Meeting/Event Information

Join us for a day of training, networking opportunities, and community building! 

Whether you're a nonprofit professional, financial advisor, attorney, or simply someone who believes in the power of philanthropy, this event is your opportunity to be a part of something truly impactful. Together, we can pave the way for lasting change and transform our communities through strategic charitable gift planning.

🌟 Event Schedule:

10:00 AM - 10:30 AM - Registration & Networking

10:30 AM - 11:30 AM - Keynote with Eddie Thompson
Topic: Overcoming Objections

11:30 AM - 12:45 PM - Lunch, Annual Meeting, and Roundtables
Roundtables:
- How to Identify your Best PG Prospects with Eddie Thompson and Pamela Puleo, Thompson & Associates
- How Nonprofits Can Maximize Their Planned Giving Marketing to Engage and Increase Loyal Donors with Collin Caruso, Crescendo
- Philanthropic Trends: Gift Planning and Comprehensive Campaigns with Kate Villa, CCS Fundraising
- Insights into Wealth and Investment strategies for High Net Worth, Ultra High Net Worth and Family Offices with Rich Kowalski, Raymond James

BREAK – 15 minutes

1:00 PM - 2:00 PM - Promoting Planned Giving: What Works? What Doesn’t? A panel discussion with Peg Andrews, Colby-Sawyer College; Sarah Alger, NHPR; Laura Gillespie, Upper Valley Haven

BREAK – 15 minutes

2:15 pm - 3:15 pm – Unlocking Insurance Opportunities in the Multi-Trillion Dollar Marketplace: Strategies for Conversations with Donors. A panel discussion with Gregg Forger, Lincoln Financial; Alan Potvin, Jackson National; John Clougherty, Crump Life Insurance; Catherine Burgess, Wells Fargo Advisors

3:15 pm - 3:30 pm – Wrap Up & Networking

3:30 - 5:30  – Cocktail Hour and Hors D'oeuvres sponsored by Raymond James

Don't miss this chance to learn and connect! 

MEET OUR SPEAKERS

Keynote Speaker

Eddie Thompson, Ed.D., FCEP - Founder and CEO, Thompson & Associates

Eddie founded the unique Thompson & Associates process in 1996.  As CEO of Thompson & Associates, Eddie provides leadership and direction to around 30 seasoned charitable estate planners with an inspiring sense of generosity, integrity and passion for helping others. By creating a unique values-based model at Thompson & Associates, Eddie and his team have established a way for people to dedicate the necessary time to consider important life decisions and to engage in thoughtful discussion that leads to optimal results for all. He has planned thousands of estates, which has generated billions of dollars to charity during his thirty plus years working with nonprofits.  Eddie speaks to organizations from coast to coast on successful fundraising techniques, nonprofit management and charitable estate planning and has garnered many honors during his distinguished career.  He credits his parents with shaping his personal and professional path; they were very poor, but very generous. Eddie serves as the Chair of the Charitable Estate Planning Institute, a 501(c)(3) public charity offering top level education on charitable estate planning for development staff, gift planning officers and professional advisors. Eddie and a group of Thompson & Associates colleagues formed the Institute in 2012.  He is also a Fellow in Charitable Estate Planning (FCEP) awarded by the Institute. A native of Florida, Eddie and his wife, Sheryl, have been married more than 50 years and have made Nashville their home. They have two sons, one daughter and four grandchildren.  Eddie and his family are involved in many community organizations and their church. He was an active instrument pilot with both land and seaplane ratings but has since retired from flying preferring to enjoy life on his farm with the grandkids.

Website
LinkedIn Profile

"Promoting Planned Giving: What Works? What Doesn’t?" Panelists

Peg Andrews - Advancement & Planned Giving, Colby-Sawyer College

Peg works in the Advancement Office at Colby-Sawyer College as a Planned Giving and Advancement Officer.  Peg manages the Planned Giving program at the college and the charitable assets; including:  pooled income funds, charitable gift annuities and all trusts. Peg is an alumna of Colby-Sawyer as well as her sons, Tucker ’17 and Colin ’20.  Mom to four boys. Prior to joining Colby-Sawyer Peg worked in Finance with a Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) for 14 years.  Peg is a former Board member of the New Hampshire and Vermont Council of Charitable Gift Planners and a current Board member of the Pine Hill Ski Club.  Peg has a successful catering business “on the side” for the past 35 years.  Peg’s interests include: cycling, golf, hiking, kayaking, paddle boarding, snowshoeing and cross country skiing.  

LinkedIn Profile

Laura Gillespie - Director of Development and Communications, Upper Valley Haven

Laura Gillespie joined the Haven in 2016 after ten years in development at The Aloha Foundation. Laura is a graduate of Dartmouth College with an MS in Nonprofit Management from Marlboro College. Laura is President of the Lifecare Board of Alice Peck Day Hospital, sits on the APD Board, formerly served on the board of Jag Productions and the Board of Hartford-Norwich Holiday Basket Helpers. Laura coaches adult and junior community rowing programs with Upper Valley Rowing Foundation.

LinkedIn Profile

Sarah Alger - Director of Major and Planned Gifts, New Hampshire Public Radio

Sarah Alger is the Director of Major and Planned Gifts at New Hampshire Public Radio.  She joined NHPR in 2018 from Chicago, where she was the Director of Major and Planned Gifts at the Newberry Library, an independent humanities research library for ten years.  She brings a wealth of experience in all aspects of development, having also worked at Northwestern Memorial Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital. She has an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Business and is currently serving on the AFP-NNE program committee and the Public Radio Association for Development Officers board.

