Scion Executive Search (www.scionexecutivesearch.com) has been retained to conduct the search for a Director of Planned Giving for Orange County Community Foundation (OCCF). OCCF is an incredible organization with the mission to inspire a passion for lifelong philanthropy, faithfully steward the intentions of their donors and catalyze sustainable community impact. The Director of Planned Giving will be the resident expert on planned giving support services and through the application of their expertise and knowledge, will help to position OCCF as the #1 driver of philanthropic impact in Orange County!

This amazing leadership opportunity is for immediate hire and will work full-time in the Foundation’s office in beautiful Newport Beach, California.

ABOUT ORANGE COUNTY COMMUNITY FOUNDATION

The Orange County Community Foundation partners with generous individuals, families, nonprofits and businesses to fulfill their philanthropic and financial objectives while supporting the causes they care about most. The Foundation has awarded nearly $690 million in grants and scholarships in Orange County, across the country and around the world.

OCCF’s internal team is an innovative, highly mission-driven group focused on driving impact and facilitating the connection of Orange County citizens to philanthropy. OCCF’s work ranges from helping veterans return to civilian life to providing at-risk teens with opportunities to overcome the challenges of poverty. The organization is working on problems of homelessness, health and wellness, and education, as well as safety-net concerns – the critical issues that arise when deep poverty and a high cost of living coexist.

OCCF at a Glance:

• Founded in 1989 and celebrated 30 years of impact in 2019.
• Ranks in the top 1 percent in grantmaking among 780 U.S. community foundations.
• Home to more than 650 charitable funds benefiting a wide range of causes.
• Total assets of $441 million and $732 million in grants since inception.
• Average annual contributions of $110 million.
• Annual grantmaking of $75 million and 2020 grantmaking of over $102 million.
• Recipient of a 4-star rating Charity Navigator for sound fiscal management and commitment to accountability and transparency.

OPPORTUNITY OVERVIEW

OCCF regularly helps cultivate and accept various forms of giving including trusts, will bequests, IRAs and 401Ks, business interests, illiquid assets and more. The Director of Planned Giving is a relationship-focused individual who will thrive as the institutional resource for these and other charitable and complex planned giving options at OCCF.

This role will work with key donor relations staff to guide and support the development, cultivation, processing and management of various planned and current gifts; this role will educate stakeholders about the giving options available and touch on some of the potential legal and tax implications of each. This role will also design and lead a strategy for connecting with financial advisors and building a Professional Advisor Network (e.g. attorneys, CPAs and wealth advisors) to enable OCCF’s positioning as the go-to philanthropic advisor in Orange County.

Reporting to the Senior Director of Philanthropic Strategy, and partnering with a Philanthropy Associate, this position will work closely with key donor relations staff, such as the VP of the Center for Engaged Philanthropy and VP of Donor Relations and Programs, regularly joining in on donor meetings to help advise around giving options. Additionally, this role will work closely with finance staff to process gifts and the Director of Marketing and Communications to design and deliver messaging on the giving vehicles available to donors.

By developing relationships with – and serving as a resource to – staff, donors, professional advisors and other stakeholders, this role will drive education, information-sharing, greater visibility and asset growth for OCCF!

POSITION RESPONSIBILITIES

Planned Giving Facilitation

• Create, guide, and implement gift planning strategies to secure major and deferred gifts from prospective and current donors, including complex assets, business succession planning and estate planning.
• Educate and advise prospects/donors on OCCF gift types and offerings including gifts of cash, stock and more complex gifts including real estate, charitable trusts, partnership interests, privately-held securities, business succession transactions and more. While doing so, advise on the various tax advantages and implications ensuring clients consider the best options suitable for their circumstance.
• Drive long-term relationship development on behalf of the Foundation by educating and stewarding prospects and donors and providing positive and thoughtful support around major, planned and deferred gifts.
• Lead direct work and cultivate prospects and donors by utilizing a “moves management” approach resulting in successful prospect identification, cultivation, solicitation, fund set up and gift acceptance.
• Partner with OCCF staff to provide stewardship of donors who have already committed to bequests and legacies in the future.
• Create customized proposals and resource documentation for prospects and donors as appropriate to meet their current or future needs (e.g. annuities, lead trust, remainder trust, etc.).
• Manage the end-to-end process required for unique illiquid asset gift acceptance (e.g. personal property deeded to OCCF through sale of property and cash payout to a fund).
• Learn OCCF’s gift acceptance and Donor Advised Fund Policies and procedures and ensure compliance throughout the processing of planned gifts.

