The Opportunity

For generations, California YMCA Youth & Government has helped young people discover the power of their voice, understand democracy through experience, and see themselves as leaders capable of shaping their communities and their future.

The Executive Director, California YMCA Youth & Government will provide strategic and executive leadership for one of the nation’s largest civic education and youth leadership programs, serving thousands of middle and high school students across California. Reporting to the Chief Program Officer of the YMCA of Metropolitan Los Angeles, the Executive Director will lead the next chapter of a statewide movement built on youth leadership, civic engagement, volunteer service, philanthropy, and the collective strength of YMCA associations throughout California.

This is an external-facing executive role requiring a leader who can build relationships and inspire investment in the mission. The Executive Director will cultivate donors and philanthropic partners, strengthen and develop the Board of Managers, engage and grow a statewide network of volunteers, build relationships with YMCA associations and civic and community leaders, and ensure the continued quality, relevance, reach, and sustainability of California YMCA Youth & Government.

At the same time, this leader will provide executive oversight for statewide programs including Model Legislature & Court (MLC), Model United Nations (MUN), national leadership experiences, and major conferences and events serving thousands of young people.

The successful candidate will understand that the strength of Youth & Government is not built by staff alone. It is built through people: young leaders, committed volunteers, engaged board members, donors, YMCA partners, educators, civic leaders, alumni, and communities united around a belief in the potential of young people.

The Leadership Mandate

The next Executive Director will be charged with sustaining the extraordinary legacy of California YMCA Youth & Government while building the relationships, resources, leadership infrastructure, and strategy necessary for its future.

Three areas of executive leadership will be especially critical:

Philanthropy & Fund Development

The Executive Director will serve as a chief fundraiser and relationship builder for California YMCA Youth & Government, leading a comprehensive development strategy with an annual goal of generating approximately $480,000 in philanthropic support.

This leader must be comfortable moving from strategy to solicitation. They will cultivate and steward individual donors, pursue major gifts, build corporate and foundation relationships, develop sponsorship opportunities, identify new sources of philanthropic revenue, and create meaningful opportunities for supporters to experience the impact of Youth & Government firsthand.

Just as importantly, the Executive Director will build a culture of philanthropy around the program, partnering with board members, volunteers, alumni, YMCA leaders, and other champions to expand the network of people willing to invest in its future.

This is not a position that simply supports fundraising. Fund development is a central executive responsibility of the role.

Board Development & Governance

The Executive Director will serve as the primary staff partner to the California YMCA Youth & Government Board of Managers, developing a highly engaged board that provides meaningful governance, strategic leadership, philanthropy, advocacy, and community influence.

The Executive Director will lead board recruitment, onboarding, engagement, development, and evaluation while partnering closely with board leadership to establish strategic priorities and measure progress. This leader will strengthen committee structures and charts of work, cultivate future board leadership, and ensure board members have meaningful opportunities to contribute their expertise, relationships, resources, and influence to the mission.

The successful candidate will understand the difference between managing a board and developing one. We are seeking an executive who can build a strong partnership with volunteer governance leaders and help strengthen a board that is engaged, accountable, connected, and actively advancing the organization.

Volunteer Leadership & Development

Volunteers are fundamental to the identity, culture, reach, and success of California YMCA Youth & Government.

The Executive Director will lead a statewide volunteer engagement strategy that honors and retains the dedicated volunteers who have built and sustained this program while intentionally recruiting and developing the next generation of volunteer leaders.

This requires more than volunteer coordination. It requires an executive who understands volunteerism at the highest level and knows how to create an environment where people choose to give their time, expertise, relationships, and leadership year after year.

The Executive Director will strengthen the full volunteer experience, including recruitment, engagement, development, communication, recognition, leadership pathways, succession, and retention. This leader must be equally skilled at honoring institutional knowledge and longstanding relationships while welcoming new voices, new perspectives, and new volunteers into the movement.

Statewide Leadership & Impact

Beyond these three priorities, the Executive Director carries broad responsibility for the strategic direction, reputation, quality, and sustainability of California YMCA Youth & Government.

• Provide executive oversight for statewide civic engagement and youth leadership programs, including Model Legislature & Court, Model United Nations, CONA, NJC, the National Youth Governors Conference, and other statewide and national experiences.
• Build and strengthen relationships with YMCA associations, schools, school districts, civic leaders, public agencies, community organizations, and other partners throughout California.
• Lead government relations efforts for California YMCA Youth & Government, cultivating strategic relationships with elected officials, government agencies, policymakers, and civic leaders to strengthen the program’s visibility, advance its mission, and expand opportunities for youth civic engagement across California.
• Position California YMCA Youth & Government as a leading voice in youth civic engagement and leadership development.
• Lead, develop, and inspire a high-performing staff team while creating a culture of collaboration, belonging, accountability, and continuous improvement across staff and volunteers.
• Oversee large-scale conferences and experiences serving thousands of young people while ensuring program quality, educational outcomes, participant safety, and operational excellence.
• Lead program innovation and long-term strategy to ensure Youth & Government remains relevant to young people, responsive to the changing civic landscape, and positioned for sustainable growth.
• Provide strong fiscal stewardship through budgeting, forecasting, financial analysis, expense management, and long-term sustainability planning.

The Leader We Are Seeking

We are seeking an accomplished, relationship-centered executive who believes deeply in the ability of young people to lead and understands how to translate mission into relationships, resources, and sustainable impact.

The strongest candidates will bring the executive presence to represent Youth & Government across California while also possessing the humility and relational leadership necessary to work effectively within a movement powered by volunteers, YMCA associations, board members, staff, and young people.

This leader should be equally comfortable meeting with a prospective major donor, partnering with a board chair, engaging a room of longtime volunteers, building relationships with civic and community leaders, coaching senior staff, reviewing financial performance, and listening to young people describe what they need from the program.

We are particularly interested in candidates who have demonstrated success in:

• Fundraising and philanthropy, including personally cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding donors and developing sustainable sources of contributed revenue.
• Board development and governance, with experience building productive partnerships with boards, committees, and volunteer governance structures.
• Volunteer development, including recruiting, engaging, developing, recognizing, and retaining volunteers in organizations where volunteer leadership is integral to mission delivery.
• Government relations and civic engagement, including building trusted relationships with elected officials, government agencies, civic leaders, and public sector partners to advance organizational priorities, strengthen visibility, and create opportunities for collaboration and impact.
• Executive leadership within complex nonprofit, youth development, civic engagement, education, association, or similar mission-driven environments.
• Building influential relationships across organizations, sectors, communities, and geographic regions.
• Leading through influence in a network-based environment where success depends on collaboration rather than positional authority alone.
• Translating vision into strategy, measurable goals, organizational alignment, and execution.