MANAGING DIRECTOR, PHILANTHROPY

Managing Director, Philanthropy

Cresset is a firm built by clients, for clients. As an independent, award-winning multi-family office and private investment firm, we are reimagining the way wealth is experienced. Our purpose is to help ensure that both wealth and life are fully optimized—integrated, intentional, and aligned with each client's vision of success.

We provide access to the caliber of talent, ideas, and investment opportunities typically available to the largest single-family offices and institutions. Our approach is personalized, entrepreneurial, and client-first.

Proudly owned by our clients and employees, Cresset was built to endure. We are creating a 100+ year firm—one focused on delivering an exceptional experience, not only for the families we serve but for the team that serves them. Recognized by Barron's and Forbes among the nation's top RIA firms, and as one of the industry's best places to work, Cresset is guided by long-term relationships, shared success, and a belief that wealth should serve a life well lived.

Key Responsibilities

Cresset is seeking a Managing Director of Philanthropy to join its Family Governance, Education, and Philanthropy team. Reporting to the Head of Family Governance, this senior leader will advise ultra-high-net-worth families on philanthropic strategy, grantmaking, family foundation governance, and the effective use of charitable vehicles.

This role requires a sophisticated, client-facing advisor who can help families clarify their values, define their impact goals, develop thoughtful grantmaking strategies, and integrate philanthropy into broader conversations around governance, education, legacy, and stewardship. The Managing Director will also serve as an internal resource for Cresset advisors, support the growth of Cresset's donor-advised fund offering, and maintain strong partnerships across the philanthropic ecosystem.

Client Advisory and Philanthropic Strategy

• Advise individuals, families, family offices, and family foundations on philanthropic vision, strategy, governance, and implementation.
• Facilitate client conversations around values, purpose, family engagement, legacy, decision-making, succession, and rising-generation involvement.
• Help clients evaluate and use philanthropic vehicles, including donor-advised funds, private foundations, charitable trusts, LLCs, 501(c)(3)s, 501(c)(4)s, fiscal sponsors, supporting organizations, giving circles, impact investing vehicles, and related structures.
• Integrate philanthropy into broader family governance, education, wealth stewardship, and legacy planning engagements.

Grantmaking Strategy and Impact

• Help clients develop clear, values-aligned grantmaking strategies, theories of change, priority issue areas, decision-making criteria, due diligence processes, learning agendas, and impact measurement practices.
• Support the design and management of grant portfolios across a range of approaches, including direct service, advocacy, research, capacity building, field building, movement building, systems change, emergency response, and long-term community investment.
• Advise on innovative approaches to impact, including catalytic philanthropy, trust-based philanthropy, participatory grantmaking, collaborative funds, advocacy-oriented giving, impact investing, recoverable grants, program-related investments, mission-related investments, prizes, challenges, and public-private partnerships.
• Help clients assess existing giving, refine focus areas, sunset legacy commitments, deepen grantee relationships, and move from reactive giving to more strategic philanthropy.

Family Foundation Advisory

• Coach family foundation boards, staff, and next-generation leaders on effective grantmaking, board-staff alignment, governance, grant review processes, evaluation, grantee communication, and learning.
• Support foundation staff in translating family priorities into practical grantmaking processes, board materials, meeting structures, and decision frameworks.
• Facilitate alignment among donors, family members, foundation staff, advisors, nonprofit leaders, and external experts.

Advisor Education and Firmwide Support

• Educate Cresset advisors on philanthropic trends, charitable vehicles, client discovery questions, grantmaking strategies, and planning opportunities.
• Create advisor- and client-facing tools, educational materials, conversation guides, case studies, planning frameworks, and thought leadership.
• Serve as an internal subject matter expert on philanthropy, charitable planning, family giving, grantmaking strategy, and emerging sector trends.

Donor-Advised Fund Growth

• Support the growth, positioning, and strategic development of Cresset's donor-advised fund offering.
• Partner with advisors to identify appropriate client opportunities and develop clear guidance on when a donor-advised fund may serve as a primary giving vehicle, complementary vehicle, liquidity planning tool, family learning platform, or bridge to a more complex philanthropic structure.
• Strengthen the DAF client experience through education, advisor resources, use-case examples, and coordinated internal support.

Partnerships and Collaboration

• Maintain strong relationships with philanthropic service providers, community foundations, fiscal sponsors, charitable planning experts, nonprofit leaders, philanthropic consultants, impact investing specialists, foundation advisors, evaluation experts, and other external partners.
• Stay current on trends in philanthropy, nonprofit governance, charitable planning, tax and regulatory developments, impact measurement, donor education, collective giving, advocacy-oriented giving, and next-generation engagement.
• Collaborate across Cresset's governance, education, philanthropy, planning, investment, and advisory teams to deliver integrated client experiences.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in philanthropy, charitable planning, family office advisory, foundation leadership, donor-advised fund administration, nonprofit strategy, impact advising, or a related field.
• Significant experience advising ultra-high-net-worth individuals, families, family offices, foundations, or complex multigenerational family systems.
• Deep knowledge of philanthropic vehicles and structures, including donor-advised funds, private foundations, charitable trusts, LLCs, 501(c)(3)s, 501(c)(4)s, fiscal sponsors, supporting organizations, giving circles, and impact investing vehicles.
• Experience developing grantmaking strategies, theories of change, grant portfolios, due diligence frameworks, evaluation practices, and learning agendas.
• Experience advising or coaching family foundation boards, staff, donor committees, or multigenerational grantmaking groups.
• Strong understanding of innovative approaches to impact, including catalytic philanthropy, trust-based philanthropy, advocacy-oriented giving, participatory grantmaking, collaborative funds, impact investing, recoverable grants, and systems-change philanthropy.
• Excellent facilitation, communication, writing, presentation, and relationship-management skills.
• Ability to explain complex philanthropic, governance, and planning concepts in a clear, practical, and client-centered way.
• Strong judgment, discretion, emotional intelligence, and comfort working with families navigating sensitive topics related to wealth, values, legacy, impact, control, succession, family dynamics, and power.
• Collaborative, entrepreneurial, and able to operate strategically and practically across client advisory, technical planning, grantmaking design, education, and execution.

Preferred Attributes (optional)

• Experience working within or alongside a multifamily office, wealth management firm, private bank, community foundation, donor-advised fund sponsor, private foundation, philanthropic advisory firm, nonprofit organization, or family office.
• Familiarity with family governance, family education, rising-generation development, and the dynamics of multigenerational wealth.
• Experience supporting the growth or enhancement of a donor-advised fund platform or charitable planning offering.
• Knowledge of mission-aligned investing, program-related investments, mission-related investments, recoverable grants, and other tools that connect capital deployment with impact.
• Experience designing family philanthropy retreats, educational curricula, board training, grantmaking processes, learning agendas, portfolio reviews, or multigenerational giving programs.

What We Offer:

At Cresset, we focus on people first. As a service business, our people are our assets. Engaging our clients and employees is our highest priority. Salary will be based on factors including, but not limited to, experience, licenses/certifications, industry knowledge, and geographic location. Cresset offers a competitive compensation package including an annual incentive and a benefits package to all full-time employees including medical, dental, vision, life insurance, 401(k) retirement plan, health savings accounts, short and long-term disability insurance, voluntary critical and accident insurance, and pre-tax parking and transportation programs. Aligning employee and organizational interests