Event Details

How to Talk to People About Wealth in Ways that Inspire Major Gifts of Assets – The Science and the Sentences

AFP & SDPGP Members: $20 | Non-Members: $30

Join AFP San Diego and SDPGP for our special annual joint presentation on planned giving. Our presenter, Professor Russell James, is an energetic and engaging speaker who provides compelling research and practical tips for fundraisers of all levels – whether planned giving is your focus or not.  As Professor James proclaimed, “You don’t need to be a gift planning expert to inspire major gifts of assets. You just need to attend this presentation!”

Presentation topic:

Wealth is not held in cash; it’s held in other assets like stocks, bonds, real estate, and IRAs. Research shows that shifting donors to giving from their wealth (assets), rather than just from their cash (disposable income), can lead to transformational donations. But how can we actually make this happen? Talking about someone else’s wealth can be scary! In this presentation, Professor James walks through the step-by-step process that makes these conversations simple, easy, and stress free. 

Presenter:

Russell James, J.D., Ph.D., CFP® is a chaired professor in the Department of Personal Financial Planning at Texas Tech University where he directs the on-campus and online graduate program in Charitable Financial Planning (planned giving).  He graduated, cum laude, from the University of Missouri School of Law where he was a member of the Missouri Law Review and received the United Missouri Bank Award for Most Outstanding Work in Gift and Estate Taxation and Planning. He also holds a Ph.D. in consumer economics from the University of Missouri, where his dissertation was on charitable giving. 

Prior to his career as an academic researcher, Dr. James worked as the Director of Planned Giving for Central Christian College in Moberly, Missouri for 6 years and later served as president of the college for more than 5 years. During his presidency the college successfully completed two major capital campaigns, built several new debt-free buildings, and more than tripled enrollment.

Dr. James has published research in more than 75 peer-reviewed scientific journal and law review articles. He is author of several books including The Storytelling Fundraiser, The Epic Fundraiser, The Primal Fundraiser, The Socratic Fundraiser, Inside the Mind of the Bequest Donor, and Visual Planned Giving. He has been quoted on charitable and financial issues in a variety of news sources including The Economist, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, CNN, MSNBC, CNBC, ABC News, U.S. News & World Report, USA Today, the Associated Press, Bloomberg News and the Chronicle of Philanthropy and his financial neuroimaging research was profiled in The Wall Street Journal’s Smart Money Magazine.

Dr. James has spoken over 400 times at regional, national, and international conferences on fundraising, financial planning, and estate planning. His teaching awards include the University of Georgia Outstanding Teacher of the Year (department level and college level), Texas Tech University Instructor of the Year (department level and school level), and the CASE “Stellar Speaker” designation. He is a member of the National Association of Charitable Gift Planners “Hall of Fame.”

A link to join the meeting will be included in your registration confirmation email and also sent the day of the event