Vice President of Innovative Impacts

Position Description: Vice President of Innovative Impacts

About the East Tennessee Foundation:

The East Tennessee Foundation (the Foundation/ETF) is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) community foundation serving 25 counties in East Tennessee. Created by and for the people of East Tennessee, its mission is to provide philanthropic leadership inspiring donors to make lives better and communities stronger in enduring ways across generations. Governed by a volunteer board of directors, the Foundation has more than 450 charitable funds and eight supporting organizations, with approximately $675 million in total assets under leadership, and has awarded more than $400 million in total grants since it was established in 1986.

Position Summary:

The Vice President of Innovative Impacts seeks to understand the needs of our communities and what the East Tennessee Foundation must do to address them. As part of the ETF Leadership Team, this VP reports to the President & CEO and works as a partner with the President & CEO and other Vice Presidents to collaborate and drive organizational vision, strategy, and impact. To assure the Foundation’s success, the position uses advanced organizational and systems-thinking expertise to integrate philanthropic leadership in all aspects of the Foundation, which is then demonstrated throughout the region. With an emphasis on collaboration, efficiency, best practice, and continuous improvement, this position works with all ETF teams to identify, analyze, and engage innovative and strategic initiatives to fulfill the mission of the Foundation. This Vice President helps ensure the Foundation is aware of and responsive to community needs, further informing ETF to contribute to thriving communities. The position utilizes broad community knowledge and understanding of community improvement principles to provide strategic leadership to the Grantmaking Team. The Vice President of Innovative Impacts is a full-time position. Direct reports to the position include the Grantmaking Team.

Responsibilities:

Imagine

• Envision and seek to understand “what comes next” for ETF in order to drive ideas and strategies across the organization (internal and external) to address “next”.

• Maintain connections to peer community foundations across the country, especially related to operations and grantmaking, and seek to implement best strategies for ETF.

• Work with the President & CEO, Leadership Team, and Board of Directors in establishing organizational vision and strategy as well as the overall direction for the Foundation.

Create

• Oversee the Foundation’s Grantmaking Team and ETF’s impact activities, including positioning efforts to support the development of thriving communities.

• Build and maintain relationships with relevant peers in local philanthropy, government, and the nonprofit sector in support of community impact collaborations and partnerships, in concert with other ETF teammates.

• Lead the effort to grow activities related to understanding East Tennessee’s needs, resources, and priorities as well as how best to advance effective philanthropy.

• Collaborate with the Advancement team to build a systematic approach by which information on community priorities is shared with donors and the broader community.

• Identify, assess, and implement creative ideas and solutions that propel ETF’s impacts in the region.

Engage

• Collaborate with the President & CEO, Chief Legal Counsel, and Chief Financial Officer in building and maintaining excellent board education and communication.

• Maintain a solid understanding of and alignment with the President & CEO’s priorities.

• Advise ETF Leadership of initiatives and anticipated developments affecting the Foundation so ETF may be proactive in its engagement strategies.

• Provide leadership for the organization by identifying and integrating systems and processes to ensure daily activities of ETF function in concert to achieve the Foundation’s mission.

• Lead the multi-year National Standards review and reaccreditation process with support from the Director of Operations, which includes developing supporting documentation and coordinating activities.

• Support the development and implementation of a multi-year strategic plan, which includes helping to design actionable strategies and operating plans to ensure mission alignment in both the short- and long-term.

• Always serve as an ETF Ambassador, and in conjunction with the President & CEO and other members of the Leadership Team, be a spokesperson for the Foundation.

• Work with the program/operations team, Director of Marketing & Community Relations, and Director of Strategic Engagement & Stewardship to develop a proactive plan to highlight ETF’s impacts.

Qualifications and Experience:

Bachelor’s degree required, Master’s or higher preferred. Three or more years in a nonprofit environment where fundraising was a priority preferred. The successful applicant’s education and experience must offer both the credibility, and the preparation needed to work independently, accurately, efficiently, and creatively within a team environment.

• A basic understanding of community foundations, including expected impacts, funding models, and operations.

• Demonstrated leadership in a non-profit setting or comparable organization.

• Strong interpersonal skills to work well as a Foundation team member and to engage with the Foundation’s many constituencies (boards, donors, fundholders, grantees, partners, policy makers, professional advisors and the general public) in a manner that builds trust, increased and more effective philanthropy, and a shared sense of mission.

• Excellent writing and speaking skills to produce well-organized and compelling reports, publications, presentations, and correspondence in both written and spoken form to all ETF constituents, including donors, nonprofit organizations, and civic groups.

• A well-developed working knowledge of computers, computer software, and databases and experience working with Microsoft Office, and particularly Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

Other Requirements:

This position functions in an office environment and requires some local and/or regional

travel. The incumbent must be proficient with computers and be able to operate general office equipment to include scanners, copiers, printers, etc. Must be available for evening and/or weekend work hours.

This position is available immediately. The search will remain open, however, until the appropriate candidate is identified. The Foundation offers an excellent salary and a comprehensive benefits package, including paid leave, health insurance, long-term disability insurance, and a retirement plan.

Application Information:

We do not review or accept applications through Indeed or LinkedIn. A résumé, cover letter, and list of references should be addressed to:

Dr. Keith Barber, President & CEO

Email to: kbarber@etf.org

Please, no telephone calls or faxes.

EAST TENNESSEE FOUNDATION IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY PROVIDER OF SERVICES AND EMPLOYMENT AND RESPECTS, CELEBRATES, AND ENCOURAGES ALL FORMS OF DIVERSITY, EQUITY OF OPPORTUNITY, AND INCLUSIVE PARTICIPATION. THE FOUNDATION PROVIDES SERVICES AND EMPLOYS PERSONNEL WITHOUT REGARD TO RACE, COLOR, ETHNICITY, GENETIC INFORMATION, NATIONAL ORIGIN, ANCESTRY, CITIZENSHIP, RELIGION, CREED, SEX, GENDER IDENTITY, PREGNANCY, SEXUAL ORIENTATION, MARITAL OR DOMESTIC PARTNERSHIP STATUS, FAMILY STATUS, AGE, DISABILITY, ECONOMIC STATUS, MILITARY OR VETERAN STATUS, OR ANY OTHER CLASSIFICATION OR CHARACTERISTIC PROTECTED BY FEDERAL, STATE, OR LOCAL LAW.