Position: Philanthropic Advisor

Full-time, salaried, exempt

Location: Remote, work-from-home 

We will consider people living outside of Chicago, however, a Chicago-based employee is desirable. 

Strategic Philanthropy, Ltd. (www.stratphilanthropy.com) is a philanthropic advisory firm headquartered in Chicago. Since 2000, the firm has been at the forefront of helping high and ultra-high-net-worth families, foundations, and privately held businesses plan, assess, and manage their charitable giving.

Firm Culture 

We work in a boutique consultative environment with a collaborative approach to client services. Our employees are deeply committed to social justice and delivering services that reflect excellence and best practices in philanthropy. A balanced work and personal life is deeply ingrained in the company and reflected in both our PTO and remote work policies. 

Position Overview 

The Advisor collaborates with other members of the client services team to develop and provide timely and actionable products and services to clients. Advisory staff are also expected to participate in activities and events with clients, prospective clients, and their advisors to contribute to the firm’s growth and development. 

Qualified candidates for this position will have a strong background working with clients and their wealth advisors, with demonstrated experience in: 

1. Leading client engagements; planning, facilitating meetings, and managing project timelines. 
2. Developing philanthropic roadmaps that outline goals, priorities, and strategies. 
3. Helping families, boards, and committees establish governance structures and work together effectively. 
4. Conducting landscape research, issue analysis, and preparing high-quality reports for clients. 
5. Supporting grantmaking—interfacing with grantees, assessing opportunities, and executing giving. 

Approximately half of the Advisor’s time will be dedicated to collaborating with another advisor to support a large family foundation client, where the firm delivers a wide range of administrative and strategic services. The other half will be spent working with multiple clients, which may include strategic planning, spend-down planning, governance development, and grantmaking program refinement for family foundations and other donors.

Essential Job Responsibilities

Client Engagement 

1. Serve as lead or “second chair” on client engagements, including project planning, facilitating client meetings, timeline management, and other client activities. 
2. Maintain strong client relationships and clearly communicate meeting outcomes, progress, and relevant developments—while actively managing scope of work and raising any scope issues in a timely manner.
3. Conduct research and produce high-quality materials for clients.  
4. Conduct interviews, surveys, and other information-gathering strategies with client families/systems and prepare reports on findings and recommendations. 
5. Communicate with clients’ referring advisors to keep them informed and strengthen the firm’s advisor relationships. 
6. Adhere to the firm’s confidentiality requirements in all client and firm-related activities. 

Non-Profit Sector Engagement 

1. Interface with grantees and potential grantees to identify and assess partnership opportunities and evaluate client-giving activities. 
2. Interface with thought leaders and funding peers in the broader field of philanthropy and within client priority areas.  

Operational/Administration 

1. Support the development of client proposals and fee structures. 
2. Strong proficiency in Office 365 (Teams, Excel, Word, PowerPoint) and cloud-based document management and collaboration tools (SharePoint, Google Workspace, etc.).  
3. Represent the firm and clients with a high degree of professionalism at all times.  
4. Contribute to thought leadership initiatives and content.  
5. Occasionally host site visits, present at conferences, attend industry events, and interface with legal and financial advisors and prospective clients. 

Requirements and Core Competencies

1. Minimum of three years of leadership and/or consulting experience working for, or closely with, a private foundation.
2. Minimum of three years working in the philanthropic field with HNW families or individuals.
3. Group facilitation and/or consultative experience. 
4. Proven ability to write and communicate exceptionally in a professional setting.  
5. Experience working with the next generation, both inheritors and wealth creators, is desirable.  
6. Demonstrated experience working with advisors to HNW families and individuals preferred.
7. Core Competencies:
8. High emotional intelligence, discretion, and the ability to build trust with diverse stakeholders. 
9. Strong project management and organizational skills with meticulous attention to detail. 
10. Self-starter with the ability to manage multiple complex projects and competing priorities in a fast-paced environment. 
11. Commitment to equity and inclusion in philanthropic strategy and practice. 
12. Comfort working in ambiguous situations, adapting quickly to evolving client needs. 

Compensation and Other Requirements 

1. Salary is $105,000. 
2. Our benefits package includes medical, life insurance, catastrophic insurance, a 401K plan, and generous PTO, including a winter holiday break. 
3. As this is a remote role, candidates are expected to have their own computer and reliable internet access to carry out responsibilities effectively.
4. Occasional conference and client travel required, as well as rare weekend and evening work. 

About Our Hiring Practices and Considerations

Strategic Philanthropy, Ltd. encourages applications from all backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. We believe that a diverse and inclusive workforce is essential for achieving our business goals. 

Decisions and criteria governing the employment relationship with all employees at Strategic Philanthropy, Ltd. are made in a non-discriminatory manner, without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, marital status, pregnancy, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, age, FMLA status, or any other factor determined to be unlawful by federal, state or local statutes. 

To Apply:  

Please send a resume and a one-page cover letter to John Armstrong, Director of Operations, at johna@stratphilanthropy.com. Applicants who are being considered for the role will be asked to provide relevant, professional writing samples.