Philanthropic Services Advisor

Department: Philanthropy and Gift Planning
Reports to: Director of Philanthropy
Hours and Location: This is a full-time, exempt position, in a hybrid environment, that requires working onsite (200 Frank H. Ogawa, Oakland) for at least 3 days a week. It may also include occasional local travel to and from partner organizations, businesses, and donors. Occasional evenings and weekends will be required for events and networking. 
Starting Salary: $90,000-97,000
Ideal Start Date: July 1

Position Summary

About the East Bay Community Foundation  

Founded in 1928, EBCF is one of the nation’s first community foundations. Named the country’s “boldest” community foundation in 2019 by Inside Philanthropy, EBCF is committed to advancing an inclusive, fair, and just East Bay through four core program strategies: 

• Arts and Culture for Social and Racial Justice: Storytelling, the arts, and cultural practices have always been important tools for survival, healing, and resistance. These creative expressions build community resilience and power and give voice, agency, and visibility to communities most harmed by oppression. 

• Capacity Building with a Racial Equity Lens: EBCF is helping to strengthen organizations and the people who lead them, working to change systems in communities that have historically received little support. We want to ensure that organizations have the sustained investments and resources they need to eradicate systemic and institutional racism. 

• Community Organizing, Power Building, and Movement Building: We believe that social movements led by communities most impacted by injustice are the most effective drivers of change. We resource BIPOC-led and serving power-building organizations through long term trust-based partnerships. 
   

• Fostering Inclusive Economic Models: We address racial and economic inequities in our region through work in three areas– entrepreneurship & business ownership as pathways to wealth building; workers’ rights and protections; and impact investing. 

  

With a geographic focus on Alameda and Contra Costa counties, EBCF works so that everyone has the economic freedom to dream, heal, and belong. We advance our work through leadership, grantmaking, impact investing, and building solidarity between donors and community. We commit to deploying all our resources in service of our mission and pushing beyond industry norms to offer uniquely impactful opportunities for our fund advisers to build A Just East Bay for all. EBCF manages more than 500 funds, with total assets in excess of $600M.These funds include donor-advised scholarships, field of interest, supporting organizations, and agency endowments. 

Joining EBCF means a commitment to advancing racial equity and transforming political, social, and economic realities. We will do this by creating spaces that center joy and opportunities for dreaming and reimagining a future for all who call the East Bay home to have the freedom to thrive for generations to come. 

For more information on the East Bay Community Foundation, please visit ebcf.org. 

Position Overview 

The Philanthropic Services Advisor is responsible for supporting the department’s fundraising efforts by providing stellar stewardship and customer service, event management, gift processing and data management, fund management, tailored donor engagement, and campaign coordination.  

Acting as a primary point of contact for our high net-worth clients and donors, the position ensures exceptional service and fosters meaningful relationships with our extensive donor base of individual, family, and non-profit clients. 

The Team  

We are a hardworking, dynamic, playful, and fast-paced team of professionals who reflect the diversity of the East Bay, share a sense of humor, a positive attitude, and a low ego high output mindset. We support EBCF’s fundraising efforts for local social justice work and see huge potential for growing our impact in the region and beyond.  

Essential Duties & Responsibilities  

These are the areas of work assigned to the Philanthropic Services Advisor; we do not expect applicants to have experience in every area.   

Fund Stewardship & Engagement (25%) 

1. Provide excellent customer service for technical and administrative needs, including prompt replies to queries and following up on administrative details, while utilizing strong conflict management skills, and escalating to management when appropriate.  

2. Manage department phone line and email accounts, forms and calendars, and respond to inquiries promptly and professionally. 

3. Draft and send new fund agreements, update CRM with new profiles and relationships, and communication materials. 

4. Prepare and send donor communications, regarding new fund creation, fund updates, gifts, grants, and financial statements, and annual campaigns, events.  

5. Manage fund closure logistics, provide excellent communication with fund advisors, and the philanthropy and finance teams, and make updates to the database. 

6. Support the donor stewardship cycle, in partnership with the department, including new client welcome materials, event reminders, anniversary cards, etc. 

7. Support department hospitality including greeting guests, preparing meeting materials, 
   food and beverage, swag, clean-up, etc. Supporting the Director of Philanthropy in compiling donor profiles and Giving History Reports to support tailored engagement strategies and for donor solicitations.  

8. Represent EBCF professionally, with a sense of genuine warmth and hospitality at events.  

9. Work occasional after hours, evening, and weekend events.  

  

Fundraising & Philanthropic Services Support (20%) 

1. Process gift contributions; working closely with the Philanthropic Operations Manager and Finance Department to monitor and ensure the accuracy of gift and donor information entry and fund compliance. 

2. Manage donor tax and acknowledgement letters and collaborate with Philanthropy and other colleagues to identify and generate special donor acknowledgments as needed.   

3. Identify and capture pertinent information during gift entry process, updating records within the CRM to preserve data integrity, reflect donor preferences and ensure the confidentiality of gift and associated donor records.  

4. Create and maintain accurate constituent, action, and fund records in the CRM, including name and address changes to ensure profiles are up to date.  

5. Research key constituencies (professional advisors, current and potential donors and board members, etc.) and capture pertinent information in CRM in support of relationship building efforts.  

6. Build donor profiles in the CRM.  

7. Respond to donor inquiries and introduce fund advisors to opportunities that align with their charitable goals.  

8. Support the gift planning team by the creation of individual giving plans and researching organizations for fund advisors.     

9. Create thematic Giving Guides in coordination with CIP & SPAs.   

10. Assist in planning and executing donor site visits, educational sessions, and community tours.  

Event Management (20%)  

1. Lead the planning of a wide array of events, including dinners, speaker series, educational meetings, networking events, and 100^th anniversary gala, both online and in person. 

