Upcoming events

    • 24 Sep 2026
    • 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM
    • Virginia Museum of History & Culture, 428 N. Arthur Ashe Blvd., 23220
    • 42
    Register

    Our Program

    A knowledge of history can become part of your professional toolkit. America is a Given Place illustrates why charitable bequests and trusts were extremely important in colonial America. From our earliest days as an independent nation, gift planning has depended on cooperation among nonprofits and bankers, attorneys and other professionals. You may be surprised to see how American colleges, churches, and other nonprofits prioritized gift planning in the Roaring 1920s. Many gift planners began their careers in the 1960s. A series of ethical crises and Federal reform laws between 1969 and 1995 shaped today’s gift planning landscape and led volunteers to organize a national association of gift planners. To understand the present, we have to know how we got here.

    Our Presenter

    America is a Given Place is based on Ron Brown’s 40 years as a charitable gift planner, including 15 years as director of gift planning at Princeton University, his alma mater. He served on the boards of the National Association of Charitable Gift Planners and the American Council on Gift Annuities, which in 2025 named him a lifetime honorary member of its Board of Directors. In 2019 the Philanthropic Planning Group of Greater New York selected Ron for a distinguished service award.

    Ron was trained as a professional historian 35 years ago and has devoted thousands of hours to scholarly research and writing. He published some of the results in A History of Charitable Gift Planning (Amazon 2017) and in numerous articles and presentations.

    Thanks to our Sponsor


    Our Schedule

    • 10:00 a.m. Registration Begins/Member Networking/Coffee 
    • 10:30 a.m. Program Begins
    • 11:30 a.m. Program Concludes/Q&A
    • 12:00 p.m. Adjourn/Box Lunches

    Registration Fees

    • There is no fee for members to attend, though they should register in advance (members should be logged-in to access the member rate).
    • The nonmember fee is $75.00. Nonmembers can also join now and then register at no additional cost.
    • 12 Nov 2026
    • 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM
    • Virginia Museum of History & Culture, 428 N. Arthur Ashe Blvd., 23220
    • 75
    Register

    Our Schedule

    • 10:00 a.m. Registration Begins/Member Networking/Coffee 
    • 10:30 a.m. Program Begins
    • 11:30 a.m. Program Concludes/Q&A
    • 12:00 p.m. Adjourn/Box Lunches

    Registration Fees

    • There is no fee for members to attend, though they should register in advance (members should be logged-in to access the member rate).
    • The nonmember fee is $75.00. Nonmembers can also join now and then register at no additional cost.
    • 25 Feb 2027
    • 9:30 AM - 12:45 PM
    • Virginia Museum of History & Culture, 428 N. Arthur Ashe Blvd., 23220
    • 75
    Register

    "How much should we give our heirs?" is a question that gives donors pause in making a substantial gift to charity.  How we can assist donors in addressing this complex question is a critical key to our success.  This session will offer concrete suggestions to help donors overcome this difficult question, which leads to more extraordinary philanthropy.

    Pending approval for CFRE credit.

    Our Presenter

    Eddie Thompson, CEO & Founder, Thompson & Associates.

    As CEO of Thompson & Associates, founded in 1996, Eddie provides leadership and direction to around 30 seasoned charitable estate planners with an inspiring sense of generosity, integrity and passion for helping others.

    By creating a unique values-based model at Thompson & Associates, Eddie and his team have established a way for people to dedicate the necessary time to consider important life decisions and to engage in thoughtful discussion that leads to optimal results for all.

    He has planned thousands of estates, which has generated billions of dollars to charity during his thirty plus years working with nonprofits.  Eddie speaks to organizations from coast to coast on successful fundraising techniques, nonprofit management and charitable estate planning and has garnered many honors during his distinguished career.  He credits his parents with shaping his personal and professional path; they were very poor, but very generous.

    Eddie serves as the Chair of the Charitable Estate Planning Institute, a 501(c)(3) public charity offering top level education on charitable estate planning for development staff, gift planning officers and professional advisors. Eddie and a group of Thompson & Associates colleagues formed the Institute in 2012.  He is also a Fellow in Charitable Estate Planning (FCEP) awarded by the Institute.

    A native of Florida, Eddie and his wife, Sheryl, have been married more than 50 years and have made Nashville their home. They have two sons, one daughter and four grandchildren.  Eddie and his family are involved in many community organizations and their church. He was an active instrument pilot with both land and seaplane ratings but has since retired from flying preferring to enjoy life on his farm with the grandkids.

