Vice President of Philanthropy

Job Summary

Vice President of Philanthropy at United Way of Greater Knoxville (UWGK). This strategic leadership role is responsible for corporate engagement, major donor engagement, volunteer engagement, and community‑wide fundraising and resource development. The VP of Philanthropy designs, executes, and continuously improves an advancement strategy that positions UWGK as a visionary leader in the region’s philanthropic landscape and supports UWGK’s community impact model and revenue goals.

• Base pay range: $/hr – $/hr (actual pay based on skills and experience)

• Provide leadership, coaching, and mentorship to ensure high performance and professional growth of the Advancement Team.
• Set clear expectations and goals, direct and delegate work, monitor progress, and conduct performance evaluations.
• Promote cross‑functional collaboration and guide team members to align work with organizational strategies and revenue goals.
• Ensure department staffing, structure, and processes maximize available resources and opportunities.
• Champion UWGK’s mission and community well‑being as a member of the Executive Leadership Team.
• Partner with the CEO, Board of Directors, Advancement and Communications teams, and fundraising volunteer committees to create and execute intentionally effective short‑ and long‑term strategies for increased revenue generation and diversification.
• Utilize data and analytics to track and evaluate the effectiveness of fundraising strategies; prepare reports on fundraising activities for the President/CEO and Board of Directors/key stakeholders.
• In collaboration with Finance, develop and manage budgets related to fundraising activities, oversee fundraising reporting, and ensure compliance with legal and ethical standards.
• Align data, storytelling, marketing, and outreach strategies to grow, engage, and mobilize segmented target audiences.
• Engage and mobilize corporate partners, business leaders, community groups, individual donors, and nonprofit partners to strengthen support for UWGK’s mission and increase revenue.
• Provide leadership to UWGK’s Advancement Committee and support volunteer fundraising committees, councils, and strategies.
• Serve as primary liaison with the UWGK Community Campaign chair and lead the Advancement team in planning and coordinating community/corporate campaign activities, and driving and monitoring annual giving campaign results.
• Leverage CRM, wealth screening, and technology initiatives to enhance fundraising results and donor satisfaction.
• Advance a donor‑centric, relationship‑based moves management strategy grounded in best practices to inspire increased philanthropic giving and long‑term donor and corporate partnership.
• Drive donor prospecting, cultivation, acquisition, solicitation, and stewardship of high‑net‑worth individuals to maximize financial support for community investment and initiatives.
• Expand the major gift program by establishing strong relationships to secure transformational major, endowment, deferred, and legacy gifts ($500K+).
• Lead corporate partnership strategy to build and expand mutually beneficial relationships, including workplace campaigns, sponsor ships, and new volunteerism and CSR initiatives.
• Oversee donor engagement events, coordinating and collaborating with internal and external stakeholders to ensure successful fundraising efforts.
• Collaborate with the Community Impact department to draft and manage timely, compelling proposals, presentations, reports, and acknowledgements.
• Use data insights to strengthen the advancement model and donor pipelines continuously.
• Create cultivation and stewardship strategies to deepen relationships, strengthen retention, and grow average gift size.
• Expand innovative workplace giving strategies and corporate engagement methods to grow UWGK’s donor base.
• Champion CRM excellence by leading improvements in system usage, functionality, and data accuracy to support Advancement efforts.

• Strategic Leadership – develop and execute long‑ and short‑range strategic plans integrating fundraising, community mobilization, and donor engagement.
• Fundraising Expertise – demonstrated success…