Beyond Bloodlines: Estate Planning When You’re Childfree

Cost: $15 member | $25 non-member

As the number of nonparents grows, it becomes increasingly important to think about their estate planning needs. For estate and financial planning professionals, the question is whether planning for those without children is just about choosing different individuals to handle financial matters and inherit assets—or if there are more meaningful differences between these cohorts that could affect their estate plans.

Speaker: Jennifer Goode, Senior National Director, Wealth Strategies Group at Bernstein Private Wealth Management

About the Speaker:

Jennifer Goode

Jennifer is a Senior National Director of Bernstein Private Wealth Management’s Institute for Trust and Estate Planning in the Washington, D.C. office. In this role, Jennifer works with Bernstein clients and their professional advisors to develop comprehensive wealth management and wealth transfer strategies. She was recently recognized as Bloomberg Tax’s 2023 Estates, Gifts, and Trusts Tax Contributor of the Year. 

Jennifer frequently presents to professional groups across the U.S. on topics relating to the intersection of estate planning and investing. 

Prior to joining Bernstein, Jennifer was a Founding Partner of Birchstone Moore LLC, a Washington, D.C., boutique law firm focused on estate planning and estate and trust administration.

Washington Planned Giving Council invites you to join us for a member social gathering at Eureka! in University Village. This will be an opportunity for WPGC Members to connect with other professionals in the charitable planned giving community!

Not yet a member of WPGC? Click here to join!

Pricing: Free! Bring a friend new to WPGC & enter to win a door prize ($50 Amazon gift card)

Food and beverages will be available for purchase.

In a fast-evolving philanthropy landscape, advisors are expected to bridge donor intent, impact strategy, and technical execution with confidence. This panel brings together three practitioners who’ve each taken a distinct certification path and apply it daily in their work:

• Alex — CSPG (Certified Specialist in Planned Giving)

• Michael — CAP (Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy)

• Asa — IPA (Impact Philanthropy Advisor)

Panelists will share why they chose their credential, what they learned, and how the training reshaped their client work and collaboration. You’ll walk away with practical tools, useful frameworks, and real “Aha” insights to strengthen donor conversations and support more effective giving.

WA State RIFT Update

Join us for a deep dive into the recent legislative effort to address growing delays charities face when accessing beneficiary gifts from financial institutions. Speakers Larry Symonds (PAWS) and Doug Page (Greater Tacoma Community Foundation) will walk through what prompted the bipartisan RIFT bills (HB 2500/SB 5887), what the proposed reforms would accomplish, and why the legislation stalled this session. This webinar will also explore next steps and how nonprofits across Washington can help strengthen and advance the initiative in the year ahead.

Washington Planned Giving Council invites you to join us for a member social gathering at Café Allegro in Seattle. This will be an opportunity for WPGC Members to connect with other professionals in the charitable planned giving community!

Not yet a member of WPGC? Click here to join!

Pricing: Free! Bring a friend new to WPGC and enter to win a door prize ($50 Amazon gift card)

Food and beverages will be available for purchase.

About the Event:

Have you ever wondered what a donor meant when they said their taxes prevent them from making larger charitable gifts? Are you curious to know how new state and federal tax regulations may impact donors' decisions to give? Join us on February 9th to learn about fundamental tax issues that donors face and how planned gift strategies can be used to minimize taxes and maximize philanthropy. Experts Frances Olson, CPA, MST (from Clark Nuber) and Nisha Nariya, JD (with Perkins Coie) will share their insights during a panel session.

Speaker: Frances Olson, CPA, MST, Clark Nuber & Nisha Nariya, JD, Perkins Cole

Meet the Speakers:

Frances Olson, CPA, MST, Clark Nuber

Frances A. Olson, CPA, MST, enjoys working with a wide variety of not-for-profit entities in different industries, as well as high net worth individuals. Building trusting relationships with clients is one of her main focuses of service. This approach lets her see the bigger picture from a unique perspective and use it to provide the most appropriate tax advice no matter who the client is. While Frances spends a lot of her day consulting compliance books, she's more into reading fiction in her free time! As a busy mom of an athletic family, she finds passion in strength training, yoga, and being active in her children's sports.

Nisha Nariya, JD, Perkins Cole

Nisha Nariya advises executives, business owners, and multigenerational families on a broad range of basic and sophisticated estate planning strategies, probates, estate and trust dispute resolution matters, and preparations of gift and estate tax returns.

