Northern Virginia Estate Planning Council

What Northern Virginia Estate Planning Council does

Northern Virginia Estate Planning Council (NVEPC) is a non-profit professional membership organization founded in 2000 and based in Alexandria, Virginia, that serves estate planning practitioners in the greater Northern Virginia region. It is structured as an affiliated local council of the National Association of Estate Planners & Councils (NAEPC) and welcomes professionals from eight recognized estate planning disciplines: attorneys, trust officers, CPAs, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professionals and ChFCs, planned giving professionals, valuation experts, enrolled agents, and Chartered Life Underwriters. Its core product is a continuing-education and cross-referral community delivered through scheduled member meetings, educational programs, and a public online member directory, with membership providing an on-ramp to the AEP professional designation via the parent NAEPC.

The council operates with a small paid staff (1–10 employees) supported by volunteer board governance, while day-to-day administration is contracted to Ascent Management. Revenue is generated primarily through individual membership dues — $295 per year for full members, with a 50% discount for emeritus status — and a multi-tier corporate sponsorship program featuring Gold Annual Signature sponsors such as Commonwealth Savers and PNC Private Bank, alongside other named sponsors including Bessemer Trust, Andersen, and additional financial services and trust organizations. The combined dues-plus-sponsorship model is typical of regional U.S. estate planning councils and is structured to subsidize member programming rather than generate profit.

NVEPC's positioning sits at the intersection of professional association, continuing-education provider, and client-referral network. Its strategic emphasis appears weighted toward maintaining sponsorship relationships, broadening demographic representation through diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, and keeping the council aligned with NAEPC's national designation framework. There is no indication in the available data of a technology platform beyond a standard web presence and member directory.

Name

Northern Virginia Estate Planning Council

Legal name

Northern Virginia Estate Planning Council

Website

https://nvepc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Northern Virginia Estate Planning Council is a non-profit professional membership organization founded in 2000 that convenes estate planning practitioners across eight disciplines — attorneys, trust officers, CPAs, financial planners, and others — in the greater Northern Virginia region under the NAEPC umbrella.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Association Services

NAICS

Professional Organizations (81392), Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations (8139)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Association & Society Conference Management (Nonprofit, Professional Bodies) (THAHACAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Continuing Education (CE/CPD) & Provider Accreditation Bodies (EDADACAF)

Keywords

• Estate planning education
• Professional networking events
• Interdisciplinary collaboration
• Estate planning council
• Continuing education programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Alexandria

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership dues provide the primary revenue stream for the organization. Full membership costs $295 per year, with pro-rated rates for mid-year joiners ($150 after April 30). Emeritus members pay 50% of normal membership fee. Additional revenue comes from event registration fees and sponsorship opportunities.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

NVEPC is an interdisciplinary professional membership organization that sells annual memberships to estate planning practitioners and provides them with recurring educational luncheons, webinars, networking events, member and public-facing directories, and access to NAEPC-affiliated professional designations (AEP, EPLS). Members are drawn from eight recognized disciplines—attorneys, trust officers, CPAs, CFPs/ChFCs, CLUs, planned giving professionals, valuation experts, and enrolled agents—who use the council as a structured forum for cross-discipline collaboration and continuing education in the Northern Virginia / Washington DC metropolitan area.

Product overview

The Northern Virginia Estate Planning Council is a membership organization offering professional membership, educational events, and networking opportunities for estate planning professionals. The organization provides several membership tiers (Full, Associate, Emeritus) and facilitates access to professional designations including the AEP (Accredited Estate Planner) and EPLS (Estate Planning Law Specialist) certifications through its affiliation with NAEPC. Additional offerings include the NAEPC Journal of Estate & Tax Planning publication, member and services directories, and regular educational luncheons and webinars.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• NVEPC Full Membership
• NVEPC Associate Membership
• NVEPC Emeritus Membership
• Educational Events and Luncheons
• Member Directory

