Everyone Wins: 6 Ways to Turn Professional Advisors Into Partners

When community foundation attendees at the recent Communications Network conference ranked the topics they most wanted to discuss, professional advisor engagement strategies topped the list. 

For many community foundations and fundraising nonprofits, the fastest path to growing their donor base isn't direct outreach to individual donors. It's through stronger relationships with financial planners, estate attorneys, CPAs, and other professional advisors. 

“Advisors are our frontline,” a community foundation development director told us earlier this year, adding that they refer the majority of her organization’s funds. “We really rely on their partnership.” 

But those partnerships take work. The board and CEO need to make clear that advisor engagement is a priority. The development team builds the relationships. Finance handles complex gifts. And the communications team helps everyone explain the foundation’s value to advisors and their clients.

That last piece requires a push-pull strategy. Pull in information by asking advisors what would help them serve their clients, then push out experiences that are worth their time. Here’s how.

1. Tell them who you are. When we did on-the-street interviews around the country asking what a community foundation is, most people had no idea. Don’t assume professional advisors are different. Many community foundations are the best-kept secrets in their regions. Change that. 

Does your website explain your value in short, plain language? Does it offer clear examples of the impact you make in your community? Does it have a page geared specifically to professional advisors and their distinct needs? An advisor should be able to understand what you do, how you can help their clients, and who to contact within a minute of visiting your website.

As you review your website, newsletter, social media activity, and other communications, picture yourself speaking with friends over dinner. Would they get it or look at you with blank stares? If the latter, revise your communications with that dinner-with-friends backdrop in mind.

2. Help others explain who you are. Create and share messaging with your staff, board members, and engaged partners that clearly explains what you do and the value you bring to the community and, specifically, to professional advisors and their clients. And don’t stop at the lofty organizational mission. Create talking points that sound just as natural when greeting visitors at your organization’s front desk as they would on the sidelines of your kid’s soccer game.  

3. Emphasize the “everyone wins” message. In a 2025 Harris Poll, 43% of heirs said they plan to leave their parents’ advisors when they receive their inheritances. When asked why, more than a quarter said because they don’t know them personally. So professional advisors need a way to get to know their clients’ families, and initiating conversations around giving is one of the most natural ways to do that. Community foundations — experts in charitable giving — can help with those discussions.

Clients benefit, too. In addition to gaining access to philanthropic experts who can handle their complex needs, clients can work with community foundations to make a difference in their hometowns. Whether clients care about the environment, children’s health, or the arts, the local community foundation can tell them which organizations are making the biggest impact in those areas. And clients appreciate their advisors for their role in helping them improve the local community.

4. Anticipate their concerns. It’s only natural for advisors to be wary of someone angling for their attention. Answer the question they probably won’t say out loud. Tell them that you don’t want to interfere with their client relationships; you want to strengthen them. Make it clear that you don’t charge advisors for your services. Your goal is to work with them to provide as much value as possible for their clients. 

5. Don’t ask for help. Offer something of value. We worked with the Community Foundation Awareness Initiative to develop a free toolkit for professional advisors to engage clients and their families in philanthropic giving. The guide explains how community foundations can help. Share it with the professional advisors in your community, and remind them that you’re just a call or email away.

Continuing education is another way to offer advisors something useful while building relationships. The Central New York Community Foundation has held a free annual seminar for decades, drawing more than 100 advisors per session, who can earn two hours of continuing education credits. The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta hosts classes in its offices with local business schools. 

Don’t stop there. If you want to offer advisors something of value, go straight to the source. Ask or survey advisors about what their clients struggle with, what information/services would help them, and what kinds of educational events they would actually attend.

6. Remember why you’re doing this in the first place. Just one year into its professional advisor strategy, the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta multiplied the size of its professional advisor network, resulting in sizable boosts in both giving and grant making. 

Professional advisors are a unique and sophisticated audience. Yet by taking the time to understand their needs and communicate the value in partnering with your organization, you can build relationships that will help you do more good in your community. That’s a win for all.