Nisha is also experienced in establishing tax-exempt entities and private foundations, and advising on legal issues affecting formation, charitable giving, and compliance for maintaining charitable status. She completed a secondment with the Obama Foundation in December 2021, focusing on governance and compliance with tax-exempt rules and regulations surrounding programming projects and fundraising.

$15 member | $25 non-member

After fifteen years in academic research (plus more than a decade in frontline planned and major gifts fundraising), Professor James brings together scientific results from economics, neuroscience, psychology, demographics, and other disciplines to present the ten most important and effective strategies for increasing fundraising success in planned gifts. Beyond just “war stories,” this presentation gives you a deep understanding of what works – and why – in effective legacy fundraising.

Russell James, J.D., Ph.D., CFP® is a professor in the School of Financial Planning at Texas Tech University where he directs the on-campus and online graduate program in Charitable Financial Planning (planned giving). He graduated, cum laude, from the University of Missouri School of Law where he was a member of the Missouri Law Review and received the United Missouri Bank Award for Most Outstanding Work in Gift and Estate Taxation and Planning. He also holds a Ph.D. in consumer economics from the University of Missouri, where his dissertation was on charitable giving.

Dr. James has published research in over 80 peer-reviewed scientific journal and law review articles and has been quoted on charitable and financial issues in a variety of news sources including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, CNN, MSNBC, CNBC, ABC News, U.S. News & World Report, USA Today, the Associated Press, The Economist, Bloomberg News and the Chronicle of Philanthropy and his financial neuroimaging research was profiled in The Wall Street Journal’s Smart Money Magazine.

Pricing: Free! Bring a friend new to WPGC and enter to win a door prize ($50 gift card)

Food and beverages will be available for purchase.

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Washington Planned Giving Council invites you to join us for a member social gathering at Barrels Wine Bar in Mercer Island. This will be an opportunity for WPGC Members to connect with other professionals in the charitable planned giving community and give a cheers to fall!

Location: Barrels Wine Bar (Located in the Boyd Building with plenty of free, unrestricted parking around the building)

Join the Washington Planned Giving Council for a full-day conference focused on The Future of Planned Giving: Integration & Impact. Connect with peers, hear from expert speakers, and gain practical insights to strengthen your gift planning work. This event is open to all professionals in the charitable gift planning community.

When registering, please select the track that best fits your experience level. This is for planning purposes only—you are welcome to attend sessions in either track throughout the day. McCaw Hall provides ample space, so you're free to explore what interests you most!

This year’s conference will feature two concurrent tracks:

• Introductory: Designed for those newer to planned giving or seeking a refresher. Sample topics include Planned Gifts Sliced and Diced and Estate Management 101.

• Advanced: Intended for experienced professionals looking to dive deeper. Topics include Life Income Gifts Funded with Real Estate and A Tale of Two Washingtons – Legislative Happenings in 2025.

Washington Planned Giving Council invites you to join us for a member social gathering at Café Allegro in Seattle (Entrance is in the alley). This will be an opportunity for WPGC Members to connect with other professionals in the charitable planned giving community and cheers a coffee to summer!

Here are some ideas on what to come with t discuss:

• Share a success story

• Share a challenge you need help with

• What excites you about starting a new fiscal year?

• Celebrate a PD win!

Pricing: Free! Bring a friend new to WPGC and enter to win a door prize ($50 Amazon gift card)

Food and beverages will be available for purchase.

Parking: There is plenty of free neighborhood street parking nearby. Typically, street parking can be found on E Columbia St, 24th Ave and 25th Ave, as well as near Nova High School, just three blocks away from the taproom.

Cost: Free. RSVP by May 19 and receive a free drink ticket!

Food and additional beverages will be available for purchase. This location features drinks by Métier Brewing—experience award-winning beers, limited edition cask brews, and pub fare from Lil' Brown Girl.

Washington Planned Giving Council invites you to join us for a member social gathering on Wednesday, May 21, from 4:00 pm until 6:00 pm at Métier Brewing Cherry Street in Seattle.

This will be an opportunity for WPGC Members to connect with other professionals in the charitable planned giving community.

About the Event:

Early Bird through April 10th:

• $20 member, $45 with lunch

• $35 non-member, $60 with lunch

Price after April 10th:

• $25 member, $50 with lunch

• $45 non-member, $70 with lunch

With 1 in 7 people ages 72+ showing signs of cognitive impairment, it's inevitable that you and your organization will encounter elderly donors in cognitive decline. Are you prepared to handle this situation? This session will teach you actionable best practices for managing situations of cognitive impairment in elderly donors.

