Philanthropic Planning as a Field of Practice: A Reflection on Change and PPP’s Strategic Response

1. Philanthropic Planning as a Field of Practice: A Reflection on Change and PPP’s Strategic Response Timothy J. Prosser Member, Board of Directors The Partnership for Philanthropic Planning Presented to The North Carolina Planned Giving Council on February 18, 2009

2. Agenda • How did we get here? • NCPG needed to change • Strategic Directions Initiative • Engaging Broader Constituencies • Expanding Unique Services • Increased Partnerships and collaborations • A new Brand • What now?

3. How Did We Get Here? The definition of the work has expanded.

4. How Did We Get Here? Gift planning has become a field of practice for many professionals, not (for most people) a separate profession.

5. How Did We Get Here? The “membership association model” limits involvement of key constituencies.

6. How Did We Get Here? The organization’s name and brand are not assets in attracting constituents or communicating focus.

7. NCPG Needed to Change What can we provide better than anyone else, or do so with a unique perspective? Where will the resources come from to do our work? We know it can’t be business the old way.

8. Strategic Directions Taskforce The Strategic Directions Taskforce (SDTF) was convened in late 2006 to advise the NCPG Board on the directions the organization should take in response to changes in the field

9. SDTF: Composition • Chris Yates, Stanford University, Chair • David Clough, Thirteen/WNET New York • Shari Fox, University of Michigan • Cynthia Wilson Krause, Wilson & Krause • Kathryn Miree, Kathryn W. Miree & Associates • Darryl Ott, Morgan Miller & Blair • Katelyn Quynn, Massachusetts General Hospital • Robert Sharpe, Jr., The Sharpe Group • Craig Wruck, Hazelden Foundation • Tanya Howe Johnson, National Committee on Planned Giving

10. SDTF: Process of Input • July 2007 NCPG Assembly of Delegates: • report to delegates • focus groups • CD report distributed to all councils • September 2007 Gift Planner Update • 2nd Quarter 2007 The Journal of Gift Planning • June 2008 Assembly of Delegates • July 2008 Gift Planner Update • Board and CEO presentations 2007 & 2008 • www.ncpg.org

11. NCPG Strategic Directions Task Force SDTF: Findings • Planning inside charities • Professional Advisors • Accessibility of information to donors • Gift planner knowledge and expertise • The current models of both NCPG and gift planning councils

12. SDTF: Findings Inside Charities SDTF: Findings Inside Charities • Number of highly-specialized planners within charities is dwindling • Senior leaders continue to emphasize current dollars • Only a few “top tier” charities have sophisticated planning functions

13. SDTF: Findings In Allied Firms • Professional firms provide integrated, bundled services to their clients • Donors often seek charitable planning advice only from professional advisors • Professional advisors are increasingly structuring gifts without involving charity

14. SDTF: Free Flow of Information SDTF: Free Flow of Information • With rise of the internet, information about planning is freely accessible • Donors are more aware of planning options than ever before • Therefore, gift planning officers are no longer the sole source of knowledge

15. SDTF: Gift Planner Expertise SDTF: Gift Planner Expertise • Sound and effective planning advice is more needed than ever • Gifts can still be thwarted due to lack of good planning advice • Expanding major gift officer knowledge and expertise becomes more critical

16. SDTF: NCPG and Councils SDTF: NCPG / PPP and Councils • Membership has flattened or declined; some councils have disbanded • Channels to critical constituencies are not well established • NCPG / PPP and many councils are struggling with questions of their future relevance

17. Summarizing the Present Conclusions of the SDTF • Gift planning as a separate specialty is eroding

18. Summarizing the Present Conclusions of the SDTF • Gift planners are often suspicious of the motives of professional advisors (and vice versa)

19. Summarizing the Present Conclusions of the SDTF • Gift planning office models that retain a focus on information control are no longer effective and are increasingly irrelevant

20. Summarizing the Present Conclusions of the SDTF • Charities and donors need our expertise as much as ever

21. Summarizing the Present Conclusions of the SDTF • The time when our professional organizations could thrive as “closed clubs of experts” has passed

22. Branding: Overview An organization’s Brandis seen and felt in every facet of operations: every word, every visual, every interaction. A Brand is the collection of emotions elicited by a product or organization.

23. Branding: Overview • Ways we articulate our Brand: • Name • Logo • Mission Statement • Slogan/Tag Line • Positioning Statements • What we do and how we do it

24. Branding: Mission Statement PPP exists: “To ensure that charitable giving is made most meaningful”

25. Branding: Name What’s wrong with the old name? Everything! Must we only be “National”? Are we a “Committee”? Is “Planned Giving” the right descriptor?

26. Branding: Name Potential names flowed naturally from the work of the task force. What are the characteristics important to creating a meaningful charitable gift? *philanthropy meaningful charity giving donor *partnership *planning

27. Branding: Name, Logo, Tagline

28. PPP: A New Way of Operating Co-creation • Content • Events and listings • Speakers bureau with ratings! • Discussion threads • Networking, but not just socially • Sum of the parts

29. PPP: What’s Next? • Engagement at your level • Resources to help you do your job • Standards and best practices • Advocacy (legislative, regulatory) • Voice (media and public relations) • Research • Building community