Director of Philanthropic Advising

The Seattle Foundation seeks an enthusiastic Director of Philanthropic Advising to lead a dedicated team focused on cultivating and strengthening connections with our esteemed network of philanthropists. In this pivotal role, you will also take charge of shaping and driving the overall strategy and goals for the organization’s fund development efforts.

Position Highlights

• Target Hiring Range: $130,000 - $140,000; Full Salary Range: $105,933 - $169,494
• Type: Permanent; Full-Time, Salary/Exempt
• Location: Hybrid Work Model; Offices located downtown Seattle, WA
• Submission Requirements:
• Resume
• Cover Letter
• Excellent PTO Package: Enjoy 3 weeks of vacation, 2 weeks of sick leave, 4 wellness days, 15 holidays, and 2 weeks off (paid) during Fourth of July and Thanksgiving weeks.

About Seattle Foundation

Founded in 1946, Seattle Foundation has guided philanthropy in the Seattle region as trusted advisors to donors who care deeply about their community and partners to organizations driving work on the frontlines. The foundation believes that the people most proximate to the issues of our time have the solutions and develop targeted strategies to inspire collective action.

The inflection point Seattle Foundation finds themselves in at this moment is about how they lean more deeply into impact work that is transformational while simultaneously retooling their business model to support this shift. In 2023, the Foundation engaged in a strategic planning process to seize the moment and lean in. The three-year strategic plan (to be publicly released later this year) is the culmination of a nine-month process involving significant dialogue and iteration with core stakeholders and potential partners across the region. This process was rooted in a commitment to advance the Blueprint for Impact through near-term goals and milestones toward their vision of a joyful region of shared prosperity, belonging, and justice.

Position Overview:

Seattle Foundation is seeking a Director of Philanthropic Advising to lead the team that stewards and engages the Foundation’s base of philanthropists and drives organization-wide fund development strategy and goals. Reporting to the Chief Philanthropy Officer, the position will advance the team’s goals of centering impact and delivering excellent customer service to deepen connections between philanthropists and Seattle Foundation’s mission. The Director is responsible for increasing the recruitment, conversion, satisfaction, and activation of new fundholders and donors.

At their core, the Director of Philanthropic Advising will be a movement builder. They should be able to challenge, shape, and influence narratives that define philanthropy and, as a result, build excitement and momentum around what it means to be a member of Seattle Foundation. The Director should be passionate about inspiring joy and collective action through philanthropy.

The Director of Philanthropic Advising will lead the development of a replicable, sustainable, and impactful practice of philanthropic advising that guides donors toward aligning their giving with equity, social justice, and systems change principles. This role requires strategic vision, operational and people leadership, change management and a hands-on approach to creating and scaling a replicable model for fundholder engagement. The Director will be responsible for developing a consistent practice of advising, in addition to overseeing the Philanthropic Advisors’ outreach, education, engagement, and fundraising processes. The Director is responsible for ensuring philanthropists’ objectives are met and their understanding of impactful philanthropy and community-based solutions is broadened with the goal of greater awareness and, ultimately, deeper investment.

The Director will supervise a high-performing team and work collaboratively across the team and organization to develop evaluation strategies, metrics and dashboards to track donor engagement and movement toward impactful giving. Ideal candidates for this position will exemplify passion and commitment to the mission and hold demonstrated experience in the power of collective action. Seattle Foundation is seeking the following qualities in a future Director: empathy, humility, creativity resilience persevering through challenges, deep care for all stakeholders, ability to think outside the box and a willingness to learn from others.

Key Responsibilities

Leadership and Operations

• Develop and implement a strategic and replicable practice of philanthropic advising that can scale across diverse donor profiles and issue areas.
• Establish measurable goals and benchmarks for the advising practice to ensure alignment with organizational priorities.
• Identify and facilitate conversations with fundholders to increase their understanding of Seattle Foundation’s vision and values.
• Identify potential conflicts and escalate appropriately to mitigate risk.
• Work collaboratively with internal teams to define key performance indicators for fundholder engagement and impact.
• In partnership with the Director, Philanthropic Strategies, build dashboards and reporting tools to track donor progress along the journey toward engagement, equity, and systems change.
• Use data to inform strategies, improve processes, and communicate outcomes to internal and external stakeholders.
• Oversight and responsibility for replenishment goals as outlined in the organizational budget.
• Build and lead a high-performing team of philanthropic advisors, focusing on their professional development, performance management, and alignment with organizational values.

• Oversee team budget, program evaluation, and reporting for the philanthropic advising practice.
• Continuously refine and lead team change management for the advising model based on donor feedback, evaluation findings, and emerging trends in philanthropy.
• Represent the organization at events and engagements to strengthen stakeholder relationships and brand presence.

