Join or renew your PGGNE membership today! As a valued member of our community, your membership ensures that you continue to enjoy all the benefits and resources that PGGNE has to offer. 

Whether it's access to educational events, networking opportunities, or valuable professional development resources, your membership is your gateway to a vibrant and supportive community.

Don’t miss out on the chance to stay connected and engaged with fellow professionals who share your passion and dedication. Joining as a first-time member or renewing is quick and easy—simply click here.

Thank you for being a part of PGGNE. We look forward to another year of growth, learning, and collaboration with you!

Carolyn is Director of Gift Planning at Northeastern University, and is the winner of a free registration for the 2027 PGGNE All-Day Conference.

Participants that collected 10 sponsor stickers on our 2026 Conference Door Prize card were added to the drawing for a chance to win free registration for next year's Conference. Join us next year on Wednesday, May 5th, 2027 at Bentley University for our next Door Prize Raffle!

We’re proud to welcome our new Executive Board for the Planned Giving Group of New England!

This talented group of professionals brings a wealth of experience and fresh perspective to our mission of advancing philanthropic planning across the region.

Together, they will help us harness collective knowledge, connect our vibrant community of gift planning professionals, and engage more voices in shaping the future of charitable giving.

Please join us in congratulating and welcoming the 2025-2026 PGGNE Executive Board!

We’re looking forward to a year of growth, learning, and collaboration.

Learn more about our Executive Board here.

Join or renew your PGGNE membership today! As a valued member of our community, your membership ensures that you continue to enjoy all the benefits and resources that PGGNE has to offer. 

Whether it's access to educational events, networking opportunities, or valuable professional development resources, your membership is your gateway to a vibrant and supportive community.

Don’t miss out on the chance to stay connected and engaged with fellow professionals who share your passion and dedication. Joining as a first-time member or renewing is quick and easy—simply click here.

Thank you for being a part of PGGNE. We look forward to another year of growth, learning, and collaboration with you!

Enjoy these photos from the night!

For Immediate Release
For more information, please contact:
Andrea Skirvin, Content and Communications Specialist
317.269.6274

Original Press Release

Indianapolis, IN -- The National Association of Charitable Gift Planners (CGP) honors Alice Pinsley, PhD with the CGP Hall of Fame Award. As a founding Board member, second President and first Conference Chair of the National Association of Charitable Gift Planners, Dr. Pinsley had a profound and lasting impact elevating the work of gift planners through her advocacy for professional standards of practice.

Dr. Pinsley will be inducted posthumously into the CGP Hall of Fame in October at CGP Conference 2024 in Orlando, Florida.

Dr. Pinsley earned a PhD in educational psychology from the University of Michigan, she was a Certified Financial Planner (CFP) and she served for many years as national Director of Gift Planning at The Nature Conservancy, as well as, a highly-regarded gift planning consultant.

In the mid-1980s, Dr. Pinsley participated in many of the brain-storming sessions leading to founding CGP (then known as the National Committee on Planned Giving, NCPG). She was one of a small handful of powerful women pioneers serving the field of planned giving. In the year before the national association existed, Dr. Pinsley served as President of the largest regional planned giving association at the time, the Planned Giving Group of New England (PGGNE), based in Boston.

At the second CGP Conference in 1989, Dr. Pinsley presented an ambitious plan for training and certifying gift planners, focusing on professional competence. Although her proposal for professional certification was not adopted in 1989, its educational content became the heart of the CGP conference agendas, national research projects, and the Syllabus for Gift Planners (1992), which laid the foundations of the CGP educational program.
The Hall of Fame is CGP’s highest honor. The award recognizes those whose life's work has impacted charitable gift planning. Their work advances the mission of CGP and brings credit to all the professions engaged in charitable planning.

Prior to her death in 2024, Dr. Pinsley continued to serve the field of charitable gift planning throughout a long career of assisting clients, training staff and consulting with nonprofits.

Dr. Pinsley will be inducted into the CGP Hall of Fame in October at CGP Conference 2024 in Orlando, Florida. The Hall of Fame will be permanently memorialized on the CGP website and recognized in associated media outlets.

Hall of Fame inductees receive lifetime membership in CGP, honorary membership in the Leadership Institute, and complimentary registration to conference in the year of the award.

