President
New York, NY or Washington, D.C.
Color of Change
Date Posted: 8/19/2025
A Compelling Opportunity
Color Of Change is the nation’s largest online racial justice organization. It is a powerful force for racial justice, driven by millions of members nationwide, and it is needed now more than ever. At this defining moment in America, Color Of Change seeks a visionary leader and President to steer the nation’s most influential digital organizing force for Black communities through transformative change, while deepening and accelerating its mission to advance racial justice and demand accountability from corporations and government.
Color Of Change stands as a respected and often feared voice across Corporate America, Hollywood, and Washington, backed by millions of members who are mobilized for action to respond effectively to injustice and challenge the narrative and rules that limit their freedoms. With unparalleled digital innovation capabilities, having pioneered peer-to-peer texting, email campaigns, and online organizing designed explicitly for Black communities, Color Of Change has a strong track record of winning real victories on democracy and economic justice issues. It leverages corporate pressure and narrative strategy, mobilizing its member base nationwide.
The next President of Color Of Change has the opportunity to lead one of the most influential racial justice organizations in America through a pivotal moment. This leader will help citizens make sense of their outrage by providing a place for them to be heard, counted, and visible, creating pathways for genuine action beyond statements and social media posts. Success requires a leader who can honor the organization’s innovative legacy while strengthening the infrastructure needed for long term sustainability and impact. The ideal candidate will combine visionary thinking with operational excellence, movement credibility with management skills, and the courage to challenge powerful interests with the wisdom to build lasting change.
The Mandate
The next President must serve as both a stabilizing force and a visionary leader during a critical inflection point for the organization, and during an unprecedented time in American history when civil rights are being systematically dismantled. With the organization in a time of transition, the incoming leader will strengthen internal cohesion through transparent communication and authentic relationship building.
This turbulent national moment also presents an unprecedented opportunity for transformational leadership within the broader movement landscape. The current political chaos has created a wide-open space for an organization with a clear vision and a bold strategy to emerge as a defining voice in racial justice organizing. The next President must possess the strategic foresight to capitalize on this, positioning the organization as the architect of innovative approaches that will shape the next generation of social justice organizing. The role demands a leader capable of institutional transformation, someone who can evolve the organization while maintaining its commitment to real change for real people. This President must balance operational excellence with movement leadership, building robust systems while maintaining the agility necessary to guide both the organization and the broader movement through unprecedented challenges toward lasting systemic change.
Key Responsibilities of the Next President are:
Strategic Vision & Movement Leadership
Develop and articulate Color Of Change’s unique value proposition within the broader social justice movement.
Design innovative campaign strategies that advance new ways of building power and engage grassroot communities.
Provide innovative leadership on economic and racial justice through strategic dialogue.
Build deliberate alliances with grassroots organizations, cultural institutions, movement partners, and other stakeholders. Identify opportunities for collaboration while avoiding mission overlap or competition.
Shape cultural narrative strategy around issues affecting Black communities that shift cultural conversations and challenge dominant narratives.
Organizational Management & Operations
Create a culture of excellence and build the infrastructure for long-term sustainability.
Oversee daily operations of a multi-million dollar organization, ensuring compliance with all legal and governance requirements.
Manage a unionized workforce with cultural sensitivity while building high performing teams.
Ensure financial sustainability through effective budget management, compliance, and strategic investment decisions.
Inspire, empower, and involve the team in helping shape strategy.
External Relations & Fundraising
Cultivate major donor relationships and secure institutional funding to support organizational growth.
Serve as primary public spokesperson for Color Of Change in media and movement spaces.
Build trust and maintain strong relationships with board members, staff, funders, and community partners.
Represent the organization at strategic convening and high-level meetings.
Program Strategy & Integration
Design and implement digital campaigns that leverage technology, build power and drive engagement.
Identify leverage points where targeted efforts can shift power and create systemic change.
Translate complex issues into accessible messaging that mobilizes Color Of Change’s member base.
Coordinate multi-pronged strategies that connect local campaigns to national objectives and connect online-to-offline organizing strategies.
Communications & Digital Leadership
Guide strategic communications and rapid response during crisis moments and breaking news.
Oversee digital strategy across existing social platforms while staying current with emerging technologies.
Engage authentically with Black communities and cultural dynamics to maintain organizational relevance.
