Patrick Schmitt, Co-Founder of FreeWill 

May 11, 2023 Guest Speaker

Presentation:  "A Deep Dive Into Older Donors: Stewarding Gifts from the 65+ Demographic" 

Patrick Schmitt is the Co-Founder of FreeWill, a social venture which has helped organizations to generate more than $8 Billion in new planned gifts, stock gifts, crypto donations, donor advised fund grants, and qualified charitable distributions. Patrick and his co-founder Jenny were recently named two of the Top 50 Philanthropists in the World by Town & Country. 

From 2009-2010, Patrick ran email fundraising for President Obama, where his team invented many of the existing best practices in digital fundraising. He served as Head of Innovation at Change.org, helping to grow that organization to 200 million members in just four years. 

Patrick received his BS from Georgetown University and MBA from Stanford University.

Upcoming Meetings in 2023:

July 13, 2023: PUSH Comedy Workshop:  "Thinking on Your Feet"

Location- PUSH Comedy, Downtown Norfolk

September 14, 2023: 

Guest Speaker- Keith Curtis, The Curtis Group: "Planned Giving Trends From Giving USA Data"

Location- Wolcott Rivers Gates, Virginia Beach

November 9, 2023: Panel Discussion at Old Dominion University.  Additional details to be announced at a later date.

2023 Programs:

March 9, 2023:  "Current Tax Developments and Other Factors Affecting Donors and Their Charitable Giving" 

Speaker: Michele A. W. McKinnon

January 12, 2023: "Are You Ready to Help Boomer Business Owners Hit their Legacy

Home Run?"

Speaker: Philip Cubeta, CLU®, ChFC®, AEP®, MSFS, CAP

2022 Programs:

September 8, 2022: "A Baker's Dozen of Gift Planning Tips"

Speaker:  Kenneth W. Wolfe

July 14, 2022:  "Real Estate Gifts"

Speaker:  M. Powell Peters, Esquire

May 12, 2022: "Developing a Volunteer Handbook for Legacy Giving - from Identification to Solicitation." 

Speaker:  James E. Connell FAHP, CSA

March 10, 2022: "An Estate Planning Lawyer's Perspective on Client Charitable Intent"

Speaker:  Neil L. Rose, Esquire 

January 13, 2022:  Donor Stories in Planned Giving Marketing – To Use or Not to Use

Speaker: Claudine A. Donikian, JD, MBA, President & CEO

PAST PROGRAMS AND EVENTS

2021 Programs-

January 14, 2021: Incorporating DAF Into Your Gift Planning Programs
Speaker: Rise Flenner, PBMares, LLC
 

March 11, 2021:  Seven Things Every Donor Wished We Knew 

Speaker: Wayne Olson

Sponsor: Lisa Morgan, Wells Fargo-The Private Bank

May 13, 2021- Picking up the Planned Giving Conversation Post Pandemic

Speaker: Craig Wruck, former President, National Association of Charitable Gift Planners

July 8, 2021- How the NACGP can help you with your gift planning education and your career

Speaker: Richard Ritter, Director of Membership, National Association of Charitable Gift Planners

Sponsor: The Academy of Music

September 9, 2021 ( In Person Meeting)-  The Top 10 Legacy Fundraising Strategies from Scientific Research 

Virtual Speaker: Russell James, J.D., Ph.D., CFP®, Professor of Charitable Financial Planning at Texas Tech University

Sponsor: Old Dominion University

November 11, 2021 (In Person Meeting)- How a Pandemic Magnified the "why" in Planned Giving

Virtual Speaker: Nathan Stelter, President, The Stelter Group

Sponsors: Edmarc and Tidewater Jewish Foundation

2020 Events

• January 9, 2020: Charitable Gift Annuities; Have you Considered.... 

                 Speaker: Chip Giese, PNC Institutional Asset Management  

                 Sponsor: Kaufman & Canoles

• March 12, 2020: Thoughtful Questions to Start Gift Planning Conversations   Speaker: Greg Sharkey, The Nature Conservancy 

                 Sponsor: Tidewater Jewish Foundation

• May 14, 2020- CANCELED-  Donor Advised Funds 

                Speaker:  Rise Flenner, PBMares, LLP                          

• July 9, 2020 Virtual Meeting:  Donor Advised Funds: A Client/Donor Perspective 

                 Speaker: Stephan Lipskis, Attorney at Law, Poole Brook Plumlee PC 

• September 10, 2020 Virtual Meeting: Practical and Budget-Friendly Cyber Security Tips for Businesses                                                                                                            

                 Speakers:  Sharon Nelson and John Simek, Sensei Enterprises, Inc 

                 Sponsor: Old Dominion University

• October 8, 2020 Virtual Meeting: Leaving a Lasting Legacy: A Special Report by Giving USA

                 Speaker: Keith Curtis, The Curtis Group

                 Sponsor: Hampton Roads Community Foundation      

• November 12, 2020 Virtual Meeting:  The Importance of Establishing Donor Intent           

                  Speaker: Rebecca Watkins, North Carolina Symphony

                  Sponsor: The Curtis Group                            

2019 Events

• March 14, 2019: 50 Ways to Lose Your Deduction (with Apologies to Paul Simon)
  ​Speaker: J. William Gray, Jr., McGuire Woods
  Sponsor: Hampton Roads Community Foundation
• May 9, 2019: Trends in Fundraising
  ​Speaker: Keith Curtis, The Curtis Group
  Sponsor: Tidewater Jewish Foundation
• July 11, 2019: Making the Ask for Planned and Blended Gifts
  ​Speaker:  Dr. Scott Janney, Ph.D, CFRE. Senior Consultant, PlannedGiving.com and  Executive Director of Leadership and Planned Giving, Muhlenberg College
  Sponsor: Poole Brooke Plumlee PC
• September 12, 2019: Portraits of Generosity:  US Trust Study of High Net Worth Philanthropy
  Speaker: Erin Hogan,  Managing Director of US Trust, BankAmerica Private Wealth Management  
  Sponsor: Old Dominion University
• November 14, 2019: Creating Flexible Charitable Funds: How Donors May Benefit from Donor Advised Funds
  Speaker: M. Powell Peters, Wolcott Rivers Gates
  Sponsor: The Curtis Group