Nominations for the 2025 CGP Hall of Fame Award will open in June 2025. Learn more about the CGP Awards program, previous winners and how to nominate or apply:

https://charitablegiftplanners.org/awards

In Remembrance of

PGGNE is saddened to learn of the passing of Ann McPherson-Coutu. Ann was a PGGNE member for 11 years, and served on the board of directors from 2015-2019 as Officer at Large and Director of Communications. Ann was often the smiling face at the registration desk that would be greeting PGGNE attendees at monthly meetings. She was an extraordinary individual who loved PGGNE and our planned giving community.

Please join in sending condolences to Ann's family. You may do so by adding to the "Guestbook" found here.

View the obituary for Ann McPherson-Coutu.

In Remembrance of

PGGNE is saddened to learn of the passing of Alice A. Pinsley on May 22, 2024. Alice was among only a few pioneering women to specialize in the tax implications of trusts and a leader in the fast-growing field of charitable gift planning. Alice served as PGGNE president from 1987-1988, as well as president of the National Committee on Planned Giving (NCPG) and chaired the first national conference.

Please join in sending condolences to Alice's family. You may do so by adding to the "Tribute Wall" found here.

View the obituary for Alice A. Pinsley.

The 2023-2024 monthly meeting and conference dates have been posted to the PGGNE website. Please view the calendar and save these dates. Details and registration for the monthly meetings and conference will be added to the respective event listings as they become available.

A reminder, the 2023-2024 PGGNE monthly meetings and conference will be held at Bentley University (The Conference Center), 175 Forest Street, Waltham, Massachusetts 02452. We thank members for their participation in the 2022-2023 member polls. Member feedback helped guide the trial of a venue outside of downtown Boston, as well as an additional virtual monthly meeting, and we look forward experiencing these changes in the programming year ahead.

Registration is now open for the PGGNE February monthly meeting. Though this meeting will be a live webinar we are excited to offer in-person regional roundtable viewing options. During registration select to watch the webinar from the comfort of your office/home or one of our regional host site locations to network and have a light lunch while viewing the live webinar. LEARN MORE / REGISTER

Thursday, February 16, 2023

12:00 PM - 1:30 PM

Why DEI Belongs in your Planned Giving Program

Jade Bristol, Chief Development Officer, Giving Docs

Have you considered incorporating DEI principles into your organization’s planned giving program, but you’re not sure where to start? Or maybe you’re not sure whether DEI belongs in planned giving at all? Join us for this webinar to learn more about the basics of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Justice and Belonging, and why these concepts are important to your planned giving program. You will leave with concrete action items to help you build more inclusive planned giving programs.

Locations

This is a webinar, but there are TWO WAYS TO WATCH -- (1) VIRTUALLY or (2) IN-PERSON at a regional host site!

In-person Regional Roundtable site options are:

• Hemenway & Barnes (Boston, MA)
• PG Calc (Cambridge, MA)
• Clark University (Worcester, MA)
• Smith College (Northampton, MA)
• Chisholm Chisholm & Kilpatrick Ltd (Providence RI)
• St. Anslem’s College (Manchester, NH)
• Fairfield University (Fairfield, CT)

During registration you will be asked to select your viewing option/location.

LEARN MORE / REGISTER

Friday, May 12, 2023

Join us at the Courtyard Marriott Downtown Boston on Friday, May 12, 2023 for our All-Day Conference! Extend your knowledge of planned giving by attending education sessions by leading planned giving experts, and take advantage of our networking opportunities. Make sure to visit our sponsor tables too!

If you're not a PGGNE member already, get a discounted rate for the conference when you sign up or renew your membership! This highly discounted rate of $170 is only available for membership renewals or new memberships.

As we get more information and open up registration, we'll keep you posted.

We will be meeting on Wednesday, December 15th at the Courtyard Boston Downtown/Tremont. If you are not registered, make sure to register by December 7th! PGGNE needs to provide room and meal counts in advance.