About the Speakers:

Tara Adams, JD, Ed.M., JD

Co-Founder | Cognitive Empowerment Consulting Group, LLC

Tara Adams has spent her professional career dedicated to education, serving in roles at the Northwestern Pritzker School of Law, University of Illinois College of Law at Urbana-Champaign, and North Carolina State University. She also worked in the Judicial Education division at the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts in addition to spending years raising funds as a member of the Auxiliary Board for the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago, Illinois. Tara received her B.S. from Illinois State University. She received her Ed.M. and JD from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where Tara is also a current Ph.D. student.

Anthony Pomonis, CFRE

University Of Central Florida - Executive Director of Advancement

Anthony Pomonis, CFRE has spent the last two-plus decades helping individuals unlock meaningful experiences in their lives. He has served as a major gift officer for the University of Illinois, University of Illinois Foundation, and the University of Central Florida. Anthony graduated with his B.A. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and began a 15-year journey as an entrepreneur, opening 5 regional restaurants. He served on the Regional Executive Board of Big Brothers Big Sisters, spent 5 years on the executive board of his local Greek Orthodox Church, and 2 years in service at the Kirby Medical Foundation Board.

Sponsored by Murano Senior Living

Pricing: Members - $15 | Non-Members: $30

CE Details: CFRE, CLE, and CFP Applied

Not Currently a WPGC Member? Click here to join or renew your membership!

Has your non-profit bumped into roadblocks while attempting to collect IRA accounts from a deceased donor?  Have IRA custodians delayed the death claim process by requesting more forms every time you send in what they asked for? Or, has your non-profit been required to set up an entirely separate, second account (i.e., an Inherited IRA) just to get paid? Did they ask for driver’s licenses, Social Security numbers, net worth, and other personal information about your officers or board members while telling you (erroneously) the Patriot Act requires it? This process is completely out of control. What was once a simple practice of providing a death certificate and receiving your share of the IRA within 30-60 days has now turned into an onerous and laborious procedure – so much so, that some charities are completely giving up on applying for their share.  They are frustrated with all the delays for months, and yes – even years. Some refuse to give personal information when it’s supposed to be the NONPROFIT’S information given.  Do you want to know how to avoid all this?  Want an easier way? Want faster results? Have you heard of the RIFT Project (Release IRA Funds Timely)? Join us to find out to get your money faster.

Meet the Speaker:

Johni Hays, J.D., FCEP

With more than 32 years of experience as a practicing attorney in charitable and estate planning, Johni Hays is a recognized leader with her expertise in charitable gift planning. Johni is an Executive Vice President with Thompson & Associates. In her volunteer time, Johni formed and leads the national RIFT project to support nonprofits who are having trouble receiving their donor’s gifts from financial institutions. She served as the president of the Charitable Estate Planning Institute and she is the author of the book, Essentials of Annuities and co-author of two books, The Tools and Techniques of Charitable Planning and Message From the Masters—our Best Donor Stories that Made a Difference.

Johni serves on the Smithsonian’s Professional Advisors Network in Washington, DC. In 2021, Johni was inducted into the National Association of Charitable Gift Planners Hall of Fame and received their Distinguished Service Award in 2020. She also served on its board of directors and has been a charter member of its Leadership Institute. She served on the Editorial Advisory Board for the books Tax Facts on Investments and Tax Facts on Insurance and Employee Benefits. Johni graduated cum laude with a Juris Doctor degree from Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, in 1993. She also holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Drake University and graduated magna cum laude in 1988. Johni has been a member of both the Iowa Bar and the Florida Bar since 1993. She resides in Johnston, Iowa, with her husband, Dave Schlindwein.

$20 Member/$45 with lunch | $35 Non-Member/$60 with lunch

Not currently a WPGC Member? Click here to join or renew your membership!

*** CFRE and CFP CE credits applied for ***

About the Luncheon:

We’re living in a transformative era of intergenerational wealth transfer and new wealth creation, with diverse inheritors and wealth creators seeking social impact. Are you ready to guide donors through this shift in philanthropy? Crystal Thompkins, Director of Strategic Impact at Daylight Advisors, will explore eight key trends shaping philanthropic advising. Her insights, drawn from conversations with wealth advisors, fundraisers, family offices, and donor-advised fund leaders, will help you adapt and thrive in guiding donors toward meaningful impact.

About the Speaker

Crystal Thompkins (she/her)

Director of Strategic Impact, Daylight Advisors

Crystal Thompkins is Director of Strategic Impact for Daylight, a global advisor professional development community for philanthropy and social impact. Crystal builds relationships and collaboration across the philanthropic sector to create a more inclusive advisor community prepared for the future of philanthropy.

