Planned giving can feel like a specialty reserved for large shops with dedicated staff and deep pockets, but it doesn't have to be. Whether you're launching your organization's first planned giving effort or looking to breathe new life into your program, this session will give you seven practical, field-tested tips to build momentum, engage donors in meaningful ways, and set your program up for long-term success. You'll walk away with fresh approaches for starting the right conversations with donors, earning board and leadership buy-in, and shaping a marketing strategy that fits your organization's size and capacity, no matter where your program stands today. No jargon, no assumptions about prior experience: just clear, actionable guidance you can put to work right away.

About the Speaker

Melanie J. Norton, CFRE, MBA, is Founder and CEO of Norton Philanthropic Counsel and a former Chair of the National Association of Charitable Gift Planners (now CGP). She led planned and major gifts fundraising at DePauw University and Franklin College before founding NPC, and brings decades of hands-on planned giving and fundraising experience, not just theory, to every session she leads.

Season Pass:  CGPI members have the opportunity to purchase all seven lunch registrations for the price of six.  In addition to this program, the Season Pass includes the following tentative programs:

October 1, 2026 - Stewardship planning
November 5, 2026 - Getting started with noncash gifts
December 3, 2026 - Indiana tax update
February 4, 2027 - Marketing
March 4, 2027 - TBD
April 8, 2027 - TBD

Contact

Sara Nash