Twelve Professionals. One New Credential. A Significant Step Forward for the Planned Giving Profession.
The Planned Giving Initiative (PGI) is proud to celebrate an important milestone in the growth and professionalization of planned giving: the first 12 professionals to earn the Certificate in Planned Giving Management from The Fund Raising School at the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy.
Their achievement represents more than the completion of a rigorous professional program. It represents an investment in the people who will help nonprofit organizations build stronger planned giving programs, engage donors in more meaningful conversations, and create philanthropic opportunities that can extend a mission for generations.
A New Standard for Planned Giving Education
The Certificate in Planned Giving Management expands The Fund Raising School’s planned giving curriculum from a single course into a comprehensive three-course program:
- Planned Giving: Getting the Proper Start
- Planned Giving: Beyond the Basics
- Planned Giving: Building an Effective Program
Together, the courses provide professionals with the knowledge and practical skills needed to understand planned gifts, engage donors effectively, and build sustainable planned giving programs within their organizations.
That last piece is particularly important.
Planned giving is not simply about knowing the technical details of charitable gift vehicles. It is about creating a culture in which donors are invited to think about their values, their families, their communities, and the legacy they want to leave.
It also requires nonprofit professionals who are prepared to have those conversations.
Investing in the People Behind the Programs
The expansion of the certificate program was made possible through a $25,000 gift from The Planned Giving Initiative, founded by Andrew and Elizabeth Hibel.
The investment reflects a fundamental truth about the field: if we want more nonprofits to benefit from planned giving, we need more professionals equipped to make it happen.
For PGI, that principle is at the heart of our work.
Too often, planned giving can seem like a fundraising strategy reserved for the largest organizations with specialized staff and substantial resources. But the opportunity is much broader. Nonprofits of all sizes can build meaningful planned giving programs when they have access to the right knowledge, tools, training, and support.
Developing a strong professional pipeline is therefore not simply an investment in individual fundraisers. It is an investment in the capacity of the entire charitable sector.
From Education to Action
The inaugural graduates are already demonstrating what happens when professional education is put into practice.
Rev. Dr. Bob Yoder, Director of Development at Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary, described how the coursework strengthened his team’s confidence in discussing planned giving with donors while providing practical tools they could immediately put to use.
Following the coursework, his organization developed a new donor handout, updated its website content, and strengthened the planned giving knowledge of the staff he supervises.
That is the real promise of professional development:
Knowledge becomes action. Action creates conversations. Conversations create opportunities. And opportunities can become gifts that sustain organizations well into the future.
De Andre Onyi, Gift Planning Fellow at the University of Illinois Foundation, highlighted another important benefit of the program: its value to organizations with a single planned giving professional or those building a program from the ground up.
This is precisely where expanded access to planned giving education can make a difference.
Celebrating the Inaugural Class
The 12 inaugural certificate recipients represent a new generation of professionals prepared to advance planned giving within their organizations and communities.
The Lilly Family School of Philanthropy recently celebrated the graduates on LinkedIn, sharing the above photograph of Dean Amir Pasic and Andrew Hibel receiving a framed gift from the inaugural class.
The image captures something larger than a graduation milestone. It represents a community of educators, funders, nonprofit leaders, and planned giving professionals coming together to strengthen the field.
Why this Matters
Every nonprofit professional who develops expertise in planned giving expands the number of organizations capable of offering donors a meaningful opportunity to create a lasting legacy.
Every organization that builds a planned giving program creates more opportunities for donors to connect their deepest philanthropic values with the future.
And every thoughtful planned gift has the potential to provide resources that sustain a mission long after the original gift is made.
That is why PGI believes so strongly in investing in people.
The future of planned giving will not be built solely through new technology, new fundraising strategies, or new financial products. It will be built through people who understand the power of planned giving and know how to bring that opportunity to donors with authenticity, knowledge, and care.
Looking Ahead
PGI congratulates the first 12 graduates of the Certificate in Planned Giving Management and celebrates the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy and The Fund Raising School for expanding access to specialized planned giving education.
We are especially encouraged by what this first class represents: the beginning of a growing community of professionals who can bring planned giving expertise to more organizations and more donors.
The opportunity ahead is enormous.
As the planned giving profession continues to evolve, our collective responsibility is to make sure that nonprofit professionals have the education, mentorship, resources, and institutional support they need to meet that opportunity.
Investing in planned giving professionals today means investing in the future of philanthropy tomorrow.
Congratulations to the inaugural graduates of the Certificate in Planned Giving Management!