Zac Kester
Managing Director, Financial Services (Private Credit)
Zac Kester is the Managing Director of Advanta Management and the Manager of Advanta Charitable Lending Fund LLC (Advanta Fund) This private credit facility provides tailored charitable gift financing loans to individuals He advanced into this leadership position within six months of joining the organization due to his strong background in charitable giving strategies, personal tax planning, and pooled charitable investment funds His professional experience includes private placement accredited charitable pooled investing, private credit lending, and private debt fund management
The Advanta Fund is structured and operated as a program-related investment (PRI), an advanced philanthropic vehicle As a PRI, the fund prioritizes charitable objectives, specifically addressing the nationwide decline in charitable giving by making sophisticated charitable giving strategies more accessible through the PRI Mission. While maintaining appropriate financial returns, the fund is designed to recycle capital for future charitable purposes
Kester joined the Advanta Fund in 2025 as Executive Vice President, working with accredited charitable institutional investors as they completed due diligence and pooled resources for investment in the fund. During his first year in investment relations, he secured $50 million in new investments
In the second year, he and the Advanta Fund expect to achieve more than $100 million in new investments, provide more than $100 million in loans, and facilitate more than $100 million in charitable gifts
Kester's Role as Managing Director
As Managing Director of Advanta Fund, Kester oversees the lending and investment teams while guiding the organization as a whole His responsibilities involve balancing multiple specialized areas that work together to support the fund's mission and long-term stability
His primary focus is ensuring that the fund continues to operate as a PRI while properly managing lending and investment risks
Supervising the Lending Team
In leading the lending team, Zac Kester aligns incentives by linking compensation to proper documentation of each loan's alignment with the PRI Mission, long-term loan and collateral performance, and overall loan yields. He works to ensure that sales representatives thoroughly review borrowers and avoid unsuitable transactions
Because the loans are customized and asset-backed, he enforces strict, data-driven standards for collateral valuation He also supports ongoing education so that team members remain informed about the specialized and evolving markets connected to the assets securing the loans.
Although the Advanta Fund is designed to accept more risk than traditional commercial lenders, it does not accept unlimited risk Instead, it focuses on strategic and appropriate risk To support this objective, he ensures that collateral covenants are established, monitored, and enforced when necessary.
Kester also brings together sales, credit, and compliance teams early in the evaluation process to review opportunities before moving forward. This approach helps reduce the time spent on transactions that may ultimately fail
Supervising the Investment Team
As Managing Director, Zachary Kester works closely with charitable and mission-driven investors to demonstrate how the fund's lending programs support charitable purposes and advance the PRI Mission He focuses on showing how financing enhanced charitable giving with paid-up assets can create measurable outcomes that align with organizational missions and investment goals
He also helps structure loans using specialized collateral strategies designed to protect investor capital. This allows organizations to conserve resources and potentially reinvest them in future charitable and community-focused initiatives
Overseeing the Organization
In this leadership position, Kester oversees the fund's strategy and financial stability. He works to maintain sufficient liquidity to support operations, meet investor obligations, and respond to changing market conditions Because many of the fund's loans and underlying assets are highly specialized and held for the long term, he carefully manages cash flow and investment exposure to reduce unnecessary risk
Kester works closely with the lending, underwriting, treasury, and risk management teams to evaluate the assets that support the fund's loans This includes implementing real-time collateral monitoring and stress testing to determine whether those assets can continue to support loans if market conditions change or borrowers default By encouraging collaboration early in the process, he promotes a balanced and disciplined approach to risk management
Kester also oversees investor reporting, financial controls, and audit preparation to support transparency and accountability with charitable and institutional investors His responsibilities include ensuring that investment activities align with both financial objectives and mission-driven priorities while satisfying complex compliance and reporting requirements
Ultimately, he serves as the central coordinating force of the fund, helping ensure that complex financial operations remain aligned with organizational stability and the fund's charitable purpose.
Volunteer Work
Kester serves as a Director of Advanta Philanthropic, an organization dedicated to advancing charitable giving by making sophisticated giving strategies and philanthropic approaches more accessible through expertise, technology, and collaboration with professional advisors.
He is also a Director of a large charitable grantmaking (regranting) organization and remains actively involved in his local church
Certifications
Kester earned his Certificate in Fundraising Management and Philanthropic Studies in 2012 from the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy.
Kester also earned the Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy® (CAP®) designation from The American College of Financial Services, the nation's largest nonprofit educational institution
devoted to financial services professionals The CAP® designation is held by advisors who help clients integrate charitable giving into financial and estate plans. These professionals specialize in tax-efficient strategies, legacy planning, and the alignment of philanthropic goals with wealth management objectives, serving both donors and nonprofit organizations.
He is expected to soon receive his Chartered Life Underwriter® (CLU®) designation from The American College of Financial Services and is also working toward his Chartered Financial Consultant® (ChFC®) designation
Through his leadership, volunteer service, and professional development, Zac Kester continues to support charitable giving initiatives, mission-focused investing, and responsible philanthropic fund management
Portfolio Website: zacharykestercom
LinkedIn: https://wwwlinkedin com/in/zackester/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@zac-kester