Director of Strategic Philantropy

The Miami Foundation is building the home base for generosity and community impact in Greater Miami. Since 1967, The Foundation has invested over $900M to strengthen our community in partnership with more than 1,000 partners and over 60,000 donors. By accelerating leadership, generosity, and a sense of belonging across Miami, we inspire people to become changemakers, and we create ways for donors, nonprofits, leaders, and locals to work together on solutions for our community. At The Miami Foundation, everyone has a role they can play in creating a thriving Greater Miami.

As part of the Philanthropy team that catalyzes generosity in our community, the Director leads the implementation of a comprehensive program and strategy to identify, cultivate, and secure new donors; steward existing relationships; advance a comprehensive planned giving program focused on professional advisor outreach; formulate and execute plans to increase community philanthropic partnerships; and ensure facilitation of all gifts from prospective donors, including non-cash, deferred, and testamentary gifts.

The Director cultivates and strengthens relationships that ultimately grow the ability to impact positive change in Miami. This position reports to the Vice President of Philanthropy and will work closely with the Foundation’s CEO, members of the Leadership Team, and the Board of Trustees to provide a high level of internal and external leadership on behalf of the Foundation.

The Director will be responsible for leading our Foundation’s legacy programs, which fuel the long-term permanent resources that enable our Foundation to impact lasting change in Miami. In addition to building meaningful engagement programs to nourish our existing legacy donors, the Director will deepen and broaden our Activated Professionals Network, building powerful relationships with wealth advisors across Greater Miami to inspire increased referrals and philanthropic partnerships that grow our legacy portfolio.

Department Impact

FLSA Status Exempt

Reports to Vice President of Philanthropy

Professional Advisor Engagement & Activated Professionals Network

· Serve as the Foundation's lead strategist and relationship manager for professional advisors, including estate planning attorneys, trust officers, wealth managers, financial advisors, accountants, and philanthropic consultants.

· Develop, grow, and manage the Foundation's Activated Professionals Network, creating meaningful opportunities for engagement, education, collaboration, and referrals.

· Design and execute advisor engagement strategies that position the Foundation as a trusted philanthropic partner for charitable planning and community impact.

· Convene educational programs, networking events, roundtables, and thought leadership opportunities for professional advisors.

· Build and maintain strong relationships with advisor firms and centers of influence to increase awareness of charitable planning tools and Foundation services.

· Track advisor engagement activities and develop strategies that generate new philanthropic opportunities and long-term partnerships.

Legacy Giving & Estate Planning

· Lead the Foundation's planned giving and legacy giving strategy, with responsibility for growing the pipeline of documented estate commitments and deferred gifts.

· Cultivate, solicit, and steward donors considering charitable bequests, charitable remainder trusts, charitable gift annuities, beneficiary designations, donor advised fund succession planning, and other planned giving vehicles.

· Partner with donors, families, professional advisors, and legal counsel to facilitate complex charitable giving arrangements.

· Manage the administration and stewardship of realized bequests and estate gifts in collaboration with legal, finance, and operations teams.

· Ensure accurate tracking, documentation, and reporting of legacy commitments.

· Maintain expertise in estate planning trends, charitable tax strategies, wealth transfer opportunities, and planned giving best practices.

· Serve as an internal resource on estate planning and complex gift matters.

Business Development & Donor Engagement

· Identify, cultivate, and secure new donor relationships that expand charitable assets under management and increase philanthropic investment through the Foundation.

· Develop strategies to engage high-net-worth individuals, families, family offices, and emerging philanthropists.

· Actively build a prospect pipeline through networking, referrals, community engagement, and advisor partnerships.

· Collaborate with philanthropy colleagues to develop customized philanthropic strategies aligned with donor interests and community priorities.

· Represent the Foundation throughout the community as an ambassador for strategic philanthropy and charitable planning.

Team Leadership & Management

· Supervise, coach, and develop a Philanthropy Officer, establishing clear goals, performance expectations, and professional development opportunities.

· Foster a collaborative, high-performance culture focused on relationship management, donor service, accountability, and results.

· Support department planning, portfolio management, and team-wide fundraising initiatives.

· Contribute to the development and implementation of annual philanthropy goals and strategic priorities.

Strategic Leadership

· Partner with the Vice President of Philanthropy and the team to advance departmental strategy, revenue goals, and donor engagement initiatives.

· Prepare reports, pipeline analyses, and performance metrics for leadership and the Board as requested.

· Identify emerging opportunities in charitable planning, wealth transfer, and donor engagement that can strengthen the Foundation's long-term philanthropic impact.

· Serve as a thought leader and trusted advisor on trends in philanthropy, legacy giving, and charitable planning.

Experience, Abilities & Skills

Experience

· Certified Planned Giving Specialist, Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy (CAP®), CFP®, JD, or comparable expertise in estate and charitable planning.

· Minimum of 7-10 years of progressively responsible experience in philanthropy, planned giving, estate planning, private wealth management, trust administration, charitable gift planning, or a closely related field.

· Demonstrated experience working directly with attorneys, financial advisors, trust professionals, accountants, and high-net-worth individuals.

· Significant experience cultivating and closing major gifts and planned gifts.

· Experience facilitating complex gifts, including bequests, retirement assets, real estate, closely held business interests, and other non-cash assets.

· Prior supervisory experience and demonstrated success developing staff.

· Experience within a community foundation, family office, private bank, trust company, wealth management firm, or planned giving program.

Abilities

· Ability to engage confidently with donors, attorneys, financial professionals, and community leaders.

· Strong strategic thinking and consultative problem-solving capabilities.

· Unimpeachable integrity and high ethical standards - mature judgment in handling sensitive information. Servant leader who is values-driven, committed to personal and professional development, and leads by example. Elevates institutional goals and values beyond personal gain, ensuring efforts are mission-focused and quality-driven. .

· Inspiring, highly visible ambassador of the Foundation, with the presence, demeanor, sense of humor, and commitment to donor-centered service, collaboration, and community impact.

Skills

· Strong knowledge of charitable giving vehicles, wills, trusts, probate, estate administration, and wealth transfer strategies.

· Deep understanding of estate planning, charitable tax planning, and legacy giving strategies.

· Emotionally intelligent and self-confident leader with interpersonal skills to develop and sustain impactful relationships with internal and external stakeholders from disparate backgrounds. An approach that is collegial, collaborative, and transparent, with the ability to also be extremely effective independently.

· Excellent verbal presentation, facilitation, and written communication skills.