Mission & Purpose
Prysm Initiative believes philanthropy can transform the lives and futures of women, girls, and entire societies.
We equip philanthropists with strategic advisory services to make game-changing investments that tackle the most pressing reproductive health challenges facing women and girls worldwide. By guiding funders toward high-impact opportunities, we help drive lasting, systemic change that improves lives and strengthens societies.
About Prysm Initiative
Big-picture philanthropists seeking to create more just societies, enhance security, stability, and prosperity nationally, or those aiming to mitigate climate change and improve the quality of life globally, may overlook the vital role of women in their calculus. At Prysm Initiative, we demonstrate the real-world benefit of investing in women to address the root causes of society’s most pressing challenges. Providing women access to global reproductive health care allows them to lift their communities and participate in achieving global aims. Importantly, investments in global women’s health deliver some of the greatest returns of economic and social benefits, especially in the poorest countries, while advancing at the same time security and international peace.
In 2023, a group of leading funders in the global women’s health sector — Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF), Gates Foundation, Hewlett Foundation, and Packard Foundation — outlined the creation of a new organization designed to attract new philanthropic investment. Based on recent events, a changing focus of global funding, and a rapidly shifting geopolitical environment, Prysm Initiative will generate net-new funding for global reproductive health by partnering with the sector to identify high impact opportunities so that U/HNWI can invest with confidence and deliver impact that will improve lives and strengthen societies.
Governance Structure & Operating Model
Funding is fully committed for Prysm Initiative’s inception phase by its founding donors: CIFF, Gates Foundation, Hewlett Foundation, and Packard Foundation. Prysm Initiative’s inaugural Chief Executive Officer started in January 2025 and is now building out a team of approximately 10 staff, starting with three leadership positions: Vice President, Program Investments; Vice President, Communications; Vice President, Operations & Strategy.
The CEO and leadership team will work together in the first year to develop Prysm Initiative’s strategy, services, and operating platform in order to begin engaging in the following core tenants of work:
Operations: Liaise with Prysm Initiative’s fiscal sponsor, as well as manage outsourced operations and internal administration.
Philanthropic Advising: Engage with and guide U/HNWI donors on learning journeys; advise donors on customized / bespoke high-impact funding opportunities in the global reproductive health sector.
Program Investments: Design, build, and curate a “funding menu” for high-impact philanthropic investment; source opportunities from the global reproductive health field; build and maintain partnerships with the field; educate donors on sector initiatives and trends.
Donor Communications and Outreach: Guided by the objective to create clear and compelling points of entry into the sector for new philanthropists, develop content, narratives, and communications materials for general audiences and in support of customized donor engagement activities; support efforts on donor events and experiences.
The Opportunity
Prysm Initiative is seeking a Vice President, Communications to develop and implement bold, cutting-edge communications strategies for this unique and innovative organization. Reporting to the CEO, the VP will be responsible for setting Prysm Initiative’s overall communications strategy, while also executing against that strategy in tangible and meaningful ways, thus requiring a hands-on approach and a strong results-orientation. While the communications team may grow over time, the VP must bring the entrepreneurial spirit needed to successfully operate in a start-up environment.
This exciting new role will be responsible for helping to establish the communications function, strategy, infrastructure, and processes required to build the brand and profile for this newly formed organization, and support efforts to engage highly sophisticated and global external stakeholders. The VP will translate complex content about the reproductive health sector into relatable and compelling narratives that pull U/HNWI, families, and foundations to a solutions-oriented set of giving options.
The VP will cultivate key relationships both inside and outside of the organization, collaborating with and learning from sector experts and peer communications professionals in partner organizations. The VP will also navigate the complexity of a start-up initiative that prioritizes the successes of the field as whole.
