Vice President, Partnerships & Philanthropy

About Us

Social Finance is a national nonprofit and registered investment adviser (SF Advisers, LLC). We work with the public, private, and social sectors to create partnerships and investments that measurably improve lives. Since our founding in 2011, we have mobilized over $500 million in new investments designed to help people and communities realize improved outcomes in workforce and economic mobility, health, and housing.

We are driven by the belief that social and economic systems should enable all people to thrive, and the conviction that we can create the most meaningful and measurable change in our communities when governments and markets work together. Our organization is built upon five core values: people, performance, integrity, collaboration, and inclusion.

Our work spans four areas: Impact-first Investing, Workforce and Education Investments, Advisory & Public Sector Practice, and the Social Finance Institute. Our Impact-first Investment team designs, launches, and manages investments that provide solutions for effectively deploying impact capital across a range of social outcomes. Our Workforce and Education Investments team designs, launches and manages financial solutions focused on addressing workforce challenges, including skills acquisition and training access. Our Advisory team partners with government and philanthropy leaders to implement data-driven programs for advancing social impact. And through the Social Finance Institute, we aim to build the field and change systems through actionable research, communities of practice, and educational outreach.

The Opportunity

Reporting to the Chief Philanthropy Officer, the Vice President, Partnerships & Philanthropy is a senior external representative for Social Finance who will raise the organization's visibility and expand its philanthropic support in key growth regions including California, Texas and select Midwestern geographies. The VP will bring new relationships into a market Social Finance is actively building: ultra-high-net-worth individuals, family offices, family foundations, and the advisors who serve them, cultivating support for Social Finance's funds and advisory services. The addressable market for this work is meaningful. More than $2 trillion sits in private philanthropic capital in the United States, including roughly $330 billion in donor-advised fund assets and $1.6 trillion in private foundations. This is a distinctive role for a seasoned fundraiser energized by Social Finance's mission and the chance to work at the frontier of philanthropy and impact-first investing .

The VP joins at an inflection point: a five-year, $500M fundraising goal within a broader ambition to mobilize $1B in capital. They will bring relationships and fluency with ultra-high-net-worth individuals, family offices, and the advisors who serve them, and will grow that network from a strong existing base. The role calls for someone who can operate independently and brings an entrepreneurial mindset to build a pipeline of prospective supporters beyond what exists today, and who can serve as a trusted internal connector across Social Finance's matrixed organization.

Key Responsibilities

- Serve as a senior external fundraiser for Social Finance with clear accountability for raising $20M+ annually in grants and investments across all priorities, bringing an expansive, entrepreneurial, and business development-oriented mindset to the identification, cultivation, and solicitation of new funding opportunities.

- Identify, qualify, and cultivate new ultra-high-net-worth individual, family office, and family foundation prospects, bringing long-cycle relationship management and entrepreneurial instinct to raise Social Finance's profile and to build the pipeline for specific funds and advisory services well beyond what exists today.

- Develop and steward relationships across the advisor and intermediary ecosystem that shapes UHNW giving, including wealth and philanthropic advisors, family office staff, and peer donor networks.

- Represent Social Finance credibly and compellingly across all fundraising priorities — including impact investment and philanthropic funds (e.g., the Impact First Fund, ReNEW), customized donor investment vehicles (e.g., Custom Portfolios), research and field-building work (e.g., the Institute), unrestricted general operating support, and other emerging priorities — translating complex investment structures and programmatic work into resonant narratives for sophisticated philanthropic and investment audiences.

- Partner closely with the CPO, CEO, and President & COO on new and developing relationships, leveraging their time and visibility across meetings, events, and travel as part of a deliberate engagement and cultivation strategy.

- Maintain a robust schedule of daily external meetings (both in person and online), in addition to regular travel (approximately 25 to 30 percent of time) to engage funders in key regional markets and to represent Social Finance at high value convenings.

Additional Responsibilities

- Partner with Social Finance's Communications team, contributing funder insight and market perspective to messaging, materials, and thought leadership that resonate with ultra-high-net-worth individuals, family offices, and their advisors.

- Contribute to the management and development of the Partnerships & Philanthropy team, supporting delegation of work, providing feedback, and investing in the professional growth of colleagues in service of shared organizational and fundraising goals.

