About Elevate Cites
Consider this: Cities like Miami have Art Weeks, Music Weeks, Food Festivals—even Swim Weeks—but where is the celebration of Giving Back? That’s the gap Elevate Cities fills.
We’re modernizing philanthropy, gamifying generosity, and spotlighting the social impact leaders who are shaping our world for the better. These changemakers—the most inspirational people on the planet—deserve to be seen, celebrated, and supported. Imagine a world where following and championing a social hero is as common as cheering for a favorite sports team or streaming, or admiring an actor or top musical artist. That’s the future Elevate Cities envisions!
At the Elevate Prize Foundation, we believe in the transformative power of doing good. Through Elevate Cities, we’re taking this belief to the next level, the local level – igniting meaningful change in communities worldwide by celebrating the unsung heroes who inspire, connect, and lead the charge for social impact in their own backyards.
Elevate Cities isn’t just about recognition—it’s about revolutionizing how communities rally around doing good. By nurturing networks of changemakers, providing them with tools and resources, and fostering collaborations across sectors, we’re helping cities to inspire their citizens… and thrive. With so many foundations, philanthropists, and organizations eager to support, this is an unparalleled opportunity to create a movement that celebrates Giving Back in bold, dynamic, and innovative ways.
In a world often defined by division and complexity, the universal truth of doing good offers a pathway to unity and hope. Elevate Cities, incubated within the Elevate Prize Foundation, brings this truth to life by empowering local leaders with the guidance, resources, and platforms to amplify their impact. From Elevate Miami to Elevate London, we’re building a global network of locally rooted hubs—interconnected communities of changemakers who embody the power of collaboration and the potential of collective action.
This is more than an initiative; it’s a movement. Elevate Cities represents an incredible opportunity to redefine what it means to give back, to inspire action, and to transform lives. For the right leader—a visionary entrepreneur ready to seize this moment—this is the chance to shape the future of social impact on a global scale. Together, we can elevate cities, elevate communities, and elevate the world.
Founded by Joseph Deitch in 2019, the Elevate Prize Foundation is a global nonprofit on a mission to Make Good Famous. To ensure lasting impact, the organization is committed to bringing visibility to the work of changemakers, creating a fanbase for good, and inspiring action on an international scale.
Learn more about Elevate Cities and the Elevate Prize Foundation at https://elevateprize.org/.
The Opportunity
We are seeking an entrepreneurial and passionate individual to be the inaugural leader of Elevate Cities. In partnership with founder Joseph Deitch and the Elevate Prize Foundation team, the CEO will build Elevate Cities and breathe life into the blueprint of this innovative idea. They will establish and expand the initiative and draw inspiration and best practices from other successful multi-city initiatives. This position reports directly to Joseph Deitch and will work closely with the Elevate Prize Foundation team.
Responsibilities Include:
Strategic Vision:
Drive the development, articulation, and implementation of a comprehensive strategic vision for Elevate Cities, ensuring alignment with the Elevate Prize Foundation's overarching vision, mission, and goals.
Devise a scalable model for global expansion that incorporates feedback, lessons learned, and innovative approaches.
Partnership Development:
Cultivate and maintain strategic partnerships with a diverse range of stakeholders, including local and global organizations, government entities, funders, celebrities, commercial sponsors, and influencers.
Leverage relationships to amplify the impact and reach of Elevate Cities, securing commitments for long-term success.
Community Engagement:
Foster a vibrant sense of community and collaboration among participants, partners, and stakeholders.
Implement strategies to ensure long-term community engagement and relationships beyond individual events, creating a network of advocates for social impact and driving coalitions within cities.
Candidate Profile
The ideal candidate will have the following professional and personal qualities, skills, and characteristics:
Entrepreneurial/Growth Mindset
The CEO will bring a track record of growing innovative ideas to scale and will relish the opportunity to help grow a high impact organization that will be under a spotlight. With tremendous drive and a “roll up your sleeves” approach, they will understand how to move quickly, identifying and seizing opportunities as they arise, and seeking input and counsel from a wide range of experts and stakeholders along the way. The CEO will be an innovative thinker and adaptable in a fast-paced environment.
