 501(c)(3) supported by Friends of the Children National, benefiting from a nationally proven operating model, extensive leadership resources, and a network of successful Executive Directors across the country.

Friends of the Children–San Diego seeks a highly relational, entrepreneurial, and community-centered Executive Director to lead the successful launch and growth of this new chapter. The organization's first Executive Director will play a defining role in establishing Friends of the Children–San Diego as one of the region's most trusted and influential organizations serving children and families—hiring the founding staff team, building trusted relationships across San Diego County, expanding philanthropic investment, and working with the founding Board of Directors and the Friends of the Children National team to successfully launch the chapter.

This is a rare opportunity to build an organization from the ground up while benefiting from the support, resources, and proven model of a nationally recognized network. Reporting to the Board of Directors and working in close partnership with Friends of the Children National, the Executive Director serves as the organization's chief executive, chief fundraiser, strategic leader, and primary ambassador.

The Executive Director's primary responsibility will be serving as the organization's fundraising leader and champion throughout the community. The successful candidate will be energized by building authentic relationships, inspiring philanthropic investment, and expanding awareness of Friends of the Children across San Diego County. The Executive Director will provide strategic oversight and ensure excellence and fidelity to the Friends of the Children model while empowering program…