Program Development

• Build a comprehensive suite of resources, tools, and workshops to educate fundholders about equity, social justice, and systems change.
• Guide fundholders through a values-based journey, helping them understand systemic inequities and align their giving to drive equitable and just outcomes.
• Oversee the design and implementation of personalized strategies for fundholders and their families to maximize their impact, focusing on long-term systems change.
• Oversee a portfolio of fundholders focused on impact investing and/or specific high-level needs.
• Institutionalize the practice of philanthropic advising, driving consistency and quality control by documenting procedures, formalizing policies, and internalizing systems within the Philanthropic Services team.

Collaboration and Stakeholder Engagement

• Partner with and lead cross-functional internal teams, including with impact, communications, and development staff, to integrate advising services with broader organizational goals.
• Collaborate with external partners, thought leaders, and grantees to amplify impact and share best practices.
• Foster a culture of co-learning and collaboration between fundholders and the communities they seek to support.
• Partner with communications staff to effectively tell stories of both the fundholders’ and the Foundation’s impact through various channels.
• Participate in and contribute to marketing and communications collateral for philanthropists, including reports, newsletters, education briefings, other publications.

Requirements

• Minimum 7+ years of experience in philanthropy, donor advising, financial services, or transferable experience. Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy certification or equivalent knowledge gained through professional experience is highly desirable.
• 5+ years leading teams with direct reporting relationships.
• Demonstrated experience developing and operationalizing long-term vision and short-term tactics to achieve strategic goals.
• Demonstrated experience engaging and activating new donors and building retention strategies for existing donors.
• Demonstrated experience forging and nurturing new and long-term relationships with diverse stakeholders to increase the flow of resources moving into community.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills. The ability to articulate a compelling vision and inspire others to engage in (sometimes challenging) conversations.
• Demonstrated experience moving, securing, and mobilizing resources.
• Ability to lead through change, both as an individual competency and in leading a team.
• Experienced people manager who can mentor, motivate and develop staff to reach goals and achieve team success.
• Thought leadership and knowledge of trends and best practices in philanthropy.
• Demonstrated success and direct responsibility for cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship at the major gifts level resulting in significant support for an organization and/or experience working with high-net-worth donors to help them achieve their philanthropic goals.
• Fluency with Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems.

Benefits

• 100% Paid by employer: medical, dental, vision, life, AD&D, LTD. 403(b)

• Retirement matched at 5%; increasing to 10% over time, 100% immediate vesting.
• PTO: 3 weeks’ vacation, 2 weeks sick, 4 wellness days, 15 holidays,
• $1,200 annual remote work benefit, $750 annual wellness benefit, $1,200 annual transit benefit; Professional development stipend, optional Flex plan and dependent coverage.
• The hiring range reflects SeaFdn’s objective to hire at approximately the mid-range within the associated grade. Per Washington State law, SeaFdn discloses the full range of the associated grade for this position; this range is 100% of range and has not been adjusted. 

Physical Demands and Working Conditions:

The work is performed remotely, in an office setting, or a hybrid combination. All positions require the capability of working at a PC for extended periods. Team efforts with event support may require periods of physical activity involving standing, walking, and moderate lifting. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the primary functions of the role.

Safety and Health Requirements:

Seattle Foundation places the health and safety of its employees and the communities we serve as our highest priority. To support this priority, we require that all employees be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Waivers are available for accepted medical and religious exemptions.

Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion:

Seattle Foundation envisions a thriving region of shared prosperity, belonging, and justice, where all individuals and communities have equitable access and outcomes, regardless of race, place, or identity. We are committed to advancing racial equity using an intersectional lens, and integrate our diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts into all that we do. We hold ourselves accountable to uphold our organizational values and strive to do better every day.

About Seattle Foundation Continued...

Seattle Foundation has gone through significant growth and change over the past several years. The Foundation carried out a strategic refocus in 2020, shaping the Blueprint for Impact framework that explicitly centers racial equity and inclusion as critical to everything they do. Alesha Washington, President & CEO, joined the Foundation in May 2022 and is guiding the Foundation towards honing its strategic focus and community impact. In March 2024, Seattle Foundation’s Board approved a three-year strategic plan focused on near-term opportunities to deepen impact and a roadmap to financial sustainability to evolve their business model.

Building on our core strategic grantmaking approach and guided by our recently adopted strategic plan, Seattle Foundation will work to use our voice and grantmaking activities to advance community priorities around the following three areas:  1) affordable housing financing, 2) transit-oriented development, and 3) equitable childcare access. These are cross-cutting issue areas, meaning that their work does not live in siloes and the work their grantees do in these areas is multi-dimensional. These are high-impact opportunities with near term milestones that both allow the organization to advance toward their vision and inspire stakeholders to join them.

By focusing on these high-priority issues, the Foundation can employ the unique skills and relationships that they hold in service of communities most impacted by racism and other inequities. As the Greater Seattle region changes and new policies are passed to maximize public resources, the specific near-term opportunities will evolve. The Foundation’s priorities will always be guided by their community grant partners proximate to the needs of community.