Key Responsibilities
Strategy & Leadership
Given the start-up nature of Prysm Initiative, the VP will be part of the team brainstorming key strategies for how it accomplishes its mission. Collaborating closely with the CEO and leadership team, as well as with sector experts, the VP will play a pivotal role in defining and building the brand and awareness of Prysm Initiative with targeted, high profile donor audiences. As the team iterates on strategy and approach, this role will also evolve and grow the communications tools needed to support the organization’s work. In doing so, the VP will ultimately be responsible for fostering alignment and consistency across Prysm Initiative with regard to content, messaging, and branding.
Donor Content
Leveraging the work of Prysm Initiative colleagues focused on content curation and convening sector experts, the VP will be responsible for creating compelling and clear narratives about the issue of reproductive health globally, while also building a playbook of talking points and case studies to share with prospective donors in an approachable and inspiring manner. In doing so, the VP will synthesize and translate information from sector experts to develop content, data-driven visual pieces, and presentation materials to articulate a holistic picture of not only the challenge at hand, but potential pathways and avenues towards large scale, sustainable philanthropic impact. The VP will also work closely with team members to co-create the necessary materials for proposals and meetings. This person will be expected to make recommendations on how to build capacity to serve these needs, whether through external consulting firms, independent writers, designers, or via internal support.
External Partnerships
While the VP will oversee communications efforts for Prysm Initiative, the organization’s collaborative model with the sector will require this person to liaise with communications professionals at partner organizations and with founding funders to produce content, coordinate messaging, and support the overall movement to increase philanthropic support for the most promising global investments focused on reproductive health. The VP will play an integral role in crafting the appropriate strategies for engagement and coordination for joint messaging and storytelling in a manner that ensures alignment and consistency.
Ideal Candidate Profile
The Vice President, Communications will have a deep and genuine connection to Prysm Initiative’s mission and approach to supporting solutions for reproductive health globally. While domain and content expertise in the women’s health field is not required, candidates must demonstrate the intellectual horsepower to ramp up quickly and learn the complexities of this issue area, landscape, and relevant stakeholders in order to effectively lead communications for the organization.
The VP will play a key role in advancing Prysm Initiative’s strategy by creating a clear communications vision to amplify its endeavors and engage partners and prospective donors. This requires candidates to bring a strong track record of taking complex and technical information and turning it into inspiring, persuasive content that can be applied across a variety of contexts. Leading with their expertise in storytelling across myriad platforms and channels, the VP will excel at creating appropriately tailored content for a range of audiences. Given the collaborative nature of Prysm Initiative, this person must also be savvy about partners’ needs and understand what is required to successfully navigate complex, highly interconnected relationships in the sector.
The ideal candidate will be results-oriented and have the motivation to pursue innovative approaches to managing communications for a start-up and entrepreneurial organization. The VP will need to be an experimental thinker who understands how to translate ideas into a concrete course of action. The ability to be agile, adaptable, and flexible in an environment that shifts quickly in order to be responsive to a variety of stakeholder requests and needs is essential.
Candidates must possess a minimum of fifteen years of professional organizational communications experience. Specific expertise in issues and mission-related donor communications is essential. Relevant experience in public relations, media relations, public affairs, policy communications, or cause marketing will also be considered. Experience in philanthropy and social impact organizations, especially those operating in the global south or in low-middle-income countries is strongly preferred.
Compensation and Benefits
The salary range for the Vice President, Communications is $200,000 – $250,000 USD and comes with a competitive benefits package, including health coverage, dental and life insurance, retirement benefits, paid parental and sick leave, vacation, and holidays.
Position Location & Travel
The Vice President, Communications position is open to candidates worldwide. Ability to travel frequently internationally is required.
To Be Considered
Prysm Initiative values, celebrates, and supports a diverse and inclusive environment. All qualified candidates who contribute to the initiative’s broad commitment to diversity are strongly encouraged to submit their materials for consideration via the Become a Candidate button on GoodCitizen’s website.
GoodCitizen has been exclusively retained by Prysm Initiative to run this search. For questions, please contact:
Jeff Waldron
Senior Advisor
jeff@goodcitizen.com
Graham Toben
Senior Associate
graham@goodcitizen.com