What Thompson & Associates does

Thompson & Associates is a privately held B2B consulting firm founded in 1996 by Dr. Eddie Thompson and headquartered in Brentwood, Tennessee. The firm partners with nonprofit organizations to provide confidential charitable estate planning services to their supporters and donors. Associates deliver consultations on-site at each nonprofit partner's location on a monthly cadence, employing a donor-centered methodology in which the firm does not solicit gifts, sell products, or accept commissions, structurally eliminating perceived conflicts of interest that nonprofit employees face when discussing estate planning with donors.

The company generates revenue exclusively through flat annual fees paid by nonprofit clients, functioning as a recurring subscription consulting engagement. Pricing is not publicly disclosed. Core service delivery is human-led and methodology-driven rather than technology-led; the supporting technology stack is narrow — GO Connect (a pipeline/gift-planning tool for nonprofit clients), Client Center Resources (an information portal), and RJ Young (custom print materials) — paired with educational sub-brands including 'Eddie's Blog' and the 'Conversations with Industry Icons' podcast. The go-to-market motion is enterprise field sales: targeting nonprofits of all sizes, building relationships with development officers and nonprofit leadership, and offering the firm's services through those nonprofit partners to their donor base.

The firm employs 38 team members located across 16 states and serves 82 nonprofit partners spanning 33 states. Customer industries are diversified across healthcare systems, senior living, higher education, and food banks. Combined team experience totals 1,023 years, and combined nonprofit partner relationships total 445 years. The firm has a long-tenured leadership bench with multiple JDs and FCEP-credentialed executives (Cayce Powell, President; Bill Gustoff, President of Legal Division; Jason Meredith, EVP Charitable Estate Planning; Bethany Rozell, EVP Strategic Partnerships) and is actively engaged in industry advocacy through the RIFT Project.

Name

Thompson & Associates

Legal name

Thompson & Associates

Website

https://ceplan.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Thompson & Associates is a privately held B2B consulting firm that partners with nonprofits across the United States to deliver confidential, donor-centered charitable estate planning services to their supporters on-site monthly, funded by flat annual fees from 82 nonprofit clients in 33 states.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Charitable Estate Planning Services

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Charitable Giving & Philanthropic Trust Advisory (FSAEAKAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Philanthropy & Foundations Advisory (Donor-Advised Funds, Endowments) (FSAAABAH), Family Offices & Philanthropic Advisors (Grantmaking) (BPAGAKAD)

Keywords

• Charitable estate planning
• Planned giving services
• Nonprofit fundraising consulting
• Donor relationship management
• Estate planning consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Brentwood

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, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Annual Nonprofit Consulting Fee: Thompson & Associates generates revenue exclusively through flat annual fees paid by their nonprofit clients. Their only compensation is a fixed annual fee for their estate planning consultation services. They do not sell products, manage money, provide legal or accounting services, solicit funds directly or indirectly, or receive commissions from gifts that may be given as a result of their planning process.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Thompson & Associates provides confidential, donor-centered charitable estate planning consulting services to nonprofit organizations. Associates travel on-site to nonprofit partner locations once per month to meet with individual supporters and families, helping them clarify values and create comprehensive estate plans that reflect charitable objectives. The firm charges a flat annual fee to nonprofits and does not sell products, manage money, draft documents, or solicit gifts.

Product overview

Thompson & Associates is a nonprofit consulting firm that provides estate planning services to nonprofit organizations and their supporters. The company operates a services-based model centered on confidential, donor-focused estate planning consultations, delivered through a network of trained associates who meet on-site at nonprofit partners monthly. Their product portfolio includes core consulting services (Thompson & Associates Estate Planning Services), client-facing digital tools (GO Connect pipeline management, Client Center Resources portal, RJ Young materials creation), and educational content brands (Conversations with Industry Icons podcast series, Eddie's Blog, and Annual Client Conference).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Thompson & Associates Estate Planning Services Confidential, donor-centered estate planning consulting delivered on-site at nonprofit partner locations. Associates meet with individual supporters and families monthly to clarify values and produce comprehensive estate plans that accomplish donors' family and charitable objectives.
• GO Connect Pipeline management tool customized for nonprofit clients to track and manage donor relationships and gift planning opportunities.
• Client Center Resources Online portal providing clients with resources, materials, and tools to support their partnership with Thompson & Associates.
• RJ Young Materials Creation & Printing Customized materials creation and printing service for nonprofit clients, including brochures and fundraising resources.

Quantifiable outcome

• Thompson & Associates has 82 nonprofit partners across 33 states with 445 years of combined relationships
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• RIFT (Revocation of Improper Fund Transfers) ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThompson & Associates actively participates in the RIFT Project, which works to help charities protect donors' intent and wishes when it comes to collecting on IRA and other accounts left to them upon death. Bill Gustoff and Johni Hays serve as national leaders in the RIFT Project. Thompson & Associates has hosted webinars on RIFT developments and legislation.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Worthy Cause Marketing: Worthy Cause Marketing is a planned giving marketing and consulting firm serving nonprofit development teams. Directly comparable on planned giving services and nonprofit customer base.
• Crescendo Interactive: Crescendo Interactive provides planned giving marketing software, donor presentations, and consulting services to nonprofits. Already named in Thompson & Associates' data as a partner, Crescendo is comparable as a planned-giving-focused vendor working with the same nonprofit clients and overlapping in donor-discovery and marketing capabilities.
• PG Calc: PG Calc offers planned giving calculators, software, and consulting services used by gift planners and nonprofits. Directly comparable to Thompson & Associates as a planned-giving specialized firm serving nonprofits and their development teams.
• Sharpe Group: Sharpe Group is one of the longest-running planned giving consulting firms in the U.S., providing charitable gift planning counsel to nonprofits and their donors. Highly comparable to Thompson & Associates in target customer (nonprofits), service (planned giving consulting), and business model (consultative, fee-based, donor-centered).

Broad incumbents

• Campbell & Company: Campbell & Company is an established fundraising consulting and executive search firm serving nonprofits. Comparable on nonprofit customer base and consultative business model, with broader services beyond planned giving.
• CCS Fundraising: CCS Fundraising is a large, established fundraising consulting firm serving nonprofits across capital campaigns, annual giving, and planned giving. Comparable on nonprofit customer base and B2B consulting model, though much broader in scope than Thompson & Associates' planned-giving specialization.

Emerging players

• FreeWill: FreeWill is a tech-enabled online will-making and charitable giving platform that has rapidly gained adoption among nonprofits as a low-cost planned giving intake tool. Comparable as a planned-giving enabler for nonprofits; competes more on technology and scale than on individualized donor consultation.

Regional players

• Gift Planning Counsel: Gift Planning Counsel is a planned giving consulting firm working with nonprofits on charitable gift planning strategies. Comparable as a planned giving consultancy; meaningful overlap in service offering and customer segment to Thompson & Associates.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ceplanusa
• YouTubeceplan.com/podcasts
• Facebookfacebook.com/ceplanusa
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/381182

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 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 Thompson & Associates