Pricing: WPGC Members: $15 | WPGC Non-Members: $30

Not a WPGC Member? Join today and receive a member discount, along with many other member benefits! Membership is valid through December 31st, 2025, if you join today! Become a Member Today

Meet the Speaker:

Judith A. Smith, MA, CFRE

In more than four decades of nonprofit experience, Judi Smith has been an executive director, a capital campaign director, a planned giving officer, and a fundraising consultant to nonprofits. As President of GivingSMITH, she works with nonprofits to help them engage their donors in developing wise strategies for thoughtful and generous giving. She speaks on a variety of topics in the development arena, but is happiest coaching endowment building and charitable gift planning.

Judi is a past President of the Arizona Charitable Gift Planners and the St. Louis Planned Giving Council. She serves on the Board of Directors of the Colorado Planned Giving Roundtable and as a planned giving advisory council member for the Phoenix Zoo. She is a member of the Central Arizona Estate Planning Council and the Greater Arizona Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals.

About the Event:

Join us for a conversation on the needs of our Black communities, led by Stephen Robinson, Director of Community Engagement and Learning at the Black Future Co-op Fund. Over the past year, the fund has been diligently listening to and gathering valuable insights from our communities, which have been compiled into a comprehensive report for funders. Stephen will provide a preview of the Black Future Co-op Fund’s plans for the upcoming year, offering a glimpse into the fund's future direction and initiatives, including some new pilots.

Note: The program will be approximately 45 minutes, leaving time for Q&A, followed by the WPGC Annual Membership Meeting.

Pricing:

• WPGC Members | $20, $45 with lunch

• Non-Members | $35, $60 with lunch

About the Speaker:

Stephen Robinson

Director of Community Engagement & Learning

Stephen (he/him/his) leads the Black Future Co-op Fund’s community listening, engagement, and learning endeavors to build a powerful network of Black people, groups, and organizations across Washington’s 39 counties. As a half Black man, he has always played the role of a bridge and a community builder. He will use these talents collaboratively with nonprofits and community leaders to drive positive change and resource redistribution to further Black liberation. Since 2014, he served as a senior philanthropic advisor and a scholarship program manager at Seattle Foundation, and before that as a community development project manager at LDA Struga, a regional United Nations Development Programme office in Macedonia, where he was a Peace Corps volunteer.

He has been a longtime volunteer with the Pride Foundation, in both their grant and scholarship programs. He is a board trustee for the Friends of Educational Opportunity Program at the University of Washington, an advisory to the Office of Minority Affairs & Diversity that promotes academic excellence for underrepresented students impacted by educational and economic injustices. Stephen is also a teaching assistant for a Bastyr class called "Spiritual identity,” and is apprenticed to the medicine woman who teaches the course.

A chartered advisor in philanthropy (CAP), Stephen has a bachelor’s in religious studies from Humboldt State University and an MPA from the University of Washington. He lives in Rainier Beach, and when he’s not working, you can find him knitting, listening to books while walking around Seward Park, or making bolo ties out of buffalo teeth.

With another election in the books, thoughts move to what this election could mean for us and the donors and clients we serve. We will take a look at the tax platform of the new President, the make-up of Congress, and upcoming tax changes that are “in the books” – unless changed.

Pricing: WPGC Members - $15 | Non-Members - $30

Meet the Speaker:

Kristi Mathisen, JD, CPA, PFS; Managing Director, Tax & Financial Planning & Employee Owner at Laird Norton Wetherby

Kristi serves as a technical resource for LNW wealth managers and analysts, helping to develop protocols for identifying appropriate tax and financial strategies for the benefit of clients, including guidance on trust and estate planning as well as philanthropic giving. An important aspect of Kristi’s work is monitoring developments in tax and finance law at the federal and state levels to provide LNW colleagues and clients with proactive analysis and insights.

Prior to LNW and predecessor firm Laird Norton Wealth Management, Kristi was co-director of the tax practice at Bader Martin P.S. for 16 years. Before that, she was a member of the tax staff at Laventhol and Horwath.

Kristi is a graduate of the University of Washington Schools of Business and Law. She is a Past-President of the Washington Planned Giving Council and Seattle Estate Planning Council, and received the Frank Minton Professional Achievement Award in 2022.

Before the pandemic, the fundraising staff at The Seattle Public Library Foundation and King County Library System Foundation collaborated to host in-person estate planning seminars twice a year with good results. Making the switch to quarterly webinars took engagement to new heights! Join us to learn how we reached thousands of legacy prospects, deepened donor engagement, and the lessons we learned in the process

Pricing: WPGC Members - $15 | Non-Members - $30

CFRE credits have been applied for.

