Zac Kester

Zac Kester is the Managing Director of Advanta Management and the Manager of the Advanta Charitable Lending Fund LLC. This private credit facility provides bespoke charitable gift financing loans to individuals. He was promoted to this leadership role within six months of joining the organization due to his expertise in complex charitable giving, personal tax planning, and pooled charitable investment funds. His areas of expertise include accredited private placement, charitable pooled investing, private credit lending, and private debt fund management.

The fund is organized and operated as a program-related investment (PRI). This advanced philanthropic tool places charitable purpose ahead of financial return while preserving appropriate returns so capital can be recycled and reused for future charitable efforts. Its mission is to help reverse the nationwide decline in charitable giving by making complex charitable giving strategies more accessible.

In 2025, Kester joined the fund as Executive Vice President, where he worked with accredited charitable institutional investors as they completed investment due diligence. During his first year as an investment relations professional, he achieved $50 million in new investments. During the second year, he and the organization anticipate more than $100 million in new investments, more than $100 million in funded loans, and more than $100 million in charitable gifts.

As Managing Director, Zachary Kester oversees the lending and investment teams and supervises the organization’s operations. His primary responsibility is to ensure the fund continues to operate in accordance with its PRI mission while appropriately managing lending and investment risks. He supports borrower evaluation, collateral valuation, loan performance monitoring, and ongoing education on the specialized markets underlying the assets backing the loans. He also encourages early collaboration among sales, credit, and compliance teams when reviewing opportunities.

Kester works closely with charitable and mission-driven investors to demonstrate how the lending programs support charitable purposes and the PRI mission. He also assists in structuring loans with specialized collateral strategies designed to help protect investor capital and preserve resources for future charitable and community-focused programs.

Kester's responsibilities include overseeing liquidity, financial stability, investor reporting, financial controls, audit preparation, collateral monitoring, stress testing, and risk management. Through coordination across multiple departments, he helps maintain a disciplined and balanced approach to operations.

Outside of his professional role, Zac Kester serves as a Director of Advanta Philanthropic, a Director of a large charitable grantmaking organization, and remains active in his local church. He earned a Certificate in Fundraising Management and Philanthropic Studies in 2012, holds the Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy® (CAP®) designation, and is pursuing the Chartered Life Underwriter® (CLU®) and Chartered Financial Consultant® (ChFC®) designations.