Professional Advisor Engagement 

• Actively cultivate impactful individual relationships with top-tier professional advisors who serve as the primary funnel for OCCF’s future donor prospects by leveraging in-person and virtual methods of engagement.
• Collaborate with OCCF’s marketing team to create and provide unique and targeted educational opportunities and resource materials to advisors as part of an overall cultivation strategy, communicating the value of the organization’s planned giving program. Employ a diverse range of communication channels including face-to-face, peer-to-peer, telephone and virtual coupled with diverse multi-channel marketing.

Reporting and Analytics

• Use data and statistical analytics to focus efforts on those most likely to set up funds and make gifts in the long term. Use statistical analytic modeling products, behavioral models and artificial intelligence (AI) tools to prioritize prospects and donors within OCCF’s database.
• Proactively identify, tag and analyze multiple data sources to assist in targeting and prioritizing prospects for planned giving services.
• Enter and track all identification, cultivation and fund set up activities in OCCF’s prospect/donor system of record including contacts, touch points, communications, actions, follow ups, proposals and other related information.
• Actively track planned giving activities and leads with business intelligence reports and KPIs including contributions for new and current donors. Additional metrics to track include visits, contacts, expected gifts, client referrals, etc.

QUALIFICATIONS

We are seeking a highly skilled relationship builder and collaborator desiring to drive connection on behalf of OCCF’s mission and vision. This person must have a passion for educating and leading others to a better understanding of the various gift options available through OCCF, all the while providing exceptional, best in class customer service. The ideal candidate for this role will be experienced in a wide variety of complex gifts such as cash, appreciated stock, complex assets like real estate, full or partial interest in privately held companies (“S” or “C” corps) and more. However, OCCF is ready to support additional education and learning in these areas. If the work of building long-term relationships and leveraging your expertise to drive real impact excites and inspires you, we want to hear from you!

Requirements:

• Passion for the mission and work of OCCF.
• A Bachelor’s degree or higher in finance, business or related field.
• At least five (5) years of experience educating and advising stakeholders on wealth management, trust banking, investment banking and/or philanthropic giving (or other related field).
• The desire and proven ability to educate staff, donors, donor advisors and/or other stakeholders around various, sometimes complex topics in a way that builds relationships and trust, requiring:
  • Exceptional listening skills
  • Exceptional communication skills
  • Focus on long-term relationship cultivation
• Ability to speak publicly on behalf of the organization regarding planned giving options and processes.
• Knowledge around the intricacies of traditional gift planning, trusts, charitable giving vehicles, charitable tax and gift structures and complex giving vehicles a plus!

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS PACKAGE

This key leadership opportunity offers the ability to make significant impact on behalf of the organization and thus philanthropic efforts across Orange County and beyond!

This exciting role offers a competitive base salary and a comprehensive benefits package including: Medical, Dental and Vision (total premium costs for the Employee covered by OCCF), 403(b) retirement plan with automatic contribution by the organization, paid vacation and sick leave, 10 holidays annually and option to enroll in an FSA program.

This is a position, organization and team of professionals that will inspire you daily!

APPLICATIONS AND NOMINATIONS

Orange County Community Foundation has retained the services of Scion Executive Search, a national executive search firm specializing in mission-driven organization recruitment, to assist in conducting this important search. For immediate consideration please apply with your resume and cover letter in Microsoft Word or PDF format via:

http://www.scionstaffing.com/job/6923

Please address questions about this opportunity to:

Scion Executive Search

Attn: Rebecca Lerol

Executive Search Principal

r.lerol@scionstaffing.com

Review of applications, nominations, and expressions of interest will begin immediately and continue on a confidential basis until an appointment is made.

ABOUT OUR FIRM

Scion Executive Search is a retained executive search firm connecting executive nonprofit leadership to nonprofit organizations and foundations across the country. Born out of the nonprofit sector, we provide expert search strategies and leadership for your organization. Our executive candidates are true agents for change, and we are experts at matching their talents, motivations, and passions to your organization’s mission. Scion Executive Search has led hundreds of successful executive searches. Information about our firm and successes can be found online at https://www.scionexecutivesearch.com.

Scion is an equal opportunity employer and service provider committed to not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, gender, gender identity, national origin, citizenship status, sexual orientation, disability, political affiliation or belief, or any other protected class. We are committed to the principals of Equal Opportunity Employment and are dedicated to making employment decisions based on merit and value, for ourselves, our client companies, and for the candidates we represent.