Financial Professional Advisory Committees

Professional Advisory Committees have been a hot topic for a number of years in the planned giving world.  Everyone thinks they are good, but I haven't come across a successful model to copy just yet.  Some organizations have a separate group from their PG committee that meets a couple times of the year.  Some groups review gifts, others sponsor continuing ed events, still others come together to encourage financial professionals to reach out to their clients and promote charitable giving, particularly to the charity hosting the meeting.

Our Professional Advisory group started off as a separate group and has since become a part of our Legacy Cabinet. They are full fledged cabinet members along with our donor volunteers and bring an interesting perspective to the discussions.  We typically look for young professionals who give to and volunteer with United Way and are not just looking for an "easy" way to find new clients.  Financial professionals on the Legacy Cabinet include:

1. An estate planning attorney who is a member of our Young Leaders group and a past Allocations Team volunteer.
2. A real estate attorney who volunteered on our 2-1-1 emergency crisis line following the April 2011 tornadoes.
3. A CPA from a local accounting firm specializing in individual taxes.
4. A private banker who is a past Loaned Executive, Allocations Team volunteer, and a strong United Way supporter.
5. A trust officer who is a past Loaned Executive and a current Tocqueville member.
6. An insurance professional who is a Tocqueville member and a past Campaign Cabinet member.

Our financial professional group is constantly evolving and I don't think we have a perfect model by any stretch of the imaginaton, but we are getting there.  The other Cabinet volunteers like having financial professionals as part of the Legacy Cabinet so they have knowledgeable people who can answer questions at each meeting.

How Professonal Advisory Committees Can Be Most Effective is an interesting article from the Planned Giving Design Center and a good place to start.  If you have success, please let me know so we can retread your ideas. 

Also worth reading from the Chronicle of Philanthropy - 75% of Young Donors Turned Off by Out-of-Date Web Sites.