The Candidate
The ideal candidate is a strategic, innovative, and courageous leader with a deep understanding of advocacy and organizing, as well as a great appreciation for the power of technology. They will have an uncompromising commitment to advancing racial justice and a deep understanding of the unique needs of Black communities.
Professional Experience will include:
Demonstrated ability to develop, iterate and lead innovative and cutting-edge campaign and organizational strategies that meet the moment and advance long-term power building.
Proven ability to rally and inspire others around a shared purpose and vision.
Proven track record of leading organizational change and strategic growth through effective planning and management.
Strong financial and people management skills with a proven track record of building strong, empowered and engaged teams.
Demonstrated ability to productively build and maintain strong stakeholder relationships with Board members, funders, allies and movement leaders.
Demonstrated experience in driving significant change in collaboration with others.
Expertise in mobilizing Black communities and allies, building effective coalitions, and clear understanding of how diverse social change actors and influencers work together to create systemic impact.
Experience working with or in a membership organization, and a vision for how to dynamically engage and mobilize members.
Demonstrated fundraising results and nuanced understanding of how to manage and steward key funder relationships, as well as the ability to tell and sell a compelling story.
Experience and fluency with digital and social media platforms as tools for advocacy, organizing, and movement building with demonstrated wins
Personal Assets will include:
Innovative and entrepreneurial spirit and orientation with deep capacity to listen, approach issues with curiosity, and a track record of collaborative problem-solving.
Courage and ferocity, with a willingness to challenge powerful interests in tactical ways that deliver results.
Resilience with the ability to effectively navigate conflict and maintain focus under pressure
Emotional intelligence and the ability to connect with a wide range of people.
Authenticity and an infectious commitment to learn, adapt, and grow.
Self-awareness with a clear understanding of personal strengths and areas for development.
Integrity with evidence of a consistent alignment between values and actions.
Energy and stamina for a demanding role with multiple constituencies.
The Organization
Color Of Change was founded in 2005 in response to Hurricane Katrina. It was established to use online resources to build Black political power, organizing Black communities online to build power offline. The organization leverages digital and on-the-ground organizing to educate and mobilize communities to take strategic action at critical moments on issues that matter. Color Of Change is unique in its ability to combine racial justice analysis with a clear-eyed view of corporate and political power. It is an impactful conduit between Black communities and halls of power.
Areas of focus include:
Justice System
Economic Justice
Big Tech
Media and Culture
Voter Freedom
While Color Of Change sponsors campaigns, it also empowers individuals to create petitions and offers training resources to help them mobilize grassroots support around locally important issues.
Color Of Change has an impressive list of victories:
Exposing and reining in discrimination on the Airbnb platform.
Taking on Facebook and winning policy changes across other major social media platforms.
Pressuring Target to make its COVID-19 pay increases permanent.
Exposing rampant racial discrimination in the federal Paycheck Protection Program.
Helping defeat anti-protest bills in Wisconsin.
Demanding justice for Black men and women unfairly targeted by police or right-wing actors.
Transforming the media landscape to create a more human, less hostile world for Black people.
Pressuring Saturday Night Live to hire Black women both in front of and behind the camera.
Color Of Change currently has a budget of $11 million, with a skilled and dedicated staff of approximately 30. It is supported by an impressive board of directors, comprised of accomplished leaders from across sectors, including some of our country’s most impactful and progressive organizations. These board members are committed to support the new leader in helping Color Of Change reach its next level of impact. It also benefits from strong funding relationships and a group of funders who are invested in a strong future for Color Of Change.
The organization has been intentional in strategically realigning its operational budget and staff size in response to the market retraction following peak investments during the COVID-19 pandemic and the murder of George Floyd. The Board and staff have also embarked upon a broader organizational transformation that includes culture change initiatives, strategic realignment processes, internal practice audits, and voluntary recognition of staff unionization efforts, all in alignment with the organization’s values.
The Compensation
This position offers a competitive salary and benefits package. The expected compensation for this position is $300,000 to $350,000.
The Location
The preferred location for the President is New York or Washington, D.C. but this is not a
requirement.
For potential consideration or to suggest a prospective candidate for the position, please email:
ColorOfChange@BoardWalkConsulting.com or call Crystal Stephens or Lysondra Somerville
at 404-BoardWalk (404-262-7392). For the status of this and other searches, please visit
