The Founder

Ellen is an established charitable estate planning senior executive with professional gift planning experience for nonprofit organizations. She has a proved track record of securing six figure major and deferred gifts, driven by the principles of tax-encouraged philanthropy and integrity.

Ellen’s expertise includes start to finish coordination of planned giving programs including setting gift acceptance guidelines, prospect identification and development, educational programming and consistent marketing and communications strategy. She provides gift planning presentations for nonprofit boards and their constituents, strategic counsel on planned giving solicitation materials, gift agreements, annuity schedules and personalized giving proposals.

She trains fundraising teams about charitable giving options, develops and implements comprehensive legacy programs for an integrated gift portfolio and creates innovative programs to engage board members and steward benefactors.

Ellen earned undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Notre Dame with coursework in finance, accounting and nonprofit administration. She earned the Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy, CAP®, designation and is a registered professional fundraising consultant. She belongs to the Gift Planning Council of New Jersey/New York and the National Association of Charitable Gift Planners.

Director of Strategic Communications

Katherine serves as our Director of Strategic Communications, where she trains nonprofit donor outreach teams in effective communication, donor engagement, and relationship-building strategies. She develops practical communication guides focused on navigating donor conversations, handling rejection constructively, and strengthening long-term supporter connections. She is certified in effective digital fundraising through the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy.

An accomplished filmmaker whose work has appeared on Showtime and Amazon, Katherine also creates compelling fundraising and social media content for nonprofits, helping organizations grow engagement, expand visibility, and connect more effectively with donors online.

Planned Giving Advancement does not solicit funds directly or indirectly, or provide financial or legal services. As always, we encourage our client's supporters to consult with their tax and financial advisors.