About the Speakers:

Cindy Sharek 

Director of Gift Planning, Seattle Foundation

Cindy Sharek is the Director of Gift Planning at Seattle Foundation where she works with philanthropists and their advisors to provide impactful philanthropic strategies. Prior to Seattle Foundation she worked at the King County Library System Foundation where she was an advocate for literacy and learning programs for 12 years. Her background includes development positions in major and planned gifts, special events, grant writing, and corporate relations. Cindy grew up in Oregon and attended Oregon State University. She serves on the board of A Child’s Notebook, an international nonprofit whose mission is to build schools in rural parts of SE Asia. Cindy is a member of three books clubs, and when she isn’t working or hanging out with her husband and two kids, you will most likely find her with her nose in a book (currently reading “The Island of Missing Trees” by Elif Shafar).

Kara McDonald

Senior Director of Philanthropy and Planned Giving, The Seattle Public Library Foundation

Kara McDonald is the Senior Director of Philanthropy and Planned Giving at The Seattle Public Library Foundation, working with leadership and legacy donors to create sustainable funding for the library. With more than 15 years of fundraising and nonprofit communications experience, Kara has also served as Associate Director for Advancement at the University of Washington Libraries and on the Annual Giving team at Swarthmore College, doing everything from managing reunion giving to running the Phonathon program – even donning the Phineas the Phoenix mascot costume on new student move-in days. When she’s not reading the library’s latest Peak Pick (currently reading: “Bear” by Julia Phillips), Kara can be found running and eating her way through the Pacific Northwest with her partner and two rescue pitties, Joan and Jett.

Note: The presentation will be on the 4th floor in Conference Room 1. A reception with beverages and heavy appetizers will follow. Please be sure to thank BNY Wealth for hosting us. Please take the parking garage or lobby elevator to floor 4. Conference Room 1 is immediately to your left when you exit the elevator.

Parking: The parking garage is accessed on Seneca St. (one-way) between 3rd and 2nd Ave. BYN Wealth has generously offered to validate parking. Please bring your voucher with you.

Pricing: WPGC Members - $20 | Non-Members - $35

CLE, CFP, CFRE credits have been applied for.

About the Event:

Crafting a charitable plan that will take effect at one's passing requires many considerations, including the intent to benefit one or more specific charitable causes, reduction or elimination of estate tax, wealth transfer, family governance, legacy, and carrying out that charitable plan without compromising the estate plan for one's family members. A primary role of the advisor is to educate the client or donor about those considerations and guide them to a plan that strikes the appropriate balance of those considerations consistent with their goals while incorporating sufficient flexibility in anticipation of a changing tax, economic, and legal landscape.

This presentation will discuss those considerations in the context of hypothetical client and donor examples. While a certain approach will work well in one fact pattern, it may flounder under a different set of facts. This presentation also will provide tips and highlight potential pitfalls of different testamentary charitable contribution approaches. Lastly, the presentation will examine challenges with contributing to charitable organizations certain classes of assets at one's passing, which if not thoroughly vetted may doom an otherwise thoughtful charitable plan. 

Meet the Speaker:

Ryan J. Szczepanik

Senior Wealth Strategist, BNY Wealth

Ryan Szczepanik is a Senior Wealth Strategist with BNY Wealth. He works closely with wealthy families, corporate executives, business owners, and their advisors to provide comprehensive trusts, estates, and tax planning services. He supports the thought leadership and initiatives of the organization with respect to the delivery of those services.

Prior to joining BNY Wealth, Ryan was a Shareholder at Hartog, Baer & Hand, A.P.C., and an attorney at King & Spalding LLP. He is a California Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law. He is a Member of the Executive Committee of the Trusts and Estates Section of the California Lawyers Association (TEXCOM). He is a Member of the California Probate and Mental Health Advisory Committee (PMHAC), which makes recommendations to the Judicial Council of California for improving trust and estate law. He previously served as the President of the East Bay Trusts & Estates Lawyers (EBTEL).

Ryan focuses on complex issues surrounding all areas of trusts, estates, and tax planning impacting BNY Wealth clients.

He received a BA in Economics from Amherst College; a JD from Emory Law School, where he received the Dean’s Award for Trusts and Estates; and a Certificate from Harvard Law School’s Executive Education Accelerated Leadership Program.

Thank You to Our Program Sponsor!