- Serve as a member of Social Finance's Leadership Team, contributing to firm-wide strategic priorities, organizational health, and the development of staff and culture; bring an external-facing, fundraising perspective to leadership conversations and model the values and standards expected across the organization.

- Carry a portfolio of select institutional foundation and corporate funders where they connect to the VP's core market or to Social Finance's highest priorities, partnering with business leads on engagement, strategy, and stewardship to secure multi-year, multi-priority commitments.

Qualifications

- An exceptional, results-driven fundraiser with 15+ years of experience and a demonstrated track record of identifying, soliciting and closing gifts, grants, and investments ranging from $1M to $10M+; background in advancement, financial services, or complex mission-driven organizations strongly preferred.

- Existing relationships with ultra-high-net-worth individuals, family offices and family foundations, and the advisors who serve them, and a demonstrated history of building such networks.

- Highly entrepreneurial and business development-oriented, with a track record of sourcing new relationships and an ability to operate independently in ambiguous, fast-moving environments while remaining a collaborative and integrated team player.

- Proven relationship management skills and the ability to develop and steward deep, multi-year relationships with credibility and sophistication; equally effective building trusted relationships internally across a matrixed organization to advance fundraising priorities.

- Demonstrated ability to represent a complex, multi-priority organization to sophisticated philanthropic and investment audiences, translating impact investing frameworks, fund structures, and programmatic strategies into compelling narratives; genuinely energized by Social Finance's field-building mission and the opportunity to engage funders at the frontier of philanthropy and impact-first investing.

- Intellectually curious and quick to develop fluency in complex subject matter, able to engage credibly across the full range of Social Finance's work, from impact-first investing to workforce development.

- Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to develop high-quality proposals, concept notes, and donor materials in close collaboration with the CPO and the program and communications teams.

- Experience operating as a collaborative people manager who has contributed to staff development, performance feedback, and delegation within a high-performing team.

- Track record of contributing effectively as a member of company leadership or cross-functional teams, bringing a collaborative, organization-wide perspective to strategic discussions beyond one's own functional area.

- Able to travel nationally on a regular basis, approximately 25 to 30 percent of time, including regular travel to the Boston office. This is a hybrid role based out of one of Social Finance's offices in San Francisco or Austin.

Benefits

At Social Finance, we strive to deliver a benefits program that will enhance our overall value proposition to employees. Our current benefit offerings include:

- Comprehensive health care coverage: medical, dental and vision insurance; flexible spending accounts; access to Blue Cross Blue Shield Wellness Program “AHealthyMe Rewards” and more

- Retirement savings plan with employer contribution

- Short-term, long-term and life insurance policies

- Commuter benefits and cell phone reimbursements

- Hybrid work model (in office a minimum of two days per week and on an ad-hoc basis as needed)

- Dedicated budgets for team building and employee recognition

- Annual budget for external professional development opportunities

- Mentorship and onboarding programs

- Collaborative and energizing workspaces in downtown Boston, MA; San Francisco, CA; Austin, TX; Washington, D.C. and New York, NY. Note: this position will be based in either San Franscisco or Austin.

- Paid vacation and paid holidays (with 12/24-1/1 off every year)

- Paid parental leave

- A truly stellar team of high performing, values-driven and fun (!) professionals

Salary

This role utilizes a level-based lockstep entry band compensation model for purposes of equity and transparency - we strive for everyone coming in at a given level to be paid equitably. For this position, the starting base salary is $190,000. At this level, employees typically receive a $5,000 salary increase annually and are eligible to participate in our firmwide annual bonus program. Bonuses are typically between 5-10%, though bonuses are not guaranteed and are dependent on both organizational and individual performance.

Review of applications will begin immediately. No phone calls, please.

Applicants must be permanently authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis.

Please note that, at this time, to be in-person at a Social Finance office, client location or Social Finance-sponsored event, you must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, including receiving a booster shot.

Social Finance, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will be afforded equal employment opportunities without discrimination because of actual or perceived race, color, national origin, sex, age, religion, creed, disability, marital status, citizenship, ancestry, personal appearance, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, political affiliation, military status, status as a protected veteran, genetic information or any other legally protected status.

Social Finance is committed to providing an accessible and supportive work environment to ensure individuals are able to contribute at their best. We will discuss and provide reasonable accommodations to those in the recruiting process who need them.

It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

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