Full-Time
Director of Philanthropy
Updated on 8/26/2026
KET-Kentucky Educational Television
201-500 employees
Public broadcaster delivering education and arts
No salary listed
Lexington, KY, USA
In Person
The position may be based in Lexington or Louisville, Kentucky, with frequent statewide travel required.
Bachelor's
 Business & Strategy (1) |
|---|
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- Bachelor’s degree plus a minimum of three years of experience in fundraising, sales, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education, training, and experience.
- Demonstrated success in securing both annual operating funds and restricted gifts.
- Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills.
- Computer proficiency and database management skills, with self-sufficiency.
- Availability for frequent statewide travel and extended work hours.
- Create, execute, and evaluate a comprehensive philanthropy strategy to secure and grow annual leadership and sustaining gifts of $1,500 or more, board campaigns, restricted grants, and endowment, estate, and blended gifts.
- Develop a data-driven operating plan that advances the KET mission and fundraising success, while tracking and meeting monthly revenue goals and expense budgets.
- Understand KET’s strategic vision to align needs with funding opportunities and communicate and articulate a case for support.
- Research high-potential prospects among individuals, corporations, and foundations, and manage a high-value portfolio of qualified prospects.
- Build donor-centered relationships to retain, upgrade, and secure new contributions; explore gifting vehicles including stocks, donor-advised funds, individual retirement accounts, and planned giving; conduct statewide visits, engage in events, and write personalized appeals and acknowledgements.
- Collaborate with KET leadership to identify grant funding needs in education, local production, outreach, technology, and other areas, and execute the full grant process from research and relationship building through proposal writing and reporting.
- Expand the planned giving program, including work involving bequests, annuities, trusts, and other life-income gifts; collaboration with financial and legal advisors; marketing; and tracking intentions and expectancies.
- Grow existing endowment funds and explore the feasibility of ongoing endowed efforts.
- Serve as staff liaison for a regional board as needed by providing fundraising guidance, meeting support, event management, and board communication.
- Supervise and oversee the Philanthropy Services Coordinator, including execution of the mid-level giving program, and provide leadership, coaching, and performance feedback to the Philanthropy team.
- Collaborate with the President and Fund management team on leadership development, strategic planning, marketing, financial protocols, event and auction logistics, volunteer and intern management, and technical assistance.
- Seek and participate in training opportunities.
KET-Kentucky Educational Television provides education and public media across Kentucky and nearby states via TV and digital platforms. It creates and distributes early childhood tools, K-12 resources, online high school courses, teacher professional development, and adult learning and workforce programs, then delivers them through 16 transmitters and online platforms. Its public affairs and arts programming and non-profit public service set it apart, using the statewide broadcast and online reach to serve a broad audience. Its goal is to provide quality education and lifelong learning for all Kentuckians and to be the leading public media organization that informs, educates, and inspires.
Company Size
201-500
Company Stage
N/A
Total Funding
N/A
Headquarters
Lexington, Kentucky
Founded
1968
Get referred to KET-Kentucky Educational Television
See people who can refer or advise you
Simplify's Take
What believers are saying
- KET's Summer Celebration raised unrestricted support around its largest annual fundraising event.
- Cursive Connection adoption converts state curriculum changes into recurring educator traffic.
- KET's 2026 programs still draw over two million weekly viewers and users.
What critics are saying
- Shae Hopkins retires in 2026, forcing KET through a leadership transition.
- KET cut 36 positions in 2025 after CPB funding loss, shrinking operating capacity.
- Renee Shaw's 2026 exit weakens KET's most trusted public-affairs franchise, risking audience erosion.
What makes KET-Kentucky Educational Television unique
- KET reaches 5.5 million Kentuckians through 16 transmitters and statewide digital classrooms.
- Its K-12, adult learning, and workforce programs make KET Kentucky's public education backbone.
- Cursive Connection tied KET directly to Kentucky's 2025-2026 handwriting mandate.
