Moderators and Contributors

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Brad Caswell
Gift Annuities and Donor Advised Funds

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Brad Caswell is the President of the Acadia Squam Group, a business helping charities develop their fund-raising efforts in a few areas – understanding donor-advised funds and how to engage DAF clients, advising on the feasibility of starting a DAF, facilitating gifts of complex illiquid assets, and assisting nonprofits with gaps in their charitable gift annuity offerings. His background includes 12 years as COO at Vanguard Charitable, a large national donor-advised fund, and before that was in tech industry with HP and Compaq.

Jonathon Gudema JD

Jonathan Gudema
Trusts and Estates

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Jonathan has over 20 years of experience working with and advising individuals and non-profit organizations on planned gift arrangements and tax-advantaged charitable estate planning options.  In addition to being a practicing attorney, he has also played key roles in helping non-profit organizations manage planned giving programs, working with staff, donors and their advisors in cultivating and closing significant planned gifts.

Jonathan spearheads The Planned Giving Boot Camp at Major Gifts LLC.

Camilyn Leone, Esq.

Camilyn Leone
Trusts, GENERAL OVERVIEW

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Camilyn specializes in philanthropy and the law. She served as a planned giving director at universities, hospitals and museums. She’s been an adjunct law professor at the University of Virginia where she counseled charities on best practices in fundraising. She is a consulting vice president at Grenzenbach Glier and Associates in the Teaching and Coaching practice.

Chase Magnuson Gifts of Real Estate

Chase Magnuson
Real Estate

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Chase is a Certified International Property Specialist (CIPS). Chase has appeared as a speaker at many national and regional conferences, been featured in the Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and several other national publications. He is an alumnus of Ball State University.

If you are considering making a donation of real estate, or you are a charity about to receive one, contact Chase V. Magnuson to obtain his trusted expertise in the successful completion of this often difficult and multifaceted process. Magnuson has helped facilitate complex gifts of both corporate and individual real estate assets.

 
Meredith Sossman JD

Meredith Sossman
Lead Trusts

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Meredith is an accomplished development professional and attorney, who has helped non-profits achieve better results through insight and experience in all aspects of giving and non-profit management.

In her ten years with the West Chester University Foundation, she served as a campaign director, associate executive director, in-house counsel and chief development officer.  She successfully led the foundation’s $50 million capital campaign. Meredith is a principal at MM&C Consulting and works with PlannedGiving.com to help non-profits exceed their goals by providing experience, insight and proven solutions that drive results while honoring every philanthropist.

Russell Willis JD LLM

Russell Willis
General Counsel

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Russ is considered the Advisor to the Advisor. He works as a freelance consultant to licensed professionals working with exempt organizations, contributors, and their advisors in structuring contributions of closely held business and real property interests, so as to serve the mutual advantage of all parties.

He also provides in-depth legal research, critical analysis, and advice on fiduciary income tax and transfer tax planning and trust administration more generally.

Russel holds a JD and LLM.

Johnne Syverson Gift Annuity

Johnne Syverson
Gift Annuities

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Johnne Syverson has more than 45 years of experience in financial services and planning, specializing in values-based planning for high-net-worth families. He is a Certified Financial Planner™ (CFP) Practitioner and one of only 2,000 practitioners in the United States who is credentialed as an Accredited Estate Planner (AEP).

Johnne was one of the first practitioners in the nation to be awarded the Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy (CAP) designation, and is a past president of the International Association of Advisors in Philanthropy (AiP). He is a member of the National Association of Charitable Gift Planners (CGP) and the American Council on Gift Annuities (ACGA).

Johnne heads up the Charitable Giving Resource Center, LLC, an independent consulting firm specializing in outsourcing the implementation of all types of Planned Gift instruments for charities and their donors.

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