Our mission

Seeking to put God’s love into action, Knoxville Habitat for Humanity brings people together to build homes, communities and hope.

Our vision

A world where everyone has a decent place to live.

 Our principles

• Demonstrate the love of Jesus Christ.

• Focus on shelter.

• Advocate for affordable housing.

• Promote dignity and hope.

• Support sustainable and transformative development.

BUILDING MORE THAN HOMES

For more than four decades, Knoxville Habitat for Humanity has brought people together to build homes, communities and hope.

Our work begins with a simple conviction: everyone deserves a decent place to live. We put that conviction into action by partnering with families—not as recipients, but as active participants in building greater strength, stability and independence.

Habitat homeowners work alongside volunteers to build or improve a place they can call home and assume an affordable mortgage. Donors, faith communities, businesses, volunteers and neighborhood partners make that work possible.

Together, they help create lasting change for families and communities throughout Knox County.

Knoxville Habitat is an independent, nonprofit, ecumenical Christian housing ministry and has been an affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International since 1985.

Knoxville Habitat is seeking a Chief Development Officer who can turn belief in the mission into deeper relationships, stronger philanthropic investment and sustainable organizational growth.

This leader will inherit a broad platform for impact: individual and major giving, corporate and faith partnerships, grants, sponsorships, events, planned giving, donor stewardship and a growing network of community partners.

The opportunity is not simply to maintain these efforts. It is to bring them together into a disciplined, ambitious and relationship-centered development strategy capable of supporting Knoxville Habitat’s next chapter.

1. Development Strategy, Planning and Performance - 20%

• Partner with the CEO to establish short- and long-term goals for each contribution category and translate them into a comprehensive annual development plan.

• Develop the resource development budget with affiliate leadership; monitor monthly performance, maintain year-end forecasts, and recommend timely adjustments.

• Define measurable outcomes and a consistent reporting system that demonstrates development performance, return on investment, pipeline health, and progress toward goals.

• Advise the CEO, Board, and staff on fundraising resources, trends, opportunities, obstacles, and developments in donor relations.

• Serve as staff liaison to the Development Committee and lead the affiliate's relationship with Habitat for Humanity International's Collaborative Fundraising initiative.

2. Major Gifts, Donor Portfolio and Stewardship - 20%

• Develop and maintain relationships with individual donors and philanthropic partners across the donor lifecycle, with particular attention to major and planned giving.

• Build a disciplined portfolio and moves-management approach, including individualized cultivation, solicitation, retention, upgrade, and stewardship plans.

• Conduct and review prospect research; maintain accurate donor files, narratives, contact reports, and next steps in DonorPerfect.

• Equip the CEO, Board members, former Board members, and fundraising volunteers with strategies and engagement opportunities that advance donor relationships.

• Articulate a clear and compelling case for support grounded in Knoxville Habitat's mission, impact, strategic priorities, and commitment to affordable housing.

3. Campaigns, Grants, Events and Diversified Revenue - 15%

• Manage and execute fundraising campaigns and initiatives that support annual and long-term revenue goals.

• Oversee grant research, relationship building, proposal development, submission, tracking, reporting, and compliance.

• Advance diversified revenue opportunities, including corporate and foundation giving, planned gifts, Cars for Homes, stock and land donations, sponsorships, and special campaigns.

• Guide fundraising events from strategy through evaluation, with clear revenue, engagement, and stewardship goals.

• Ensure timely donor acknowledgments, benefit fulfillment, and follow-up across campaigns and events.

4. Team Leadership, Operations, CRM and Compliance - 15%

• Directly supervise, coach, and evaluate the development team, currently including the Data Manager, Development Coordinator, and Partnerships Manager.

• Clarify roles, priorities, accountability, workflows, and communication expectations; provide backup support when needed.

• Strengthen DonorPerfect data quality, reporting, segmentation, and analysis so decisions are informed by accurate and actionable information.

• Evaluate team reporting and assigned deliverables and continuously improve systems for efficiency, stewardship, and sustainable growth.

• Maintain compliance with applicable laws, regulations, ethical standards, gift-acceptance practices, and organizational policies.

5. Corporate, Faith, and Community Partnerships - 10%

• Lead corporate relations, sponsorships, faith relations, and other community-based philanthropic partnerships.

• Partner with Marketing and Communications on donor mailings, digital outreach, stewardship materials, website content, social media, public relations, and consistent Habitat brand storytelling.

• Represent Knoxville Habitat with professionalism in community, donor, affiliate, and Habitat network settings.

6. Strategic Initiatives and Cross-Functional Leadership - 20%

• Serve as a trusted thought partner to the CEO and leadership team on institutional priorities, resourcing, risk, and decision-making.

• Collaborate with senior leadership to define, prioritize, and execute high-impact initiatives aligned with the organization's mission and goals.

• Lead cross-functional special projects, establish measures and milestones, monitor progress, and ensure timely delivery and stakeholder engagement.

• Identify operational bottlenecks and gaps, then design sustainable processes and solutions that improve organizational agility and effectiveness.

• Build relationships across departments, Habitat affiliates, and external partners; facilitate meetings that create clarity, cohesion, accountability, and momentum.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a relevant field or equivalent combination of education and experience.

• Proven fundraising and business development success, including major gifts and relationship-based fundraising; experience with annual, corporate, foundation, faith, event, and planned giving strategies is strongly valued.

• Demonstrated ability to lead people, build team capacity, manage performance, and work effectively with executive leadership and Board members.

• Experience in strategy, consulting, project management, or leadership roles requiring complex cross-functional execution.

• Strong analytical, financial, organizational, written, presentation, facilitation, and strategic listening skills.

• Experience using a CRM and project-management systems; DonorPerfect, Monday.com, Salesforce, and Microsoft Office familiarity are beneficial.

• Ability to prioritize multiple deadlines, work independently and collaboratively, navigate ambiguity, and build sustainable processes.

• Ability to represent the organization in internal and external forums and build relationships across diverse communities and stakeholder groups.

• Willingness to travel and work occasional evenings and weekends; ability to meet the physical requirements of the role, including lifting or moving up to 25 pounds.

Application Process

Knoxville Habitat for Humanity has engaged Nonprofit Leadership LLC to lead this search and serve as the primary point of contact for candidates.

Interested candidates should email a current resume and a personalized cover letter describing proudest initiative as a fundraiser to elle@nonprofit-leadership.com. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and must be received by September 17, 2026.

All final hiring decisions remain with Knoxville Habitat for Humanity.

We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, or gender identity), national origin, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. We are committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse workplace where everyone feels valued, respected, and empowered to contribute to our shared success.

We are a drug free workplace.

JOB OPPORTUNITY