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Benefits
Health Insurance
Paid Vacation
401(k) Retirement Plan
Company News
Shae Hopkins to retire as CEO of Kentucky Educational Television. August 19, 2026 Kentucky Educational Television announced Wednesday the retirement of CEO Shae Hopkins. Hopkins intends to step down at the end of the year and will stay through the transition of appointing a successor, the station said in a news release. "We are deeply grateful for Shae's exceptional leadership and unwavering commitment to KET's mission to serve Kentuckians across the commonwealth," said Kentucky Authority for Educational Television Chair Dan Griffith in a news release. "Her dedication, knowledge and experience will be hard to replicate. Her profound impact on KET's programming and operations is a lasting legacy that is recognized and celebrated by us all." "We know the next leader will be inheriting an opportunity to build on KET's significant organizational momentum and guide the future of this trusted, service-oriented educational institution," Griffin added. Hopkins has led KET since 2010. She joined the network in 1986 and also worked as founding president for the Commonwealth Fund for KET and as deputy director of programming, production and education. Hopkins served on the PBS board of directors from 2013-19 and rejoined the board in 2022. She has also been on the boards of the National Educational Telecommunications Association and the Public Television Major Market Group. In 2011, Hopkins received the National Advocacy Award from America's Public Television Stations. She received the Daniel K. Miller Station Leadership Award from PBS in 2025. "It was my good fortune to have been mentored by KET's founder Len Press and to have had the opportunity to engage in such meaningful service with such an extraordinary organization all these years," Hopkins said. "It has been an honor to work with and learn from dedicated professionals, and to engage with viewers, generous supporters, committed board members and passionate volunteers, all the while making dear friendships along the way. It has been an immense privilege to serve everyone who values and relies on KET every day." "I want to extend my deepest gratitude and appreciation to everyone who has contributed to making KET what it is today and to ask for your continued support as KET finds more ways to serve our commonwealth," Hopkins said. Featured jobs. Bellevue, WA Washington, DC SALT LAKE CITY, UT KUER, NPR Utah Phoenix, AZ New York, NY New York Public Radio Phoenix, AZ Portland, OR All Classical Radio Missoula, MT Montana Public Radio Albuquerque, NM KUNM Radio University of New Mexico Rock Island, IL WVIK, Quad Cities NPR
KET CEO Shae Hopkins to retire at end of 2026. By Lillian Metzmeier, Louisville Courier Journal USA Today Network via Reuters Connect Updated August 19, 2026 12:41 PM Gift Article Longtime Executive Director and CEO of Kentucky Educational Television Shae Hopkins is set to retire at the end of 2026, according to an Aug. 19 release. A 40-year veteran of KET, Hopkins led the statewide public media network for almost 17 years. Under her leadership, KET has been recognized with 40 regional Emmy awards and 144 nominations and 83 national and state awards, among other accolades. "It has been an honor to work with and learn from dedicated professionals, and to engage with viewers, generous supporters, committed board members and passionate volunteers, all the while making dear friendships along the way. It has been an immense privilege to serve everyone who values and relies on KET every day," Hopkins said in the release. "I want to extend my deepest gratitude and appreciation to everyone who has contributed to making KET what it is today and to ask for your continued support as KET finds more ways to serve our commonwealth." Hopkins is responsible for launching The Kentucky Channel, a 24/7 television service focused on Kentucky news. She is also credited with creating production studios in the Kentucky Capitol, establishing the Louisville Production Center and guiding recent studio improvements. "Under her leadership, the use of KET's programs and services has doubled, steadily growing to more than 2 million viewers and users each week," the release states. Throughout her career, Hopkins has been recognized with the National Advocacy Award from America's Public Television Stations, Kentucky Daughters of the American Revolution Media Award, four regional Emmy Awards and three Telly Awards. In 2025, she received the Daniel K. Miller Station Leadership Award, Public Broadcasting Service's highest honor. In the release, Kentucky Authority for Educational Television Chair Dan Griffith said a search committee will begin its work in the coming weeks to determine her successor and is focused on finding candidates with extensive public broadcasting experience. "We know the next leader will be inheriting an opportunity to build on KET's significant organizational momentum and guide the future of this trusted, service-oriented educational institution." The announcement comes nearly one month after Renee Shaw announced she was retiring from KET after 29 years. Reach reporter Lillian Metzmeier at [email protected]. Reporting by Lillian Metzmeier, Louisville Courier Journal / Louisville Courier Journal USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect This story was originally published August 19, 2026 at 12:12 PM.
KET to host Alma's Way: Explore Your City event in northern Kentucky. For Release: 07/27/26 7:57 AM KET Education is hosting a free, family-friendly Alma's Way: Explore Your City event at the Kenton County Public Library Covington Branch on August 15, 2026 from 10 am to 1 pm. In partnership with TANK, Read Ready Covington and the Kenton County Public Library, the event will feature hands-on activities, stories and games inspired by Alma's Way. Families will also learn how they can get around their community to connect and discover local places together. The event is free, but online registration is required at KET.org/AlmasWay. KET is Kentucky's largest classroom, providing trusted programming, lifelong learning opportunities and essential services to more than two million people each week. Learn more about Kentucky's preeminent public media organization at KET.org, on X @KET and at facebook.com/KET.