Washington Planned Giving Council invites you to join us for a casual summer gathering on Wednesday, July 24th from 4pm until 6:00pm at Barrels Wine Bar on Mercer Island.

Like our May Social, this will be an un-hosted opportunity for you to connect with other professionals in the charitable planned giving community. All members and friends are welcome to join! Food and beverages will be available for purchase.

P.S. Note that we will take a break from our regular programming during the month of July. Please be sure to save the date for our next in-person evening program and reception at BNY Melon on Thursday, August 1st . More details to come soon!

Planned giving officers and professional advisors frequently encounter situations that might require the help of a professional fiduciary. Denise Meador will speak to the range of services fiduciaries can offer when donors/clients are facing diminished capacity or seeking to appoint a power of attorney or executor. Additionally, the presentation will cover the probate process and how to work effectively with a fiduciary during the estate settlement to facilitate donor bequests to your non-profit in a timely manner

Octave 9 is accessible only via 2nd Ave near the corner of Union St. Details on navigating to Benaroya Hall including parking and public transit are available here.

 Discounted parking is available in the Benaroya Hall garage. The entrance to the garage is located on 2nd Ave, just south of Union St. Collect a parking ticket on entry and a discounted pass will be provided to you at the event registration desk. To find Octave 9 from the garage, exit to the street level using the elevators on the 2nd Ave side. Turn right, walk past the garage entrance, and the Octave 9 door is located just before the corner of Union St. 

Pricing: WPGC Member: $20 without lunch or $45 with lunch | Non-Member: $35 without lunch or $60 with lunch.

*** CE, CFP, CFRE Credits Have Been Applied For ***

Meet the Speaker:

Denise Meador

Professional Fiduciary and Executive Director, Private Client Fiduciary Corp 

Denise brings over 40 years of banking, finance, and real estate experience to her role at Private Client Fiduciary Corporation. She worked in banking for 25 years, most recently as a First Vice President developing her business expertise and acumen before transitioning to support clients in need of professional fiduciary services. 

Denise has served in a number of community positions including President of a nonprofit that provided transitional housing, a Board Member of a local housing authority, and a board member for a Community Action Council.  

Denise’s professional experience, degree in Business Administration, and Certificate in Professional Guardianship from the University of Washington equip her to lead a team of quality professional fiduciaries.

Thank You to Our Sponsor!

About the Webinar:

Cost: Member - $15 | Non-Member - $30

CE, CFP and CFRE credits have been applied for

A large portion of your donors and clients own real estate in the Puget Sound area. For some of these households, their primary residence and/or their vacation home may be some of the most valuable assets they own and could be the best asset they can give to their favorite charity! What do would-be donors and their advisors need to know about real property gift options and the process to implement these gifts? What should your non-profit organization do to be successful when accepting gifts of real estate? Explore with Amy Scott and Marcie Hinthorne important questions and issues to evaluate; the process to accept real estate; and resources needed to build a successful gift. Any non-profit organization can do it! Join us for a virtual case study and discussion to put you and your organization on the path to success.  

Explore with Amy Scott and Marcie Hinthorne important questions and issues to evaluate; the process to accept real estate; and resources needed to build a successful gift. Any non-profit organization can do it! Join us for a virtual case study and discussion to put you and your organization on the path to success. 

Meet the Speakers:

Amy Scott

Director of Planned Giving, University of Washington

Since joining the University of Washington’s Office for Planned Giving in 2003, Amy has helped donors use their real property assets to fund charitable trusts, retained life estates, outright gifts and bequests. She has partnered with UW colleagues to evaluate and implement gifts of vacant land, vacation homes, rental houses, apartment buildings, and grocery stores. She’s also had the distinct pleasure of declining proposed property gifts (including a condemned building and a swamp). A Seattle native, Amy’s first fundraising job was at Pacific Science Center. Currently, she is on the boards of the Washington Planned Giving Council and Washington Conservation Action. In her free time, Amy enjoys hiking, kayaking or birding here and around the world.

