Philanthropic Institute for Professional Advisors (PIPA)
The St. Louis Community Foundation in partnership with the Jewish Federation of St. Louis, the Roman Catholic Foundation of Eastern Missouri recently launched their pilot program of the Philanthropic Institute for Professional Advisors (PIPA). PIPA was formed with the goal of providing tools to professional advisors to increase their confidence in communicating with clients about charitable giving.
Statistically, 95% of clients would like to discuss charitable giving with an advisor, but only about 6% of advisors initiate the conversation. Many firms have charitable giving as a checkbox on a form, but rarely do advisors take time to draw out a client’s true charitable goals and look for creative strategies to ensure the client can meet their goals with their wealth plan.
PIPA offers professional advisors an opportunity to participate in five four-hour, sessions spread over the year. Each session provides insight and practical communication skills to benefit the class professionally and personally. PIPA aims to provide a very high level of content that is unlike the continuing educating courses that advisors routinely attend. Participants of the program graduate with a certificate, a new network of peers and a deeper appreciation for the value of incorporating charitable planning into their practices.
The class of 2018 was composed of 34 professionals from 26 different firms, which include:
- 8 Trust Officers
- 14 Financial Advisors
- 4 Accountants
- 8 Attorneys
The kickoff dinner took place at the St. Louis Community Foundation offices in Oak Knoll Park on February 8. The keynote speaker for the evening was Dr. Eddie Thompson of Thompson and Associates was the keynote speaker for the evening, where he articulately described the value and importance of communicating with clients about charitable giving.
If you are interested in learning more about the program or would like to participate, contact Donna Frederick, Giving Strategist, at the St. Louis Community Foundation at dfrederick@stlgives.org.
Click here to learn more about Philanthropic Institute for Professional Advisors.
