Events
Connect, learn, and be inspired.
Upcoming Events
Will There Be Any High-Net Worth Donors Left in Washington?
Everything About Taxes You Were Afraid to Ask
Brace yourself for a whirlwind of tax updates that could reshape how we engage high-net-worth donors and structure planned gifts. With Washington State making major moves—and federal changes potentially around the corner—what does the future hold?
Join Avery Frank, CPA, Manager at CLA (CliftonLarsonAllen), for a candid and accessible tax update, covering:
- The latest on Washington’s estate tax, expected to increase from 20% to 35%
- Updates to the Washington capital gains excise tax
- Adjustments to the Washington business & occupations tax
- Federal income and estate tax possibilities as 2025 sunsets Trump-era tax reforms
- Implications for estate planning and planned giving strategies
Wondering how a shrinking standard deduction could impact your donors? Or whether nonprofits should brace for changes in how wealth is transferred and gifted?
Bring your questions—Avery will close with 10–15 minutes of Q&A.
Dr. James isn’t just a professor—he’s a storyteller of the science behind generosity. He’ll take you inside the minds of your clients and donors and reveal the hidden motivators behind transformational gifts.
What You’ll Learn:
- Why traditional planned giving language turns clients and donors off—and what to say instead
- How to spark legacy conversations that lead to action
- The neuroscience of generosity: what’s happening in your client or donor’s brain
- Tools and strategies you can apply immediately to deepen donor and client relationships
- And why planned giving is not about death, but about meaning, memory, and impact
Whether you’re a professional advisor, estate planning attorney, or a new or seasoned non-profit professional, this is a can’t-miss event.
✨ Prepare to be inspired. Plan to leave empowered.
✨ Sponsorship opportunities available! Email office@sspgcouncil.org for more information.
The Current State of DEI
Wednesday, April 16 at 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
TBD
South Sound Planned Giving Council (SSPGC) invites you to a moderated panel discussion exploring how these changes are impacting fundraising, donor engagement, and internal culture within our organizations.
Our Panelists:
- Dexter Gordon, Executive Vice President, Evergreen State College
- Robyn Jones, Sr. Donor Relations Officer, United Way of Pierce County
- Terryl Ross, Ph.D., VP of Anti-Racism, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion, Goodwill of the Olympics & Rainier Region
Join your peers in the planned giving, professional advisor, and nonprofit community for this timely and important conversation.
✨ Sponsorship opportunities available! Email office@sspgcouncil.org for more information.
Donor Advised Funds: Working with Donors to Unlock Gifts for Your Organization
Wednesday, March 19
La Quinta Tacoma
Speaker: Renee Kurdzos
Use of Donor Advised Funds (DAFs) has been steadily on the rise for more than a decade. DAFs have become an important part of conversations between financial advisors and their clients, as well as an estate planning tool. But charities should be discussing DAFs with their donors too as well as including them in their marketing materials. In this session you will learn how DAFs work, how they are incorporated into financial plans, and what your charity should be aware of to maximize giving from the donors who utilize them.
Renee Kurdzos is the Director of Gift Planning, Fundraising at The Nature Conservancy. Renee has worked in development for 25 years. Prior to working at TNC, Renee served as the Executive Director, Planned Giving at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center; Gift Planning Officer for Washington and Hawai’i at American Red Cross; Development & Planned Giving Officer at University of Puget Sound; and as the Director of Major Gifts & Planned Giving at the Seattle Repertory Theatre. Renee is a Board Member of the American Council on Gift Annuities. She is the past Co-Chair of the Planned Giving Affinity Group for the National Association of Cancer Center Development Officers and the Past President of the Washington Planned Giving Council.
Renee has a Master of Science in Taxation and a Certificate in Estate Planning from Golden Gate University, and has achieved the designation of Certified Gift Planning Specialist through the Institute for Philanthropic Studies at California State University Long Beach. In 2023, Renee received the Frank Minton Professional Achievement Award from the Washington Planned Giving Council in recognition of an outstanding career of service, dedication, and leadership in charitable gift planning. She lives in West Seattle with her husband Kevan, daughters Zoe and Margaret, and dogs Jack and Princess.
Reading the Tea Leaves About the Economic Future
February 19, 2025
12 noon to 1 p.m.
Speaker: Rachel Crane
If you were trying to read the “Tea Leaves”, what would they tell you about 2025 and specifically the economy? How might that affect Gift Planning? Interested? Join us for a studied viewpoint (not tea leaves) from the West Coast.
Rachael Crane, CFA, CPWA is astute in the skill of looking into the future to imagine what is coming. In 2021, the second year of the Pandemic, she presented her thoughts on an SSGPC ZOOM meeting, and was uncannily accurate! Learn what National City Rochdale (San Francisco Office) thinks based on in-depth research and their predictive models for 2024.
You’ll want to listen and do your own analysis of the predictions – but you will surely leave the meeting with information that you can use to help inform your planning, your presentations and your marketing plan.
On-Going Events
Meetings are being held virtually.
Board Meetings
11:30 am – 1:00 pm
Board Meetings are held on the fourth Tuesday of the month in January, March, May, July, September, and November.
Lunch Trainings
12:00 – 1:00 pm
Lunch sessions alternate between paid and free (brown bag) trainings, and are held on the 3rd Wednesday of the month, except in September and December. A Day With… Dr. Russell James will replace the May/June sessions.
Basics of Planned Giving for Generalists
Each fall, SSPGC offers our community an opportunity to acquire a basic knowledge of Planned Giving and ask questions of seasoned professionals through a series of seven lunch-time training sessions. These sessions are live on ZOOM, so it is easier for students to attend.