Marcie Hinthorne

Associate Director of Gift Planning, The Nature Conservancy

As the Regional Gift Strategist for the Pacific Northwest, Marcie provides technical expertise to create gif t strategies designed to meet both the donor’s financial and philanthropic goals. Marcie partners with fundraisers to assist donors with gifts of complex assets, gif ts creating a lifetime income, and gifts made through their estate plans. Over the last 28 years, Marcie has evaluated and accepted gif ts of real estate, including residential homes, commercial real estate, leased rental properties, mineral interests, vacation homes and farmland. Prior to working in Planned Giving, Marcie negotiated real estate purchase and sales contracts, managed the financial funding for a real estate development company, negotiated construction contracts for medical office development and evaluated real estate partnership offerings for investment. She earned a law degree and an MBA in finance from the University of Oklahoma. Marcie worked with the University of Washington for 23 years prior to joining The Nature Conservancy 5 years ago. Marcie has had the privilege of serving the non-profit community as a board member and board chair as well as through many volunteer opportunities. Currently, she serves as a board member for the Washington Planned Giving Counsel and Community Homes, a non-profit organization providing housing solutions for adults with disabilities. Marcie is an avid sports fan, strives to be a better photographer and a better chef and would love to travel more. These activities are always better when shared with her husband Brad, their sons, Adam and Ben and their extended family.

Join us to relax and connect with other professionals in the charitable planned giving community. All are welcome. Food and beverages will be available for purchase.

Parking: Validated by Clark Nuber

Pricing: WPGC Members without Lunch - $20 | WPGC Members with Lunch - $45 | Non-Members without Lunch - $35 | Non-Members with Lunch - $60

*** Registration closes April 4th ***

About the Discussion:

Join us for a panel-discussion on endowment giving and fundraising where we’ll cover the legalities of endowments, how to account for them, and how endowment gifts can be best used and stewarded to support your program now and into the future. CPA Amy Hernandez, attorney Andrea Templeton and Planned Giving Program Manager Sarah Finney provide a multifaceted understanding of endowments.

About the Speakers:

Amy Hernandez

Principal in Audit and Assurance Services Group, Clark Nuber

As a principal in the firm’s Audit and Assurance Services practice, Amy focuses on serving clients in the not-for-profit sector and has experience working with schools, foundations, and other grant making organizations, social service agencies, churches, and single audit engagements. Amy is an active member in Clark Nuber’s Not-for-Profit and Foundation niche groups and teaches at Clark Nuber’s Not-for-Profit Basics seminar. She has been with Clark Nuber for almost 4 years and in public accounting for 11 years. She is also on the board of the Washington Planned Giving Council. Her technical skills and exceptional attention to detail provide a valuable resource for clients with whom she works.

Andrea Templeton

Partner at K&L Gates LLP

Andrea Templeton is a partner in the corporate practice group of K&L Gates LLP, where she focuses on tax-exempt organizations and general tax matters. She enjoys working with organizations and individuals to translate the complex regulatory environment for tax-exempt organizations into a workable plan to achieve meaningful results.

Tax-Exempt Organizations

Andrea provides thoughtful counsel to nonprofit organizations at all stages of an organization's life cycle, including formation, operation, and maintenance of a charitable organization's federal and state tax-exempt status. Her robust practice includes corporate and tax advice regarding governance, contracting, fiduciary duties, conflict of interest issues (including private benefit concerns), and unrelated business taxable income issues. Andrea advises sophisticated and start-up private foundations regarding avoiding and addressing self-dealing, domestic and international grantmaking, private foundation compliance, and relationships with taxable organizations. She counsels individual and corporate clients regarding charitable deductions, working with tax-exempt organizations, and charitable giving strategies. Andrea also counsels organizations on donor engagement, and stewardship or modification of restricted gifts under the Washington Nonprofit Corporation Act, UPMIFA, state charitable solicitation requirements, and other state laws. She is a trusted advisor to nonprofit directors and officers, and provides practical advice for navigating big decisions, such as mergers and dissolutions.

Greg Ross

Director of Donor Relations and Stewardship

Seattle University

Greg leads Seattle University’s donor relations team, responsible for delivering gratitude, impact and recognition to the university’s donors. His team is also manages the creation of new endowments at SU and stewardship of the university’s 500+ current endowments. Greg has more than three decades of fundraising and donor relations experience in higher education and non-profit health and research organizations.

Pricing: WPGC Members - $15 | WPGC Non-Members - $30 (Note: CFRE Credit Applied)

About the Webinar:

Matt Hammatt of Western Washington University and Heather Millar of University of Washington discuss how breaking down the barriers between Major Gifts and Planned Giving can increase a nonprofit’s fundraising. Hear how Blended Gifts are encouraged and coordinated in their organizations.