Strategy & Program Management
The ideal candidate will excel at turning ideas into reality, overseeing the strategy, refinement, and execution of large scale programs, events, or initiatives. With a strong attention to detail, they have a keen ability to translate vision into actionable plans. They will engage with others to test ideas and find opportunities for continuous program and process improvement and making course corrections as needed.
Strong Thought Partner
The CEO will be a strong thought partner to Joe Deitch and a range of other stakeholders in the process of ideation, implementation, testing, and improvement in order to implement Elevate Cities. They will have experience with and enjoy the process of taking an idea, building it out, getting input, and iterating in a highly collaborative manner. They will have a shared commitment to the Elevate Prize Foundation’s values of Radical Diversity, Human Safety & Freedom, Democratizing Philanthropy, Creativity & Resilience, and Global Collaboration.
Exceptional Interpersonal and Communications Skills
The CEO must be a senior, inspirational leader who can serve as a public spokesperson for Elevate Cities. They will bring outstanding written and oral communication and presentation skills to effectively articulate and convey Elevate Cities’ mission and its potential impact to a range of key external partners and others to inspire action and participation. They will be skilled at building strong brand awareness through inspirational marketing and storytelling.
Leading Through Influence and Strategic Collaboration
Strong candidates will inspire trust, confidence, shared purpose and commitment with a range of stakeholders. With demonstrated experience cultivating and managing partnerships at local, national, and global levels, the CEO will be comfortable establishing strategic partnerships and collaboration to enhance impact and ensure long-term growth and sustainability for Elevate Cities. The CEO must have the ability to engage multiple, interdisciplinary voices to share expertise and make effective connections among local governments, policymakers, and practitioners to identify, evaluate, and fund Elevate Cities’ vision and the impact it can make on local communities and the world. The CEO will have a track record of data-driven decision-making and strong analytical skills.
Experience in program development, event planning, campaign development, resource development, and project management, with a proven track record in successfully leading large-scale initiatives is highly desirable. Strong understanding of philanthropy, social impact, and community engagement is also a plus. Compensation & Benefits
Salary is competitive and commensurate with experience. The salary range for this role is $300,000 – $375,000 with a generous benefits package.
Contact
Koya Partners has been exclusively retained for this engagement, which is being led by Alex Corvin and Maleka Pensky. Express interest in this role by filling out our Talent Profile or emailing the search team directly at [email protected]. All inquiries and discussions are strictly confidential.
Koya Partners l Diversified Search Group is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals living with disabilities. If you are a qualified individual living with a disability and need assistance expressing interest online, please email [email protected]. If you are selected for an interview, you will receive additional information regarding how to request an accommodation for the interview process.
The Elevate Prize Foundation is an equal opportunity employer and strongly encourages applications from people of color, persons with disabilities, women, and LGBTQ+ applicants.
About Koya Partners l Diversified Search Group
Koya Partners, a Diversified Search Group company, is the nation’s premier search firm dedicated to mission-driven leadership. Since its founding in 2004, Koya has had an exclusive focus on mission-driven clients and was founded on the belief that the right leader can transform an organization and have a deep and measurable impact on our world. Koya works with nonprofits & NGOs, responsible businesses, and social enterprises in local communities and around the world.
Diversified Search Group is consistently recognized by Forbes on its top 10 list of “America’s Best Executive Recruiting Firms” and is an industry leader in recruiting transformational leaders for a changing world. The firm is deliberately different in its approach, with best-in-class teams who have decades of experience in cultivating inclusive leaders, understanding the dimensions of diversity, and building equitable teams.
Learn more about Koya Partners l Diversified Search Group via the firm's website