2. Lead pre and post event logistics including catering, decor, setup, breakdown, manage invitation and rsvp, and prepare guest briefs. 

3. Develop marketing and promotion materials and communications, including invitations, programs, and sponsorships, mail chimp campaigns, social media posts. 

4. Oversee event budgets, including negotiation with vendors, tracking expenses, and providing financial reports, as well as manage timelines, and vendor relationships. 

5. Manage post-event tasks like acknowledgments, surveys, financial reconciliation, and post event data entry. 

6. Represent EBCF professionally, with a sense of genuine warmth and hospitality at events. 

7. Work occasional afterhours, evening, and weekend events. 

Manage a Portfolio of Transactional, Giving Circles, & Supporting Organizations (20%) 

1. Provide Fund Advisor administrative support with the donor portal, grant recommendations, and other administrative needs.  

2. Provide administrative support for a portfolio of Giving Circles. This includes, but is not limited to, scheduling meetings and events, taking meeting minutes, managing files and event calendar, completing billing and expense reports.  

3. Coordinate and provide administrative support for Supporting Organizations. This includes, but is not limited to, scheduling meetings and events, taking meeting minutes, managing files and event calendar, completing billing and expense reports, maintaining documentation to ensure IRS compliance, membership tracking of board of directors and officers, and serving as a liaison between the client and other EBCF departments.  

Cross Department Collaboration (15%) 

1. Assist Communications Department in updating content on the EBCF website as needed, generally related to fund administration and internal processing timelines (Word Press).  

2. Coordinate with Philanthropy and Communications team for updates to donor portal.   

3. Work with members of the Finance and Grants department to ensure consistent record management across data systems and perform research for audits as requested.  

4. Maintain documentation to ensure IRS compliance of supporting organizations, membership tracking of board of directors and officers, and other special projects. 

Skills, Abilities & Knowledge 

These are skills, abilities, knowledge, and experience qualifications we hope applicants will demonstrate in their application, but we do not expect applicants to possess all of these.   

1. Strong racial justice and social justice background, with the ability to listen, learn, and communicate with integrity and authenticity.  

2. Demonstrated commitment to EBCF’s mission, values, and goal of building an East Bay where everyone has the freedom to dream, heal, and belong.   

3. A minimum of 4 years of prior administrative experience, preferably in a philanthropic, nonprofit, or community-based organization, or a desire to grow in these fields.   

4. Excellent written and verbal communication skills, and interpersonal skills with the ability to thrive in a team environment. Capable of cultivating and sustaining positive working relationships with EBCF staff, community members, elected officials, colleagues in other foundations, and members of the nonprofit sector.  

5. Superior MS Office Suite skills (specifically advanced pivot features in Excel).  

6. Experience with database and CRM platforms, and project management tools, ideally for a philanthropic institution or nonprofit, such as FIMS, Blackbaud, Raiser’s Edge NXT, or Salesforce.  

7. High degree of initiative, flexibility, and the ability to anticipate client and the team’s needs and to thrive in a fast-paced environment in an organization undergoing substantial change at all levels.  

8. Results-oriented: Someone who gets it done, and is determined, creative, and solutions oriented.  

9. Strong project management: A strong track record of creating work plans, setting measurable goals and targets, balancing multiple tasks and projects, and meeting deadlines; strong administrative acumen and meticulous attention to detail. Comfort with effectively communicating about progress.  

10. Experience with event planning and execution.  

11. Exhibit a high degree of professionalism, integrity, good judgment, discretion, and a commitment to professional excellence.  

12. Creativity & willingness to learn: Excitement for and experience developing and executing new business strategies, testing bold approaches towards philanthropy, and centering donor experiences and learning, while appreciating, learning from, and building on EBCF’s rich history and tried-and-true models. Solicits and welcomes contributions from staff at all levels in the organization towards successfully building relationships with our donors. Experience using AI research tools such as ChatGPT, ClaudeAI, and Bard.  

13. Knowledge of and relationships in the East Bay, particularly around philanthropy and its social justice landscape.  

14. Bachelor’s degree preferred or equivalent and relevant experience.  
      

The Ideal Candidate will Have: 

1. A warm and charismatic demeanor, a growth mindset, a sense of humor, low ego, and high output.  

2. A high degree of initiative, flexibility, and the ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment in an organization undergoing substantial change at all levels.  

3. An openness, fluency, and comfort in talking about oppressions such as racism, sexism, and classism, and an understanding of how their own experiences and background relate.  

4. A knowledge of and relationships in the East Bay, particularly around philanthropy and its social justice landscape, including community foundations, private foundations, and nonprofit agencies.  

  

Salary and Benefits   

The salary range for this position is $90,000 – $97,000 

EBCF offers a comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, and vision insurance, a 401k retirement savings plan with 5% employee match, group term life insurance, disability insurance, 15 days of paid time off in year one to three, 20 days in year four and thereafter, sick leave, and 17 paid holidays per year. Plus, a Flexible Spending Account, an Employee Assistance Program, an annual professional development budget, commuter benefits, and matching gifts program.    

How to Apply 
To apply, please submit a combined PDF or Microsoft Word file of a cover letter and resume, via LinkedIn at Philanthropic Services Advisor. In your cover letter, please share how your experience matches the job description and why you are interested in working for EBCF. 
 
— 

The East Bay Community Foundation (EBCF) is an equal-opportunity employer committed to racial justice and equity. EBCF does not discriminate in employment opportunities or practices on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion, national origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, or any other characteristic protected by law and is an employment-at-will organization. The Foundation welcomes and encourages people of color, women, LGBTQIA+ people, and members of other historically disenfranchised groups to apply.