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

19 partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• National Association of Estate Planners & Councils (NAEPC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Northern Virginia Estate Planning Council is affiliated with NAEPC, a national organization for estate planning professionals. This affiliation allows members to pursue the Accredited Estate Planner (AEP) designation and provides access to national conferences, publications (NAEPC Journal of Tax & Estate Planning), and professional development resources.
• Commonwealth SaversflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerGold Annual Signature Sponsor for 2026. Provides sponsorship support for educational programs and networking events.
• PNC Private BankflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerGold Annual Signature Sponsor for 2026. Supports membership meetings and events with recognition at events and marketing placement.
• AndersencoreGTM or Marketing PartnerJoint Meeting Sponsor and supporter of council educational programs. Jennifer Sarajian Stone, CPA from Andersen serves as Treasurer on the leadership board.
• Bessemer TrustcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerJoint Meeting Sponsor and Special Event Sponsor. Christopher W. Pintauro, CEPA from Bessemer Trust serves on the board of directors.
• Chain Bridge Bank, N.A.coreGTM or Marketing PartnerCouncil Luncheon Sponsor. Gregory M. Smolen, JD from Chain Bridge Bank serves as a board director and is past president (2023-2024).
• TCV Trust & Wealth ManagementcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCouncil Luncheon Sponsor. Theresa J. Hoyt, CTFA from TCV Trust serves as Vice President on the leadership board.
• Arlington Community FoundationcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCouncil Luncheon and Joint Meeting Sponsor. Christy Cole, VP and Chief Philanthropy Officer, serves on the membership committee.
• AonminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCouncil Luncheon Sponsor providing event sponsorship.
• Atlantic Union BankminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCouncil Luncheon and Joint Meeting Sponsor.
• MAI Capital ManagementminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCouncil Luncheon Sponsor.
• McCandlish LillardminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCouncil Luncheon Sponsor. Melinda Merk, JD, LLM, CFP, AEP serves on the programs committee.
• United Capital Financial AdvisorsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCouncil Luncheon Sponsor.
• Chevy Chase TrustminorGTM or Marketing PartnerJoint Meeting Sponsor. Deb Gandy serves on the programs committee.
• Four Sales, LtdminorGTM or Marketing PartnerJoint Meeting Sponsor and Special Event Sponsor. Provides estate sales services.
• Graceful Fiduciary ManagementminorGTM or Marketing PartnerJoint Meeting Sponsor.
• TruistminorGTM or Marketing PartnerJoint Meeting Sponsor.
• Valuation Services, IncminorGTM or Marketing PartnerJoint Meeting Sponsor providing business valuation services.
• Ascent ManagementcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerAdministrative management company handling day-to-day operations of the council. Contact: Pamela Valenzuela at [email protected]. Manages member communications, event registration, and administrative functions.

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• National Association of Estate Planners & Councils (NAEPC): The national umbrella organization of which NVEPC is an affiliated local council. NAEPC administers the AEP designation, publishes the Journal of Estate & Tax Planning, and hosts the annual Estate Planners Forum — directly comparable as the parent ecosystem in which NVEPC operates.
• American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC): National, invitation-only association of trust and estate attorneys. Comparable in that it serves estate-planning legal professionals with educational programming, networking, and publications, though at a more selective and attorney-focused tier than NVEPC.
• Real Property, Trust and Estate Law Section of the American Bar Association: ABA section serving attorneys in trust and estate law with continuing education, publications, and networking. Comparable as a professional membership body supporting estate planners, but national in scope and limited to attorneys rather than interdisciplinary.

Direct peers

• Estate Planning Council of Montgomery County: A neighboring Maryland-based estate planning council affiliated with NAEPC, serving a similar interdisciplinary professional membership in the same DC metro market. Directly comparable in structure, membership model, and programming to NVEPC.
• Washington DC Estate Planning Council: Another NAEPC-affiliated local council in the same DC metropolitan area, serving estate planning attorneys, CPAs, trust officers, and financial planners. Closest geographic and structural peer to NVEPC.
• Financial Planning Association — National Capital Area Chapter: Regional FPA chapter serving CFPs and financial planners in the DC metro area, offering educational events, networking, and CE programming. Comparable as a regional professional membership body serving one of the disciplines (financial planning) that NVEPC brings together.
• Greater Washington Society of CPAs: Regional membership association serving CPAs in the Washington DC metro, with CPE, networking, and member services. Comparable as a regional professional membership organization serving another one of NVEPC's eight disciplines.

Regional players

• Estate Planning Council of Central Virginia: Another NAEPC-affiliated local council in Virginia, offering the same interdisciplinary membership, luncheons, and networking model as NVEPC. Comparable in structure but operating in a different Virginia sub-market (Richmond area).
• Maryland State Bar Association — Estate & Trust Law Section: Maryland bar association section providing CLE, networking, and member services to estate planning attorneys. Comparable as a regional professional body supporting estate planners, but single-discipline (attorneys only) versus NVEPC's interdisciplinary model.
• Virginia State Bar — Trusts and Estates Section: Virginia State Bar section serving estate-planning attorneys in Virginia, the state where NVEPC primarily operates. Comparable as a regional professional membership body supporting estate planners, but single-discipline versus NVEPC's interdisciplinary approach.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/northern-virginia-estate-planning-council

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Northern Virginia Estate Planning Council