VGPC Newsletter

Issue 4, October 2026

Greetings from the Virginia Gift Planning Council!

Dear Members and Friends of the Virginia Gift Planning Council,

As I reflect on the incredible journey of the Virginia Gift Planning Council over the past year, I am filled with an overwhelming sense of gratitude and excitement. Thank you Scott Dodson (Immediate Past President), Cathy Boe (President before Scott), Robert Patterson (program chair with Cathy and leader on the RIFT project), and all who have gotten us to where we are today.  I am truly grateful for your collectiveness.

Serving as your President is a profound honor, primarily because of the remarkable Greater Richmond Community that defines this organization. Every day, across the Commonwealth and right here in our local communities, your dedication transforms philanthropic intent into significant investments that fuel our economy and serve our community.

Together, we are not just facilitating transactions, we are securing the long-term futures of institutions that educate, heal, protect, and inspire. Three things will help unlock more of our potential:

1. Repopulate our Virginia Gift Planning Advisory Committee with tax, real estate, financial, investment, and legal advisors
2. Collective action to shape policy and create a law regarding the speed of investment received from retirement accounts
3. Increase our membership and sponsorship to strengthen our standing and multiply our impact within the Greater Richmond Community and Commonwealth of Virginia

Community investments come in many forms. The most valuable asset of all belongs to the time that people grant us; especially, professional tax, financial, investment, and legal advisors. We are expanding our search for the Virginia Gift Planning Council’s Advisory Committee within our membership and extending an external invitation to the tax, financial, investment, and legal community in Richmond to consider joining us. We hope to develop a formal mentorship program to better understand clients’ and donors’ concerns.

We hope that our membership and our friends will join us on OCTOBER EIGHTH (10/8) a.k.a. DAF DAY to socialize and connect at Feed More’s new hunger-fighting headquarters in Henrico. We are extending personal invitations via forwarding this email and clicking HERE to register. We expect a huge turnout as we look to expand the resources offered to the Virginia Gift Planning Council members by welcoming development professionals and focusing inviting our professional advisor community to socialize on DAF DAY, Thursday, October 8 from 5 pm to 7pm. Swing by to say hello, make new connections, and see old friends.

On another note, VGPC’s Board of Directors recently voted to pursue some policy interests and follow the leadership of the national organization, the National Association of Charitable Gift Planners, in pursuit of a law known as RIFT – Release our IRA Funds Timely. Through formal partnerships with trade groups throughout the Commonwealth, your Virginia Gift Planning Council is working to create a law that encourages IRA distributions in a timely and orderly fashion. This is a great non-partisan issue that the banks, investment firms, and trade organizations in Virginia are partnering with the entire legislature to expedite funding to our not-for-profit enterprises serving the public and the Commonwealth of Virginia. If you have connections or are interested in joining the campaign, contact any board member.

Lastly, we need your help. Help us grow by forwarding this email to a few people that you’d love to see at the social or the next program. Remember, fundraising professionals and tax, financial, investment, and legal advisors make up the bulk of our membership. If you know someone who fits one of these profiles, please encourage them to come to the social. If they cannot make the social, help us by connecting them with Kevin Napier, knapier@chfrichmond.org, to discuss the possibility of a corporate sponsorship and/or membership. Kevin is the sponsorship chair and pinch-hitting for our membership chair(s) while we get our newest board members up-to-speed.

Thank you everyone for your attention. We hope you will consider joining our professional membership, serving as an advisory committee member, or a corporate member and/or sponsor. The gift of your time will bring the communities we serve immeasurable returns.

Richmond is on the rise and all of us with it.

With deep gratitude and shared momentum,

Jason R. Chestnutt, CFP®
PresidentVirginia Gift Planning Council

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Program Recap

On September 24, the VGPC welcomed Ron Brown for an engaging exploration of the origins of gift planning in the United States. We learned how our field was shaped by important events, abuses, federal legislation, and Supreme Court decisions. Thank you, Ron, for this insightful presentation and to all the members who joined us.

The VGPC Board of Directors extends its sincere appreciation to Juno Financial Group for sponsoring this program.

Join Us for a Member Social on October 8th!

Let's raise a glass to philanthropy on DAF Day!

We hope you'll join us as we bring together the gift planning community and celebrate the power of charitable giving this October. This informal gathering is an opportunity to connect with peers, strengthen professional relationships, and learn more about our amazing and impactful social sponsor, FEED MORE, at their hunger-fighting headquarters.

Register online for this free event.