LinkedIn Profile

"Unlocking Insurance Opportunities in the Multi-Trillion Dollar Marketplace: Strategies for Conversations with Donors" Panelists

Gregg Forger - Regional Marketing Director, Lincoln Financial Distributors

Gregg joined the Lincoln Financial Annuities team in July 2014 and has 25+ years of experience in the financial services industry. As the Regional Marketing Director of New England, Gregg partners with financial professionals to deliver solutions that help clients plan for and maintain their lifestyle in retirement. Prior to this position, Gregg worked at Congress Asset Management helping financial professionals build portfolios for their clients to reduce risk and grow assets. Gregg holds FINRA Series 7, 63 and 24 registrations. Additionally, Gregg received a BA in Business Administration from Colby College. Gregg currently resides in Norwell, MA.

LinkedIn Profile

John Clougherty - Crump Life Insurance

John Clougherty has extensive experience in providing sophisticated strategies for high-net-worth families, executives, business owners, and their professional advisors in all facets of wealth preservation, wealth transfer, and business plan funding. 

John takes a comprehensive and consultative approach to case design. His focus is set on understanding and prioritizing clients’ needs. Through a collaborative process, John helps advisors design, implement, and review life insurance strategies. John also assists with identifying existing clients who could benefit from life insurance strategies where appropriate. 

John understands the advisory business and is ready to provide advisors and their clients the objective analysis and consultative process necessary to guide appropriate decision making regarding wealth transfer, retirement, and business planning issues. 

John holds FINRA Series 6, 7, and 63 licenses and also holds life, health, and long-term care insurance licenses. John graduated from Bentley University in Waltham, Massachusetts, with a bachelor’s degree in finance and did post-graduate Master’s of Business Administration (MBA) work at the  Carroll School of Management at Boston College. He is a lifelong resident of Massachusetts, residing in Hingham with his wife and two children. 

LinkedIn Profile

Catherine Burgess CFP®, RICP® - Wells Fargo Advisors


Cathy helps her clients develop and implement strategies for building wealth and realizing their goals. Cathy’s mission is to provide objective and timely financial advice and guidance.

Throughout her career, Cathy has gathered experience and knowledge in multiple areas of the investment and financial world. She combines her business world training and life experience to the table. Cathy draws on her personal passion for people and their stories, with her work outside the office.  Each person delivers a unique experience that provides a new perspective on life. For Cathy, Financial Planning provides the opportunity to shed light on what some people view as complex, and others view as intangible, to present solutions that make sense.

Cathy began her career with Fidelity Investments. She sharpened her skills and knowledge for financial planning while working with Financial Advisors both in Florida and in New England as a Regional Vice President with Evergreen Investments and later Dreyfus Corporation. After almost a decade of working side by side with advisors across the country, Cathy joined Morgan Stanley in 2010as a Financial Advisor. She joined Wells Fargo Advisors, in December of 2015.  Cathy earned the CFP®, ADPA SM and RICP ® certifications by completing approved educational programs, passing a rigorous examination and meeting stringent experience requirements. 

Cathy’s strategic approach to Investments and planning is further demonstrated in the way she approaches her golf game. Evaluating each shot as an individual opportunity to propel her towards the most desired outcome has proven to be successful. While earning her bachelor’s degree at Boston College, she excelled as Captain of the Women’s Golf Team.

LinkedIn Profile

Alan Potvin - Regional Vice President of Registered Products, Jackson National

What really drives Alan are the stories and retirement goals your clients bring to the table. And he’s ready to help you meet their unique needs with deep industry knowledge, reliable resources, and an enthusiasm that brings a refreshing clarity to retirement planning. You can trust in his more than 31 years of industry experience to help your clients navigate today’s complex market conditions. 

Alan has served as Regional Vice President at Jackson for more than 19 years. During that time, he has developed key partnerships with leading resources in the industry and helped lead our distribution efforts in our Northeast region— New Hampshire and Maine. Prior to joining Jackson, Alan was Regional Vice President at Nationwide Financial from 2000 to 2005. He also held Regional Vice President roles at Chubb Securities Corp. and Jefferson Pilot Securities Corp. 

With a B.S. in business from the University of Lowell in Massachusetts, Alan holds FINRA Series 6 and 63 designations and Life and Health Insurance licenses. He lives in  York, Maine, with his wife of 30 years, Kathy. Alan has three adult children, A.J., Kasey, and MacKenzie, and two dogs, Dasher and Grizzly. He enjoys reading history and spending time with his family.

LinkedIn Profile

Roundtable Hosts

Collin Caruso - Northeast Representative, Crescendo Interactive, Inc.
How nonprofits can maximize their planned giving marketing to engage and increase loyal donors
LinkedIn Profile

Eddie Thompson, Ed.D., FCEP - Founder and CEO, Thompson & Associates (See above for Keynote Speaker bio)
& Pamela Puleo, FAHP, FCEP - Associate, Thompson & Associates
How to identify your best PG prospects
Eddie's LinkedIn Profile
Pamela's LinkedIn Profile

Kate Villa - Executive Vice President & Partner, CCS Fundraising
Philanthropic Trends: Gift Planning and Comprehensive Campaigns
LinkedIn Profile

Richard Kowalski - SVP, Investments, Branch Manager - Raymond James
Insights into Wealth and Investment strategies for High Net Worth, Ultra High Net Worth and Family Offices
LinkedIn Profile

A special thank you to our Sponsors...