Sr. Director, Growth & Gift and Estate Planning

COASTAL COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF SC INC•North Charleston, SC

11h•$108,000 - $139,000

About The Position

The Senior Director of Growth & Gift and Estate Planning is a senior philanthropy leadership position on the CCF Philanthropy Team responsible for driving growth in charitable assets, expanding philanthropic capital, increasing estate gift commitments, and strengthening professional advisor engagement across Coastal Community Foundation's service area. Under the supervision of the VP of Philanthropy and serving as the Foundation's primary internal resource for charitable gift planning and growth strategy, this position develops and executes initiatives that attract new donors, creates new philanthropic funds, grows legacy commitments, and advances organizational fundraising priorities. The role serves as a strategic partner to the philanthropic advising team, the donor experience team, the philanthropic operations team, Foundation leadership and supporting organizations by providing expertise in charitable gift planning, complex gift strategies, and philanthropic growth opportunities. The Senior Director leads the Foundation's Professional Advisor Collaborative and serves as a key ambassador to attorneys, CPAs, financial advisors, wealth managers, trust officers, estate planning professionals and family offices throughout Coastal South Carolina. The position is responsible for expanding charitable planning awareness, generating referrals, increasing planned giving activity, and building long-term philanthropic partnerships that support community impact. This position collaborates closely with relationship managers across the philanthropy team. While the role may manage select strategic professional advisor relationships, responsibility for ongoing donor relationship management will remain with assigned Philanthropic Advisors or other designated relationship managers. The Senior Director serves as a planning strategist, growth partner, and gift planning subject matter expert in support of donor and Foundation objectives.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree required.
Minimum of ten years of experience in charitable gift planning, major gifts, philanthropy, financial planning, estate planning, wealth management, or related fields.
Demonstrated success securing major gifts and planned gifts.
Experience working with attorneys, CPAs, wealth advisors, trust officers, and other professional advisors.
Strong knowledge of charitable planning vehicles and philanthropic strategies.
Excellent relationship-building, networking, communication, and presentation skills.
Ability to lead multiple strategic initiatives simultaneously.

Nice To Haves

JD, MBA, CFP®, CPA, CAP®, CFRE, or related advanced credentials.
Community foundation experience.
Knowledge of charitable tax law, estate planning strategies, and complex gift administration.
Experience building advisor networks and educational programs.
Familiarity with donor CRM, fundraising analytics, and planned giving technology tools.

Responsibilities

Develop and implement strategies to increase charitable assets, philanthropic capital, and community impact.
Lead initiatives focused on new donor acquisition, new fund development, estate commitments, and growth opportunities.
Identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward major and planned gift prospects.
Build and manage a robust pipeline of current and deferred gift opportunities.
Support campaign planning, prospect strategy, and major gift development for Foundation fundraising priorities, including special initiatives and growth campaigns.
Collaborate with Philanthropy leadership to establish growth goals, performance metrics, and fundraising strategies.
Monitor key growth indicators including new funds established, charitable assets secured, planned gift commitments, donor acquisition, and campaign activity.
Serve as the Foundation's primary internal resource for charitable gift planning, planned giving best practices, and tax-efficient charitable giving strategies by providing ongoing technical guidance, training, and consultation to Foundation staff and supporting organizations.
Advise donors, prospects, Philanthropic Officers, and professional advisors regarding charitable planning opportunities.
Provide expertise involving: Bequests and estate gifts; Charitable remainder trusts; Charitable lead trusts; Beneficiary designations; Retirement assets; Life insurance gifts; Real estate gifts; Closely held business interests; Non-cash and complex assets
Collaborate with donors' legal, tax, and financial advisors to develop charitable solutions that align philanthropic and financial objectives.
Partner with Operations, Finance, Legal counsel, and Philanthropy colleagues to ensure effective implementation and administration of complex gifts.
Support development of gift acceptance procedures, planned giving resources, estate gift documentation, and related policies.
Serve as an internal consultant and strategic resource to relationship managers on planned and blended gift opportunities.
Develop and lead the Foundation's Professional Advisor Collaborative.
Create and implement a comprehensive strategy for engagement of attorneys, CPAs, CFPs, trust officers, financial advisors, and wealth management professionals.
Establish an advisor council that serves as both a strategic partner and ambassador network for the Foundation.
Build relationships with advisors throughout the CCF footprint and across Coastal South Carolina.
Position the Foundation as a premier charitable planning resource for professional advisors and their clients.
Develop referral strategies that generate new funds, charitable gifts, estate commitments, and philanthropic partnerships.
Recruit, engage, and steward advisor ambassadors and volunteers.
Design and execute an annual professional advisor education plan.
Lead seminars, workshops, webinars, and continuing education opportunities focused on charitable planning and philanthropy.
Develop charitable planning resources, publications, case studies, and thought leadership content.
Partner with professional associations, community organizations, and educational institutions to expand advisor engagement.
Serve as a Foundation spokesperson on charitable gift planning, legacy giving, and philanthropic strategies.
Provide ongoing planned giving education and training for CCF staff and supporting organization leadership to strengthen charitable planning knowledge, donor engagement, and gift development capabilities across the Foundation network.
Develop and deliver regular charitable planning and philanthropic strategy updates, including changes in federal and state tax laws, estate planning regulations, and charitable giving incentives relevant to donors, professional advisors, CCF staff, and supporting organizations.
Serve as a member of the Philanthropy Leadership Team.
Collaborate closely with: Director of Philanthropic Advising; Director of Donor Experience & Engagement; Senior Director of Philanthropic Operations; Philanthropic Advisors; Marketing & Communications Team; Finance and Compliance Staff
Contribute to strategic planning, campaign development, growth initiatives, and organizational priorities.
Help define and strengthen systems that support prospect identification, gift planning integration, advisor engagement, stewardship, and donor growth strategies.
Represent the Foundation at community, philanthropic, and professional events.
Maintain a regular presence throughout Coastal Community Foundation's nine-county service area to cultivate donor, advisor, and community relationships; represent the Foundation at meetings, events, presentations, and networking opportunities; and support growth, fundraising, and philanthropic engagement initiatives across the region.