Associate Director, Professional Advisor Relations 

Location: San Francisco, CA Department: Philanthropy and Gift Planning Type: Limited-Term 6/30/28 Full-Time, Exempt Min. Experience: Mid-level 

The Semi-monthly (per pay period) compensation for this position in FY26 is: $7,241.46 per pay period

Organizational Result: 

All people living in the San Francisco Bay Area are economically secure, rooted in vibrant communities and engaged in civic life. 

We Value: 

Anti-racism, Boldness, Equity, Racial Justice, and being Rooted in Community 

The following sections are designed based on the Results Based Leadership for Racial Equity Framework that the Foundation uses to accomplish our work. As a learning organization, we expect staff to incorporate learning into their core work and the tasks related to the functional position. All staff should expect to devote time to learning activities related to our values and skillset development. People managers should expect to spend a significant amount of time coaching, developing, and managing people with the balance of the time for all staff spent on relationship building internally and externally and achievement of outcome goals of role and foundation. 

Position Summary: 

The Associate Director of Professional Advisor Relations is responsible for the strategy, management, and implementation of a professional advisor engagement plan that generates new business through the creation of new charitable funds, estate planning gift intentions, and direct contributions to the San Francisco Foundation. This role works directly with professional advisors and firms looking for resources and expertise for their clients. This role serves as the lead staff person for the SFF Professional Advisors Council and the Emerging Advisors Network, and plans and executes outreach events and activities for the larger advisor community. This role is central to our efforts to encourage philanthropy in the Bay Area, and to advance our commitment to equity in the region. 

Boundaries 

The Associate Director is a member of the Gift Planning team, which is part of the larger Philanthropy and Gift Planning (PGP) Department. This role focuses mainly on engaging with external constituents, including investment managers, attorneys, tax professionals, family offices, and other wealth advisors. 

Authority 

The Associate Director of Professional Advisor Relations is a member of the Philanthropy and Gift Planning Department and reports to the Senior Director of Gift Planning. This position is primarily responsible for engaging with external stakeholders and relies upon the collaboration of all other foundation departments to accomplish its goals. 

Role 

• Leads strategy development and implementation of outreach efforts designed to build and maintain a strong prospect/donor referral network from professional advisors. 
• Supports the development and growth of partnerships with advisors and clients/donors who value being part of a generous community of changemakers in the Bay Area. 
• Creates and executes a professional advisors engagement plan that will generate new client referrals, charitable funds, planned gift intentions, and outright gifts to SFF. 
• Builds, expands, and deepens awareness of SFF and our philanthropic products and services within the Bay Area professional advisor community through multiple forms of communication, including 1:1 intro meetings, firm presentations, sponsorship, and membership opportunities, SFF newsletters, social media posts. 
• Identifies and establishes new relationships with advisors and firms who serve UHNW and HNW individuals, families, and businesses. 
• Develops and implements strategies to diversify advisor roster and attract new business from advisors and clients of color. 
• Manages and engages SFF’s Professional Advisors Council, through quarterly meetings and other events. 
• Creates, oversees, and evaluates the activities of the Emerging Advisors Network, including the annual philanthropy workshop. 

Tasks 

• Collaborates with the Senior Director of Gift Planning and the Planned Giving Officer on building and strengthening advisor relationships. 
• Identifies and implements innovative strategies, platforms and technical tools that enable SFF to diversify our donor based and reach a broader network of advisors. 
• Collaborates to develop and implement reporting and evaluation processes for the role. 
• Tracks, measures, and demonstrates financial value of professional advisor relations. 
• Collaborates across PGP and the Foundation to understand and articulate SFF’s value proposition to donors and advisors. 
• Represents SFF at advisor meetings, continuing education seminars, and networking opportunities. 
• Provides strategic direction and implementation for SFF-hosted events and training that relates to professional advisor engagement. 
• Maintains ongoing communications with the existing network of advisors, including the advisor newsletter and mass communications and one-on-one interactions that support the overall strategy. 
• Creates, oversees, and evaluates the activities of the Emerging Advisors Network, including the annual philanthropy workshop. 
• Plans and coordinates the annual Spring luncheon, with the collaboration of the Marketing Communications Department and other internal support. 
• Documents all external interactions in a complete and timely manner in CRM. 
• Maintains up-to-date knowledge of SFF programs and priorities. 
• Maintains up-to-date knowledge of gift planning vehicles, current events, and regulatory/legislative/tax policy issues in philanthropy. 

Competencies & Qualifications 

• 5-7 years of related experience 
• Related experience in wealth management, estate planning, accounting, professional service sales, community foundation, or nonprofit planned giving/development 
• Bachelor’s degree preferred, or equivalent and relevant experience preferred. 
• Proven track record in new business development, charitable gift planning, nonprofit fundraising, or other relationship-based profession 
• Ability to understand and communicate finance, accounting, and investment strategies to a wide range of audiences, including donors and professional advisors 
• Successful track record in the identification, cultivation, and solicitation of donors, clients, and/or high net worth individuals 
• Ability to adjust the case for support depending on the variety of advisor-related interests and incentives 
• Willingness to meet with advisors in person in a variety of settings 
• Understanding of community foundation business model, products, and services preferred 
• Knowledge of nonprofit regulations, tax regulations, estate planning, and regulatory trends preferred 
• Familiarity with the San Francisco Bay Area professional advisors’ community 
• Experience building relationships with professional advisors 
• Mature interpersonal work style, ability to interact well with a diverse range of professionals 
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills 
• Strong customer -service orientation 
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail and accuracy 
• Willingness and ability to handle confidential information 
• Intermediate to advanced computer/software skills, including Microsoft 365 (Outlook, Word, PowerPoint, Excel, & Teams) and Zoom 
• Ability to learn, navigate and manage online platforms, including Smartsheet and Salesforce 

We are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace, so if you are excited about this role, but your past experience does not align exactly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles. 

Compensation: The San Francisco Foundation offers a very competitive total compensation package including base compensation in alignment with our organizational budget size and rich medical and fringe benefits offerings. This position pays $7,241.46 per pay period. You may read more about our compensation philosophy and benefits on the career page. 

Remote Work Policy: The Foundation has adopted a long-term hybrid in-person and remote work policy. Dedicated to its employee health and safety, The Foundation will continue to make decisions in accordance with San Francisco County and California mandates. Employees must reside or plan to relocate within the San Francisco Bay Area. 

Requesting Accommodations: The Foundation is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. As part of this commitment, The Foundation will ensure that persons with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations. If reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and/or to receive other benefits and privileges of employment, please contact hr@sff.org. 

The San Francisco Foundation is an equal opportunity employer and encourages people of diverse backgrounds to apply.