Agenda

10:00 - 11:00 AM  |  Registration and Networking

11:00 - 12:00 PM | Basics Session

Implicit Bias & Equitable Hiring: The State of the Science
Dr. Noel Dominguez

11:00 - 12:00 PM | Advanced Session

Gift Restrictions From an Accounting Perspective
Greg Rogers, CPA, MBA

12:00 - 2:00 PM | Luncheon with Keynote

Discussion Panel: Donor Gift Restrictions – Through the Eyes of the Development Officer
Courtney Aladro, David J. Chused, and Anita Lichtblau

The Planned Giving Group of New England is saddened to share the news of the passing of Brian Sagrestano at the age of 52. As the founder of Gift Planning Development and the co-author of several books on philanthropy, Brian dedicated himself tirelessly to the advancement of our field. His first book, The Philanthropic Planning Companion, was the recipient of the Skystone Partners Award. A leader in the field of planned giving, we join many in mourning his loss. Additional details about Brian’s life and legacy may be found here: https://www.snyderfuneralhome.com/obituary/brian-m-sagrestano-jd/

PGGNE returns to in-person meetings on April 7th at the Courtyard Boston Downtown/Tremont. If you are not registered, make sure to register by April 1st! PGGNE needs to provide room and meal counts in advance.

Agenda

10:00 - 11:00 AM  |  Roundtables

11:00 - 12:00 PM  |  Advanced Session

The Future of Wealth is Female: Catalyzing Women Donors
Adrienne Penta, Center for Women and Wealth, Brown Brothers Harriman

12:00 - 2:00 PM  |  Luncheon with Keynote

Leadership in Challenging Times
Dr. M. Lee Pelton, The Boston Foundation

Learn More / Register

https://www.pggne.org/event/20220407

It is with sadness that we share the news that Robert F. Sharpe, Jr., a giant in the philanthropic sector, died unexpectedly this month at age 68. Bob worked tirelessly with thousands of gift planning professionals and consulted with hundreds of non-profit clients to organize and implement major gift and planned giving programs. Bob was a brilliant speaker and writer, and mentored many of the country’s leading non-profit executives. In addition to his numerous national awards, Bob was given the David M. Donaldson Distinguished Service Award by PGGNE in 2009 in recognition of outstanding service and leadership in the field of charitable gift planning. Further information about Bob’s life and legacy can be found at: https://www.thenonprofittimes.com/npt_articles/robert-f-sharpe-jr-dies-unexpectedly/

Membership is per person but belongs to the organization, and will remain with the organization upon a change in the member's employment status. A half year membership will be effective starting January 1, 2022 and expire June 30, 2022, after which a full year membership can be purchased. 

Join PGGNE today!

We are delighted to introduce PGGNE’s 2021 Diversity Scholarship recipients! 

Congratulations to:

   Lori Britton-Smith, Community Resource Consulting Inc.

   Carmen Chan, Just A Start

   Neida Jiminez, Northeastern University

   Mitra Shavarini, Project Citizenship

Learn more about our 2021 recipients and the Diversity Scholarship.

Dear PGGNE Members,

On April 28, 2020, the Non-Profit Organization/Public Charities Division of the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office issued new guidance on endowments for charities during this time of COVID-19. We feel this guidance is valuable to many members, and wanted to share it with you.

Massachusetts Attorney General Guidance on Endowments for Charities Facing Financial Challenges Due to COVID-19

https://www.mass.gov/doc/ago-endowment-guidance/download

In addition, our own board member, Brad Bedingfield, has written a helpful alert and summary of the AGO guidance, https://hembar.com/uploads/1280/doc/New_Attorney_General_Guidance_on_Endowments.pdf.

As always, we want to make sure members have access to timely education. If you have not yet registered for our May 8^th Virtual Monthly and Annual Meeting, where Lisa Alvezi from Gravyty, Inc will be discussing Fundraising During a Crisis, we encourage you to register no later than May 7^th.

Thank you,

PGGNE Board of Directors

It is with great sadness the PGGNE Executive Board announces the passing of board member Bob Maguire after a brief illness. Having worked at both Merrimack College and Lesley University in senior Planned Giving positions, Bob brought a wealth of experience to the Board which he joined in 2016. Bob’s love of meeting people & relationship building served him well as PGGNE’s primary sponsorship recruiter. Bob had the uncanny ability of effortlessly transitioning from sharing grandchildren anecdotes to confirming sponsorship agreements at every board meeting. While PGGNE will sadly miss Bob’s iconic smile and enthusiasm, it was his genuine warmth we will miss the most. Gifts in Bob’s memory may be made to Lesley University. You may view Bob’s full obituary here.