About Us
BK Foundation Advisors was founded by Bob Kelly, former president of the San Diego Foundation, Founder/CEO of the San Diego Seniors Community Foundation, and Chairman of the Borrego Valley Endowment Fund. Bob’s leadership in Southern California’s philanthropic community has driven hundreds of millions of dollars to charitable causes over the years and impacted the lives of hundreds of thousands of San Diegans.
Bob is supported by a team of professionals with expertise in finance, operations, marketing, public affairs, events, and nonprofit administration. We are a collaborative group of client advocates who are committed to the success of the charitable organizations we serve. We’re not just consultants – we're your cheering squad. Together we can do big things.
Our Team
Bob Kelly
Founder and Principal
Bob Kelly served as president and CEO of The San Diego Foundation, which provides leadership for effective philanthropy, for two decades. In that capacity, he oversaw all activities, programs and asset management during a time of significant growth and achievements that have benefitted the entire San Diego region.
Prior to joining The San Diego Foundation, Bob served as executive director of the American Cancer Society San Diego and vice president for Southern California. He also previously served as assistant to the president and senior vice president of Sharp HealthCare and chief operating officer for Sharp HealthCare Foundation. In addition, Bob was senior vice president for CCP and Associates, a comprehensive cancer center consulting firm.
Bob’s commitment to his community is clearly reflected in his many volunteer roles and services activities, including time spent as a board member of the San Diego Symphony Foundation, the San Diego Real Estate Foundation, Beauchamp Charities, the Children’s Initiative, and Hubbs Seaworld Research Institute.
He is a past president of the UCSD Alumni Association and a former chair of the Sharp HealthCare board, League of California Community Foundations, Youth for Progress, and San Diego Grantmakers. Bob has also served on the boards of the San Diego Chamber Foundation, the San Diego Chamber of Commerce, the Elsinore Cattle Co., the International Community Foundation, and the De Anza Country Club. He is a member of the Downtown Rotary and a graduate of UC San Diego.
His current positions include:
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Chairman, Borrego Valley Endowment Fund
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Board member, Mingei International Museum
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Board member, San Diego Hunger Coalition
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Board member, Legler Benbough Foundation
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Board member, Voice of San Diego
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One of nine committee members, Rotary International ($1.5 billion assets under management)
Kristoffer Kelly
Vice President
Kristoffer has more than 15 years of experience in TV, media, video marketing, event productions, and non-profit management. He is a 3rd generation San Diegan with deep love and ties in the San Diego philanthropic community.
Kristoffer brings his unique relationships, vision, and craftsmanship from his work in the global creative space to the philanthropy sector. Having worked with Silicon Valley giants and unicorns such as LinkedIn, Microsoft, AppDynamics (Cisco), Microfocus, Rubrik, and local entities such as the Salk Institute and Petco, Kristoffer understands the role of corporate social responsibility in empowering companies to connect to their communities through philanthropy.
Kris has served and volunteered with many non-profits, including:
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Co-Director of the Life Through Art Foundation, which helped bring arts to inner-city youth
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Co-Chaired the Sanford Burnham Prebys Institute's annual "Bring It!" event
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Head of Partnerships at the Hack n' Smack Celeb Golf Tourney supporting Melanoma research
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Volunteer for Rady Children's Hospital Charity Ball Event
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Video Chair of the Meals on Wheels San Diego annual fundraiser
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Development Coordinator for Junior Achievement
In total, Mr. Kelly's fundraising efforts have generated over $1M in funds and partnerships.
His current non-profit positions include:
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Fund Committee Board Member for Community Housing Works
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Virtual Event Committee Member for the SoCal American Lung Association
Kristoffer is a new father, a graduate of LEAD San Diego's Impact class of 2020, a Herbert G. Klein Memorial Leadership Award recipient, and he holds a BFA from Chapman University.
At BK Foundation Advisors, Kristoffer is responsible for connecting people and causes to the donors and foundations that increase the awareness and impact of charitable giving in the San Diego region and beyond. He looks forward to speaking with you and helping you impact others.
Kimberly Cunningham
Director of Marketing and Communications
Kimberly is a seasoned writer, editor and PR wiz with more than a decade of experience. She served as senior editor at San Diego Magazine for six years, where she interviewed the likes of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Jimmy Buffett, Jewel, and Rob Lowe, and garnered multiple First Place San Diego Press Club Awards for Journalistic Excellence. In 2017, UC San Diego Health hired her as a senior writer in its health sciences advancement department. There, she quickly learned the fine art of fundraising and developed a passion for public service. Kim also acquired a master’s degree in print journalism from the USC Annenberg School for Communication and is a recipient of the Art Buchwald Award for Humor Writing.
At BK & Associates, Kim can assist with:
Website copy and creative content
Marketing materials and strategies
Public relations
Donor relations and stewardship
Jerry Ray, MBA
Finance and Administration
Jerry is an administrative and financial professional, with demonstrated success serving multi-million-dollar non-profit organizations for over 30 years, as both a senior executive and consultant. He has held C-level positions in a number of non-profit organizations, including The San Diego Foundation and the San Diego Rock Church.
Jerry is motivated by making a meaningful and practical difference in the lives of others and highly values excellence and effectiveness in the work environment. His leadership style is focused through the lens of mission, vision, and strategy. His strengths include teambuilding and effective utilization of people toward a strategic direction, well-thought-out decision making in the context of vision, sound financial management, and building a solid foundation of organizational structure. He enjoys the challenge of leading and managing the growth, operations and financial strength and stability of emerging or expanding organizations, and working in an environment where he can utilize his skills and managerial talents over a broad spectrum of functional areas and activities.
Jerry has assisted in the formation of six nonprofit organizations, serving on the board of three of them.
Joe Gavin
Programs and Community Engagement
Joe worked for over 7 years at Serving Seniors, a San Diego nonprofit dedicated to helping seniors in poverty live healthy, fulfilling lives. His most recent role was director of integrated services, overseeing all programs provided by the interdisciplinary team at the organization’s flagship community site, the Gary and Mary West Senior Wellness Center.
Joe was instrumental in a collaborative project between Serving Seniors and the West Senior Dental Center and served as Serving Seniors’ lead manager on the rehabilitation of a 155-unit building that required the temporary relocation of more than 175 residents for several months. In 2015, the project earned a nomination for a national award for building redevelopment.
Joe brings a thorough knowledge of San Diego’s older adult network, as well as expertise on programs/services, older adult infrastructure, and the biopsychosocial gerontological environment. He holds a B.S. in psychology from Governors State University in University Park, Illinois, and a M.S. in gerontology from San Diego State University.
Corrine Yarbrough
Operations
Corrine Yarbrough is Assistant to Bob Kelly, the Founder and Principal of BK Foundation Advisors. In this position, Corrine provides administrative support to the BK team. Corrine serves as the primary contact for Mr. Kelly and assists on special projects.
Prior to joining BK, Corrine worked at Scripps Health managing multiple continuing medical education conferences. In this role, she developed many skills including grant writing, project management, and communication.
Corrine earned a Bachelor’s degree in health services administration from Ohio University in Athens, Ohio.