Hiring Organization Information

Organizational Overview

Seattle Foundation is a community foundation that works to advance equity, shared prosperity, and belonging throughout the region while strengthening the impact of the philanthropists it serves. Founded in 1946, we continue to evolve to be the organization our community needs. With more than $1.2 billion in assets under management, we work with partners to provide effective advising, education, and experiential learning for our philanthropists interested in making a difference both at home here in Seattle and around the world. Since 2016, our grantmaking, advocacy, and policy work have helped drive over $5 billion in public investments across Greater Seattle for children, housing, transit, and climate justice. Learn more at: www.seattlefoundation.org.

Role Responsibilities

Position Overview:

Seattle Foundation is seeking a proactive, relationship-oriented, and technically skilled Gift Planning Advisor to join our Philanthropic Services team. Reporting to the Director of Gift Planning, this position serves as a trusted charitable planning resource to donors and their professional advisors - including wealth managers, CPAs, trust officers, and estate planning attorneys – and is directly accountable for converting philanthropic intent into completed documented gifts. 

The Advisor is responsible for helping individuals, families, and organizations achieve their philanthropic goals through the establishment of Donor Advised Funds, nonprofit endowment funds, charitable trusts, and documented estate gifts, and owns the growth in charitable assets and deferred gift commitments that result from those relationships. 

As a member of the Gift Planning team, the Advisor is often among the first points of contact for prospective donors and referring professional advisors and is accountable for the experience and impression the Foundation makes at that critical first touchpoint. This role combines charitable planning expertise, relationship management, and business development to cultivate philanthropic opportunities and convert them into long-term partnerships that expand the Foundation’s philanthropic capital and community impact. The Advisor owns a portfolio of professional advisors and planned giving donors, is responsible for building and qualifying a pipeline of new referral relationships and serves as an ambassador for the Foundation throughout the community. 

The ideal candidate for this position has demonstrated business development experience including building a pipeline, qualifying leads, and being voice that brings in, moves and influences transformative capital to create community change in our region. Success in this role requires strong emotional intelligence, sound judgment, attention to detail, and the ability to navigate complex conversations with donors, families, and advisors. The ideal candidate is equally comfortable discussing charitable planning strategies, building trusted relationships, facilitating fund establishment, and representing the Foundation at meetings, events, and community engagements.

The Gift Planning Advisor is accountable for measurable results that strengthen Seattle Foundation’s long-term financial sustainability and community impact: growth in new and deferred gifts, expansion of the charitable assets under management, deeper and more productive donor and advisor relationships, and increased philanthropic investment in our region. Success in this role is defined not by activity alone, but by the transformative capital moved and the enduring partnerships built. By connecting generous individuals and families with meaningful opportunities for impact, this position directly advances the Foundation’s mission while strengthening its standing as a leading philanthropic partner in the community. 

Responsibilities:

• Grow the number of philanthropists who partner with Seattle Foundation—and the charitable assets they commit—through the establishment of Donor Advised Funds, endowment funds, charitable trusts, and documented estate gifts, and through active engagement of our services and support of our work in the community. 
• Own donor and advisor inquiries end to end, delivering a responsive, high-trust experience that reflects the Foundation’s brand and moves interest toward lasting partnership. 
• Serve as a trusted advisor to donors and their professional advisors by communicating Seattle Foundation's value proposition, service offerings, fee structure, and charitable giving solutions, positioning the Foundation and its philanthropic vehicles as the preferred partner for achieving clients' charitable goals.
• Move prospective donors through the full pipeline—from initial inquiry through cultivation, decision-making, and completed fund establishment—accountable for advancing and closing new philanthropic commitments.
• Own and steward an assigned portfolio of bequest donors and professional advisors, accountable for retaining these relationships and ensuring the Foundation remains their trusted, lifelong partner. 
• Position the Foundation as a valued philanthropic partner in all that we do including building authentic collaboration with donors, exploring and prioritizing donor’s goals for their charitable legacy, and advancing our collective philanthropic impact.
• Build and steward strategic relationships with Professional Advisors (wealth advisors, CPAs, trust officers, and estate planning attorneys), accountable for generating a measurable increase in qualified referrals, strengthening the Foundation’s visibility, and securing outright and deferred gifts. 
• Drive strategies that grow “Changemaker Circle” (legacy society) membership and deepen engagement with individuals who have included the Foundation in their estate plans.
• Prepare, draft, and process fund agreements, donor correspondence, and related documentation with accuracy and timeliness, ensuring every charitable fund and gift plan is established and maintained without error or delay. 
• Plan and lead in-person and virtual events that educate donors and advisors, strengthen relationships, and generate measurable referrals to the Foundation’s services. 
• Advance the Gift Planning team’s communications and marketing impact, including producing a quarterly professional advisor-focused eNews and collaborating on marketing collateral and educational materials that drive engagement and referrals. 
• Serve as a visible ambassador for the Foundation in the community through speaking engagements, professional organizations, conferences, educational seminars, and other events, expanding the Foundation’s reach and reputation. 
• Maintain current expertise in philanthropic, charitable planning, tax, financial, and estate planning trends, as well as community issues and the Foundation’s initiatives and priorities, applying that knowledge to strengthen donor and advisor guidance.
• Collaborate effectively across the Foundation—including Philanthropic Services Team, cross-department, and Foundation-wide meetings—and contribute to task forces and special projects that advance shared organizational goals. 
• Maintain accurate, timely records and documentation of all donor, prospect, and advisor interactions in the Foundation’s CRM, ensuring data integrity that supports reliable reporting and sound decision-making. 

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in business development, fundraising, philanthropic advising, sales, financial services, or other relationship-focused, customer-facing roles.
• Demonstrated success achieving revenue, fundraising, relationship-development, referral-generation, or business-development goals, with an ability to independently manage a pipeline and convert opportunities into measurable results.   
• Direct experience working in wealth management, fundraising and/or business development with UHNW/HNW audiences, or working through intermediaries such a professional advisors. 
• Strong understanding of planned giving vehicles and charitable planning strategies, with the ability to discuss complex philanthropic concepts with donors and advisors.
• Proven experience developing donor relationships, managing a portfolio of donors, prospects, and professional advisors, and guiding prospective donors through the cultivation and decision-making process.
• Ability to communicate investment management concepts and understand key financial, tax, and estate planning terminology relevant to charitable giving.
• Strong commitment to Seattle Foundation's mission, vision, values, and role within the community.
• Excellent interpersonal skills with a demonstrated ability to build trust, collaborate across departments, and develop productive relationships with donors, advisors, nonprofit leaders, and community partners.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, including public speaking, presentations, and the ability to tailor messaging to diverse audiences.
• Strong project management, organizational, and administrative skills, with meticulous attention to detail and the ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously.
• Experience using customer relationship management (CRM) systems and an understanding of the importance of accurate data management, documentation, and reporting in development work.
• Commitment to continuous learning, including staying current on philanthropic trends, charitable planning strategies, and regulations impacting community foundations.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working within a community foundation, private foundation, nonprofit development office, financial services firm, trust company, wealth management practice, or similar philanthropic environment.
• Background in financial planning, trust and estate administration, accounting, law, tax planning, or another field closely connected to charitable gift planning.
• Deep understanding of the nonprofit sector and philanthropic landscape in King County, with the ability to connect donors to meaningful charitable opportunities and community impact.
• Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy® (CAP®) designation or other relevant professional credential, or willingness to obtain.

How to Apply