Senior Vice President of Community Impact

United Way is the largest nongovernmental funder in the Quad Cities, responsible for private investments into programs that advance equity and improve education, income and health outcomes.

As a results-driven leader who is passionate about harnessing the power of data to inform actionable insights that drive performance and collective impact, the Vice President of Community Impact will demonstrate deep and expert experience in strengthening and managing partnerships; providing ongoing leadership to ensure that data and insights are integrated and aligned with organizational priorities; deliver organizational and community insights that improve decision making, foster innovation, and drive collective impact.

The Vice President, Community Impact serves as a key member of the leadership team and serves as the leader and champion of United Way Quad Cities’ impact work, uniting people, organizations and resources by seeing the big picture and mobilizing resources quickly to create change while amplifying the influence of local nonprofits by directing investments to precisely where and when they can yield the greatest impact.

As Vice President of Community Impact, you will:

• Set the strategic direction of this work using community-building knowledge and data to inform and develop long term strategies for needs assessment, community investment planning, outcome measurement and program innovation, overseeing our community investment policies and processes to ensure dynamic responsiveness to changes in community needs and conditions. 
• Lead a dedicated Community Impact Team and ensure alignment, execution and progress towards UWQC goals.
• Oversee key, transformational impact initiatives and provide thought leadership to UW leadership team and the community.
• Represent UWQC in specific community initiatives and use our deep connections to bring the right volunteer talent to our impact committees and Standard Review Teams.
• Model our commitment to excellent customer service by cultivating collaborative relationships with nonprofit, government and business sectors, building partnerships and consensus on priorities through dialogue and data-based examination of community assets and needs.
• Think and plan strategically: You engage diverse stakeholders to assess community needs, strategically guiding United Way to contribute to the community’s priorities with credibility, authenticity and humility.
• Data-driven critical thinker: You can address and manage complex issues to achieve great results, and have the ability to gather, interpret and use relevant data to drive a dynamic, human-centered community investment process.
• Impact expert who knows how to collaborate for success: You have broad experience with social services, government and other key community sectors, with a deep understanding of the principles of collective impact. You know how to lead in spaces with competing individual interests and motivations to build coalitions that create and act upon common goals, priorities and vision.
• Excited about numbers and outcomes measurement: You enjoy the prospect of tracking high-level community impact indicators and sharing results and credit with the partners who help achieve progress. You’re also good at developing and tracking sometimes-complex budgets in collaboration with your internal team and key volunteers.
• Ensures routine communication with grant partners and production of Quarterly Impact reports that are distributed to nonprofit partners and UWQC current and prospective donors.
• Comfortable with taking smart risks to achieve goals: You believe innovation drives progress, and you’re not afraid to take on strategic risk to achieve a potentially great outcome.
• Build rapport with diverse people in a variety of situations: You are comfortable working with people of diverse backgrounds—donors, staff and other constituencies —and have an ability to understand their needs from a variety of perspectives.
• Team player who knows how to develop and motivate people: You have solid interpersonal and management skills and understand how to build and motivate teams for high achievement and results.

Essential Job Functions

Through the employee’s own efforts or through the delegation of key staff: 

• Foster the development of a common vision among community stakeholders by:
  • Analyzing current and changing social issues and citizen values to determine implications for United Way’s strategic direction.
  • Providing and sharing research-based information in understandable formats to gain greater community commitment for the transformation to community level change.
  • Nurturing strong non-profit relationships.
• Create a Community Impact Agenda by:
  • Defining United Way’s role in the community’s short- and long-term goals.
  • Establishing desired outcomes, objectives, strategies and action steps.
  • Identifying how United Way can best address specific elements of the plan.
  • Coordinate UWQC’s impact by creating and implementing strategies for grant investment, direct services, advocacy, and volunteerism.
  • Establish board and staff-level responsibility for engaging with the community by establishing United Way’s position on critical public policy issues in an approved advocacy agenda.
  • Organize and/or participate in briefings for public officials, legislators, business leaders and the nonprofit sector to inform and shape policy related to priorities established in the Community Impact Agenda.
• Community Impact Planning and Integration:
  • Ensure funding priorities are in alignment with the Community Impact Agenda.
  • Manage continuous evaluation relating to system issue areas and strategic plans; integrates the work of the Community Impact Council and staff. Reports results in a timely manner to the President of the United Way and key United Way volunteer leadership.
  • Responsible for data collection, management, and analysis.
  • Conducts ongoing assessments of the system strategic direction and makes adjustments as necessary.
• Community Impact Leadership and Management:
  • Ensure all impact strategies and decisions are in alignment with the Community Impact Agenda.
  • Provide strategic direction for all UWQC direct services including but not limited to United for Schools, Volunteer Income Tax Assistance, Read United, etc.
  • Manage continuous evaluation, relationships, and outcomes related to impact decisions and strategies within impact issue areas and plans; integrates the work of volunteer leaders and staff to ensure careful grant recommendations.
  • Conduct annual review/research, analysis, and report writing of program and initiatives data as it relates to impact areas.
• Volunteer Leadership and Engagement:
  • Manage recruitment and retention of volunteers.
  • Coordinate communications with volunteers.
  • Ensure volunteers are appropriately trained.
  • Provide support to Community Impact Council leadership on ongoing planning related to system work.
  • Provides leadership, direction and integration of volunteer and corporate engagement opportunities and strategies through Volunteer Hub.
  • Works closely with Resource Development and Communications and Marketing teams to ensure alignment of corporate engagement opportunities.
• Community Impact Staff:
  • Responsible for the management and leadership of Community Impact staff.
  • Plan and integrate the work plan of staff and provide time, resources, and guidance in completing that work.
  • Track the performance versus objectives of staff team.
  • Assign projects (initiatives) and tracks progress of department members.

Competencies for All Employees:

• Mission -Focused
• Relationship Oriented
• Collaborator
• Results-Driven
• Brand Steward

REQUIREMENTS:

Education/Training: 

A Bachelor’s Degree with at least five years’ experience in an impact-related leadership role. Master’s degree in nonprofit management or related area is always a plus.

Experience/Other Requirements:

• A background of progressive leadership experience in a nonprofit/foundation management role and understanding of the principles of collective impact.
• Outstanding verbal, written and presentation skills, with an ability to listen actively
• Experience with and understanding in working with complex operational budgets
• Strong computer skills (particularly MS Office) and an extreme comfort with learning new technology. Experience with CRM systems a plus.
• An ability to work independently or collaboratively in a fast-paced team environment.
• Clear understanding and perspective on the application of qualitative and quantitative data for continuous improvement, communicating impact, and determining progress toward internal and external goals.
• Experience building data, insights, and analytics strategies in inclusive, collaborative, and cross-functional ways.
• Adept at building collaborative partnerships with external providers of data and insights, including big data, research, and advocacy organizations.
• Ability to communicate data insights and trends to a diverse group of stakeholders ranging from senior team members, investors, peers, and analysts.
• Proven experience in large-scale data integration and analysis efforts and working collaboratively to deliver projects on time, within budget and with a high level of quality.
• Strong people management and organizational leadership skills.
• Ability to manage people and projects to meet deadlines. 
• Valid Driver’s License, automobile insurance, and reliable transportation required