Jeffrey W. Comfort
CharitablePlanning.com Author
Biography
Jeff Comfort is vice president of principal gifts and gift planning at the Oregon State University Foundation, where he provides strategic leadership to the gift planning program and oversees the staff that assists donors in making deferred, assets-based or complex gifts to the university. He spent 18 years at Georgetown University, where he oversaw university-wide gift planning efforts resulting in approximately $500 million of gift commitments and receipts in his tenure. Before arriving at Georgetown in 1995, he spent 11 years in Denver directing the gift planning program for the National Jewish Medical and Research Center. As a volunteer leader of Partnership for Philanthropic Planning (formerly the National Committee on Planned Giving), Jeff served as president and chair of the 10th National Conference on Planned Giving and was a member of the NCPG board of directors for five years. Additionally, he was a member of the ethics committee and chaired the task force on gift valuation.
"Ch, Ch, Changes... Turn and Face the Strain" Megatrends Affecting Planned Giving-
Megatrend: "a large over-arching direction that shapes our lives for a decade or more." As gift planners, our work is being shaped by the confluence of existing and emerging megatrends, dramatically affecting the way we work, our alliances, and the donors, prospects and charities we serve. Our ability to understand these trends and adjust our thinking and acting spell the difference between success, mediocrity or failure in the future. This article explores the impact of four megatrends on the charitable gift planning industry and offer insights for success from seasoned gift planners across the country.