    Our Schedule and Program

    • 9:00 a.m. Registration Begins/Member Networking
    • 9:30 a.m. Program Begins
    • 10:30 a.m. Beverage Break
    • 11:30 a.m. Program Concludes and Buffet Lunch
    • 12:45 p.m. Adjourn

    Registration Fees

    • There is no fee for members to attend, though they should register in advance (members should be logged-in to access the member rate).
    • The nonmember fee is $150.00. Nonmembers can also join now and then register at no additional cost.
    • 22 Apr 2027
    • 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM
    • Virginia Museum of History & Culture, 428 N. Arthur Ashe Blvd., 23220
    • 75
    Register

    Our Schedule

    • 10:00 a.m. Registration Begins/Member Networking/Coffee 
    • 10:30 a.m. Program Begins
    • 11:30 a.m. Program Concludes/Q&A
    • 12:00 p.m. Adjourn/Box Lunches

    Registration Fees

    • There is no fee for members to attend, though they should register in advance (members should be logged-in to access the member rate).
    • The nonmember fee is $75.00. Nonmembers can also join now and then register at no additional cost.

Past events

26 May 2026 VGPC Member Social
23 Apr 2026 VGPC Program, Cognitive Impairment in Donors: Best Practices and Organizational Implementation
26 Feb 2026 VGPC Signature Series, From Grunge to Generosity: Winning Gen X for Legacy Giving
13 Nov 2025 VGPC Program, Inside the Donor's Mind: The Science and Psychology of Planned Giving Marketing
25 Sep 2025 VGPC Program, Women and Philanthropy: Legacy Giving Trends
15 May 2025 VGPC Member Social
17 Apr 2025 VGPC Program: Demystifying CGAs: Considerations for CFOs and Development Staff
27 Feb 2025 Signature Series: Eleven Steps Your Charity Can Take This Year for Planned Giving Success AND Cues and Clues: What Prospects and Clients Tell You and What You Need to Say, Then
13 Feb 2025 VGPC Member Social
21 Nov 2024 VGPC Program: It's None of Your Business...But It Could Be
19 Sep 2024 VGPC Program: Crafting Compelling Legacy Messages
13 Jun 2024 VGPC Member Social
25 Apr 2024 VGPC Program: Dealing with Charitable Trusts and Endowments
22 Feb 2024 Signature Series: Cash is for Amateurs! AND Enticing Professional Advisors and Gifts of Real Estate
25 Jan 2024 VGPC Member Social
16 Nov 2023 Building (Or Rebuilding) Your Planned Giving Program
28 Sep 2023 Maximize Philanthropy and Boost Your Fundraising Program Using Retirement Assets
16 May 2023 VGPC Member Social
20 Apr 2023 VGPC Tour of the Schlumberger Collection at VMFA
20 Apr 2023 Inflation and Economic Turmoil: It's Impact on Philanthropy and Your Organization
16 Feb 2023 Donor-Advised Funds: Dos, Don'ts and Donor Decisions
12 Jan 2023 VGPC Member Social
15 Nov 2022 National Philanthropy Day Workshop and Awards Ceremony 2022
20 Oct 2022 Signature Series - The Gift Planner's Guide to the SECURE Act AND Issues in Using IRAs and Retirement Plan Assets for Philanthropy & Estate Planning (Panel Discussion)
15 Sep 2022 Member Social
19 May 2022 Member Social
11 May 2022 If There's a Will, We Want to Be in It: How Volunteers Can Help Ensure Planned Giving Success
17 Feb 2022 JEOPARDY! Unplanned Giving Edition Virtual Event
20 Jan 2022 Postponed Member Social
6 Jan 2022 Where Do We Go From Here: Estate Planning in 2022
2 Dec 2021 Postponed Luncheon Program - Tax Update
10 Nov 2021 VGPC Member Social: A Night at the Museum
26 Oct 2021 Signature Series - Leveraging Major Data into Major Gifts AND Leaving a Lasting Legacy: Incorporating Planned Giving into Fundraising Strategy
23 Sep 2021 *Postponed* Member Social
20 May 2021 History of Virginia Wines: Virtual Member Social and Wine Tasting
22 Apr 2021 Stewardship: A Key Component of Gift Planning
18 Feb 2021 What Does the SECURE Act Mean for Our Donors AND Blueprint for an Effective Charitable Gift Annuity Program
19 Nov 2020 AFP National Philanthropy Day Workshop: Embracing the Power of Your Legacy Pipeline
15 Oct 2020 Signature Series: Our Best Donors Are Aging - Communicating to and Working with Seniors AND Estate Gifts - Getting All You're Due
14 May 2020 Webinar: Gift Planning and Development Changes in the Time of COVID-19
6 Feb 2020 The ABC's of Foundations and A Closer Look at Donor Advised Funds
16 Jan 2020 Member Social at VCU's ICA
7 Nov 2019 Sean Murphy and Meghan Hubbard of McGuireWoods
10 Oct 2019 Signature Series- Anne Melvin, Director of Training & Education at Harvard University

Copyright 2026

VGPC, PO Box 6605, Richmond, VA 23230
(804) 368-3397 x 2
info@vagiftplanning.org

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