Renee Shaw reflects on nearly 30 years at KET. Louisville Public Media | By Bill Burton Published July 23, 2026 at 5:00 AM EDT KET's Renee Shaw will leave the public television network at the end of July. After nearly 30 years with Kentucky Educational Television, Renee Shaw is leaving the airwaves at the end of the month. Shaw has covered state politics through legislative sessions, elections and how the state has responded to natural disasters and the COVID-19 pandemic, among other topics. Before she leaves her role as director of public affairs and moderator, Shaw spoke to LPM News' Bill Burton to reflect on her career. This transcript was edited for clarity and length. Bill Burton: You're a graduate of Western Kentucky University. When you enrolled, what career did you see for yourself? Renee Shaw: This one. I didn't know it at the time, but I was a double major in broadcasting and government or political science, as it is now. I knew this was going to be the path. I had a lot of great professors who served as mentors, even up till now, who helped me really design a path that worked perfectly and fit, and helped to create what has been a 30-year career at KET. BB: Much of your career there at KET, you did focus on public policy. What drew you to that coverage? Was that the fact that you were a political science major? RS: It was. It absolutely was that. I wanted not just to cover politics, but I wanted to cover public policy, and I believed in the power of government and what government could do. I wanted to watch it up close and personal, and help write the first draft of it. I was really drawn to that space and more about how public policy affects Louisville Public Media all in its everyday lives. I really wanted to make it accessible for folks and try to explain it in terms that they could relate to and really go into the weeds for those who love the inside baseball. But at the same time, I hope that I've been able to advance a conversation about civility and civic discourse and and how to do that in a way that can still get to the truth, but in a respectful manner that hopefully causes Louisville Public Media to to bridge some of the gaps and the divides that Louisville Public Media is currently experiencing. BB: What are some of the things from your time at KET of which you're most proud? RS: Oh my goodness, you know it's like asking who's your favorite child. Everything is, you hope, is your best thing. I always say if the last thing turns out to be the last thing I did, I hope it's my best thing. Everything that I've done, whether it's sit down interviews where I've talked to lawmakers or politicians or celebrities or just everyday Kentuckians who are making a tremendous difference in their communities, all of those I put in equal measure and favor and value. BB: What can audiences expect of Kentucky Tonight and Kentucky Edition once you depart? RS: Bill, let me put to rest all of the fears. Louisville Public Media has an enormous fleet of talent at KET in its spaces and public affairs, in its cultural and arts programming, and I am not the least bit worried, and I hope viewers aren't as well. All of the people who work at KET are committed to the mission of KET, what Louisville Public Media try to advance in conversation and in civil discourse, and those values will remain front and center. All of the talent that I will leave behind, but will still have in my heart, they know how to do it. BB: What's next for you? RS: I don't know. In the short term, a couple of vacations. I haven't been one to really expend a lot of vacation time, so I'm going to travel quite a bit. There's lots of family memory making time that I've got in store, and to relax and read a few good books that are all stacked up by my nightstand and on the coffee table, and figure out what comes next. I know God will lead me to the place that I need to be.
KET's Renee Shaw to retire from the public television network at the end of July. Shaw hosts Kentucky Edition weekly and Kentucky Tonight. * Published: 8:49 pm Jul. 20, 2026 Renee Shaw, a notable Kentucky journalist who has worked at KET for 29 years, will retire from the state's public television network at the end of July. Shaw, the director of Public Affairs and moderator at KET, hosts Kentucky Edition weekly and Kentucky Tonight, the network's public policy discussion series. Ahead of elections, she moderates forums with Kentucky politicians and candidate hopefuls and leads election coverage. KET announced Shaw's retirement in a Monday morning press release. It said Shaw "played a central role in the expansion of KET's public affairs coverage to include a daily current events series, townhall-style forums, and multi-platform initiatives around issues such as aging, opioid addiction and youth mental health." "Renee is one of the most trusted and respected voices in Kentucky journalism, known for her thoughtful reporting, in-depth interviews, and commitment to civil, informed public discourse," said KET Executive Director and CEO Shae Hopkins. "We are deeply grateful for everything she's done to serve communities across the state, and we wish her all the best in this next chapter." Shaw has won numerous awards throughout her tenure at KET, including three Ohio Valley Regional Emmy awards. She has also been inducted into the Silver Circle of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS), the Kentucky Journalism Hall of Fame, the Kentucky Civil Rights Hall of Fame and Western Kentucky University's Hall of Distinguished Alumni. She also frequently travels the state to moderate and emcee at community events. She's been named a Kentucky Colonel twice - by former Republican Gov. Ernie Fletcher and by Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear - for her noteworthy accomplishments and service to Kentucky. "For nearly three decades, KET has been my professional home and offered me such rich opportunities. To sit across from governors, lawmakers, artists, educators and everyday Kentuckians has been a privilege. I have always believed that if the last thing I did becomes the last thing I did, it had better be the best thing I did," Shaw said in a statement. "As I look back on this journey, my heart is full of gratitude for the viewers who trusted me, the colleagues who inspired me, and the Commonwealth that allowed me to tell its stories." This article is republished under a Creative Commons license from Kentucky Lantern, which is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Kentucky Lantern maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Jamie Lucke for questions: [email protected]. Follow Kentucky Lantern on Facebook and Twitter. McKenna Horsley covers state politics for the Kentucky Lantern. She previously worked for newspapers in Huntington, West Virginia, and Frankfort, Kentucky. She is from northeastern Kentucky.