Their Workshop Will Also Include:

• Benefit of Blended Gifts for Donors

• Benefit of Blended Gifts for Charities - debunking assumptions about blended gifts

• Examples and Case studies

• Current Endowment to Planned Gift

• Planned Gift to Current Endowment

• “Back pocket” Ask

• Kickstarting gifts

• Beneficiary designations/ IRA gifts

• Key Phrases to Listen for and to Convey

About the Speakers:

Heather Millar

Director in the Office for Planned Giving

Heather A. Millar is a Director in the Office for Planned Giving at the University of Washington in Seattle, WA. She has been with UW since 2013, and prior to that, her work includes senior fundraising and management positions with the National Audubon Society, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, as well as local organizations in Seattle. Her role at UW is to inspire philanthropy in donors by helping them include the UW in their estate and financial plans, as well as partnering with other fundraisers across the university to help them develop their portfolio of planned giving donors. Some of the day-to-day work Heather does includes providing donors and colleagues with information about bequests, estate planning, charitable trusts and annuities, and complex assets such as real estate or other non-cash gifts. She also helps to educate colleagues across campus in planned giving best practices and strategies to support their work. She is a paralegal and is currently a student in the California State University, Long Beach Certified Specialist in Planned Giving CM (CSPG) program, and she has extensive experience in major and planned giving, events, political fundraising, and strategic planning. Her favorite part of working in advancement is partnering with teammates, helping donors achieve their dreams, and supporting an incredible mission and vision.

Matthew Hammatt, J.D.

Senior Director for Planned Giving

Matt Hammatt is Senior Director for Planned Giving with The Foundation for Western Washington University & Alumni. Matt has led the planned giving efforts at WWU since June 2012. In this role, he has spearheaded development of strategies, programs, processes, and marketing materials to drive fundraising for the university through planned giving and donor development. Matt serves as a front-line fundraiser on a team charged with securing annually increasing revenue targets through major, planned, and blended gifts. In his role, he fosters strong, lifelong relationships with a diverse portfolio of individual donors, with a primary focus on securing documented planned gift commitments. He solicits and secures present, future, and blended/complex gifts, typically working independently on an assigned portfolio of prospects. He also trains, educates, and assists other members of the Major Gifts team with planned giving strategies to support donors in their portfolios.

About the Event:

*** CFRE has been applied for ***

With the number of Americans giving to charity on the decline overall, many nonprofits increasingly rely on a smaller and more affluent circle of supporters to meet their fundraising goals. The importance and influence of these high-capacity donors only continues to increase. The new Bank of America Study of Philanthropy, the ninth in a series of reports on giving by wealthy households in the United States begun in 2006, illuminates many expressions of generosity by affluent Americans. The study indicates emerging national trends and offers practical insights into distinct donor demographics including the perspectives of the rising generation, women, LGBTQ+ and ethnically diverse donors. The presentation will explore what motivates affluent donors to give and stop giving and which organizations affluent Americans currently support. These insights can help build the confidence and increase the success of non­profit staff and board members when seeking the support of high-capacity donors with the goal of securing transformational gifts to advance the nonprofit’s mission.

Key Learnings Include:

• Recent trends in giving and volunteering among America’s affluent households with a focus on distinct donor demographics such as women and the rising generation.

• Which organizations and causes are supported by affluent donors and why.

• How affluent Americans leverage sustainable investment strategies and assess the impact of their giving.

• How the economy and other forces may drive donor behaviors and community impact throughout 2023 and beyond.

*** Parking will be validated ***

Registration closes on February 8th

Meet the Speaker:

Jan Jacobs

Senior Vice President and Philanthropic Client Manager 

Bank of America Private Bank

Jan Jacobs is Senior Vice President and Philanthropic Client Manager with Bank of America Private Bank. Jan serves as the primary point of contact for philanthropic clients in the Pacific Northwest. She has dedicated more than three decades to helping nonprofit organizations and donors meet meaningful missions through philanthropy. Before joining Bank of America Private Bank in 2017, Jan led fund development programs for organizations in Seattle and across the country, including the global health organization PATH, The Chrysler Museum of Art, Yellowstone Art Museum, and Make-A-Wish Alaska and Washington. In addition, she directed major and planned giving programs at Seattle Symphony and managed capital and endowment campaigns for the Virginia Historical Society and several other cultural organizations.

Jan holds the Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy® designation, which equips financial professionals with the knowledge and tools needed to help clients reach both financial and philanthropic goals. She was honored to receive the 2016 Professional Achievement Award from the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) Advancement Northwest Chapter.

Jan is past president of the AFP Advancement Northwest Chapter and served on the boards of the World Affairs Council and Northwest Biomedical Research Association. Currently, she is a board member of Leave 10, which aims to build better communities and transform as many people as possible into philanthropists by educating, inspiring and encouraging individuals to aspire to leave at least 10% of their estate to charity.