Executive Director

Crimson Goes Blue

46d•$120,000 - $160,000•Remote

About The Position

Crimson Goes Blue (CGB) is the nation’s first alumni-based activist organization dedicated to political mobilization. Founded in 2019 by members of Harvard’s Class of ’84, our mission is to harness the talents, passion, and resources of the Harvard community to forge a more just American democracy by electing Democrats, ensuring election integrity, and fighting authoritarianism. Since our founding, more than 3,000 Harvard alumni, faculty, and staff have joined us—drawn by our strategic approach to activism, curated information, and powerful community. In the 2026 midterm year we expect to mobilize more than 1,000 Harvard-affiliated volunteers to canvas, phone bank, make strategic donations through our Portfolio, and provide voter protection to prevent election subversion – all focused on carefully targeted races. This year CGB expects to raise more than $2 million for high-priority candidates and causes, including election integrity efforts, through the CGB Portfolio and to secure ~$400,000 in organizational revenue. Crimson Goes Blue is a 527 PAC and is not affiliated with Harvard University. The Opportunity Crimson Goes Blue is entering an important new chapter in its evolution. As the organization prepares for its next phase of growth and impact, CGB seeks an Executive Director to guide the transition from a founder-led organization to a sustainable, scalable institution capable of expanding its influence in the years ahead. The Executive Director will oversee a transition from the leadership of the founding Political Director and Managing Director of CGB. This transition will involve growing the organization's fundraising capacity, strengthening its operational infrastructure, and developing an organizational model that leverages a small team of staff alongside a highly engaged network of volunteer alumni leaders to build upon CGB's strong foundation and further its mission. Reporting to the Board of Directors, the Executive Director will provide strategic, operational, fundraising, and organizational leadership for Crimson Goes Blue. Working closely with the Board, staff, volunteer leaders, donors, and partner organizations, the Executive Director will deepen member engagement, expand organizational reach, grow revenue, and advance CGB's mission and political impact. This is an exceptional opportunity for a mission-driven leader who is energized by political organizing, coalition building, fundraising, volunteer engagement, and organizational growth. The successful candidate will inherit a strong foundation and have the opportunity to shape the organization's next phase of development while helping mobilize the Harvard community in support of a more just and democratic future.

Requirements

Harvard affiliation and/or degree.
Seven or more years of progressively responsible leadership experience within political, advocacy, nonprofit, movement-building, or related organizations.
Demonstrated success securing and stewarding individual and major gifts.
Experience leading teams and recruiting and developing volunteers.
Experience developing and implementing organizational strategy.
Knowledge of nonprofit or political organization management, including budgeting, operations, and revenue, board, and partnership development.
Strong understanding of electoral politics and a demonstrated commitment to electing Democrats and defending democratic institutions.

Nice To Haves

Strategic, entrepreneurial, and relationship-oriented leader with a passion for strengthening democracy and mobilizing communities toward collective action and the personality to act as the public face of the organization.
Demonstrated ability to engage fellow members of the Harvard community.

Responsibilities

Set the tone of urgency, hope, and strategic clarity that defines Crimson Goes Blue.
Share the story of the CGB difference, including strategic giving through the CGB Portfolio, and deeper engagement and community building through CGB’s targeted activism.
Create a unified communications and PR strategy and establish a media presence to increase awareness of CGB, especially within the Harvard community.
Oversee member and community communications tools, including the twice-monthly newsletter, Substack, and website.
Collaborate with the Board to identify, create, and implement strategic plans for the organization; oversee the implementation of the strategic plans.
Develop a membership growth strategy and a revenue-raising strategy to support CGB’s operations.
Lead individual and major gift fundraising efforts, including direct solicitations from current and prospective donors, for both organizational gifts (direct support of CGB) and political gifts to the CGB Portfolio (typically with a portion going to CGB).
Expand Crimson Goes Blue’s board to enhance fundraising and visibility.
Identify, recruit, develop and retain a talented team of employees and alumni volunteer leaders who can manage critical functions.
Develop a framework for recruiting, training, and developing volunteer leaders and other members.
Provide organizational leadership and support to teams of staff members and volunteers to ensure they are high-functioning and effective; support strong internal communications.
Grow and maintain the sense of Harvard-based, politically-focused community among members and volunteers.
Work with volunteers and the Board to create an annual budget and develop and submit regular financial statements to the Board.
Monitor organizational operations and ensure employees and business practices comply with federal regulatory and legal requirements.
Maintain deep knowledge of the political landscape and awareness of electoral politics.
Maintain and grow strong relationships with existing partner organizations across the pro-democracy and Democratic party ecosystem.
With guidance from partner organizations, lead CGB’s overall political strategy, including selecting priority states and races and determining strategic focus across the election cycle.
Lead a volunteer and/or staffed CGB political team to develop and implement political programming and volunteer opportunities (such as phone banking, canvassing, and protesting).
Work with volunteers and partners to select candidates and grassroots organizations to receive support from the CGB Portfolio.
Provide, with the support of volunteer leaders, political education opportunities to members at regular all-member events, including analysis of the political landscape and updates on CGB’s strategy and priorities.
Lead the development of new initiatives and enhance current ones.