Heaton Smith Group
Heaton Smith Group is an Atlanta-based consultancy founded in 2009 that advises nonprofits, donors, and professional associations on charitable gift planning, legacy programs, and donor base development. The 1-10 person firm serves hundreds of organizations across healthcare, higher education, and nonprofit sectors.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2009
- HeadquartersAtlanta, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Heaton Smith Group does
Heaton Smith Group is a privately held charitable gift planning consultancy founded in 2009 and headquartered at 1380 West Paces Ferry Rd NW in Atlanta, Georgia. The firm advises nonprofits, individual donors, and professional associations on strategies to maximize philanthropic impact through planned giving, legacy programs, and donor base development. Its client roster spans healthcare systems (Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, MemorialCare, Memorial Health, Prisma Health, John Muir Health, Saint John's Health Center Foundation), educational institutions (Sarah Lawrence College, UC Riverside, Belmont Abbey College), and nonprofit organizations (Obama Foundation, Legacy Foundation, The Woodmark Group). The firm states it has helped 'hundreds of leading change-makers raise millions in charitable gifts' since inception.
The service offering is organized around six integrated modules: Community Foundation Development, Comprehensive Gift Planning Counsel, Gift Planning Guide Desk® (a registered service mark), Gift Planning Program Audits, Legacy Planning, and Speaking Engagements. There is no underlying technology platform, proprietary software, or AI component; the business is a pure advisory practice that delivers value through domain expertise, structured methodology, and direct client engagement.
Revenue is generated through professional services fees on custom engagements. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and appears to be quote-based per engagement. The company operates a relationship-driven direct sales motion with no intermediary or reseller channels, marketing primarily through thought-leadership content on its website, client testimonials, and logo-based social proof. The firm employs between 1 and 10 people, has no disclosed funding rounds, no institutional investors, no parent company, and no M&A activity, indicating a stable, founder-operated boutique.
Heaton Smith Group firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Heaton Smith Group
- Legal name
- Heaton Smith
- Website
- https://heatonsmithgroup.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2009
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Heaton Smith Group is an Atlanta-based consultancy founded in 2009 that advises nonprofits, donors, and professional associations on charitable gift planning, legacy programs, and donor base development. The 1-10 person firm serves hundreds of organizations across healthcare, higher education, and nonprofit sectors.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Heaton Smith Group industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Charitable Gift Planning Consulting
- NAICS
- Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Philanthropic & Charitable Trust Services (FSAAANAI)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)
Keywords
Where Heaton Smith Group is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Atlanta
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Heaton Smith Group business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Professional Services - Gift Planning Advisory: Consulting and advisory fees for comprehensive gift planning counsel, program audits, community foundation development, and legacy planning services. Revenue derived from professional service engagements with nonprofits, healthcare systems, educational institutions, and professional associations seeking to develop or enhance their charitable gift planning programs.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels3 records
Heaton Smith Group product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Heaton Smith Group is a charitable gift planning consultancy that helps nonprofits, donors, and professional associations design, implement, and audit planned giving programs and community foundations. The firm delivers customized advisory services, program audits, legacy planning briefs, and speaking engagements, anchored by its proprietary Gift Planning Guide Desk® resource for client support.
Product overview
Heaton Smith Group is a charitable gift planning consulting firm offering a unified suite of advisory services designed to help nonprofits, donors, and professional associations develop and optimize their philanthropic programs. The core offering consists of six integrated service modules: Community Foundation Development, Comprehensive Gift Planning Counsel, Gift Planning Guide Desk®, Gift Planning Program Audits, Legacy Planning, and Speaking Engagements. These services work together to provide a customized approach from assessment through implementation, addressing immediate opportunities while building sustainable gift planning programs for the future.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Gift Planning Guide Desk®: A service offering within the company's comprehensive gift planning services, providing guidance and desk support for gift planning programs.
Products and services
- Community Foundation Development Advisory service helping nonprofits, donors, and community stakeholders establish and structure community foundations and associated giving vehicles. Targeted at U.S.-based charitable institutions and donor-advised fund initiatives.
- Comprehensive Gift Planning Counsel End-to-end gift planning advisory covering program design, donor cultivation strategy, and ongoing planned giving counsel for nonprofits, donors, and professional associations.
- Gift Planning Guide Desk® Proprietary reference and support resource that provides clients with ongoing access to planned giving guides, tools, and advisory content. Used by nonprofit clients and donor-advisors as a continuing education and decision-support asset.
- Gift Planning Program Audits Diagnostic audit service that reviews an organization's existing planned giving program, identifies gaps, and recommends improvements. Aimed at nonprofits with established or nascent gift planning functions seeking program optimization.
- Legacy Planning Personal advisory service for individual donors and families on legacy, estate, and charitable gift planning decisions. Targeted at high-net-worth donors and philanthropists planning multi-generational giving.
- Speaking Engagements Subject-matter speaking and educational presentations delivered to professional associations, healthcare providers, educational institutions, and foundations on charitable gift planning topics. Used for conference programming and member education.
Quantifiable outcome
- Helped hundreds of leading change-makers raise millions in charitable gifts
Companies that use Heaton Smith Group
Customer profileNamed customers12 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Heaton Smith Group technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Heaton Smith Group partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators2 records
Recent moves4 records
Expansion highlights3 records
Heaton Smith Group competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- CCS Fundraising: Global fundraising and campaign consulting firm supporting nonprofits with major gifts, capital campaigns, and planned giving. Overlaps with Heaton Smith on nonprofit gift planning advisory at larger engagement scale.
- The Curtis Group: Consulting firm specializing in capital campaigns and major/planned gifts for nonprofit institutions. Overlaps with Heaton Smith on donor strategy and legacy giving advisory for nonprofit clients.
- Marts & Lundy: Major fundraising and philanthropic consulting firm serving healthcare, higher education, and cultural institutions across campaign, development, and gift planning services. Comparable overlap on institutional gift planning advisory but operates at much larger scale.
- Bentz Whaley Flessner (BWF): Established fundraising and development consulting firm serving nonprofits with campaign, major gifts, and planned giving expertise. Comparable institutional client base and service adjacencies.
- Graham-Pelton: Philanthropic and fundraising consultancy serving healthcare, higher education, and nonprofits with campaign and gift planning services. Comparable client verticals and planned giving overlap.
Direct peers
- Crescendo Interactive: Planned giving marketing and donor presentation tools plus advisory services for charitable gift planning. Comparable to Heaton Smith's community foundation development and donor-facing gift planning work.
- Sharpe Group: Long-standing planned giving / charitable gift planning consultancy serving nonprofits and donors. Highly comparable to Heaton Smith in service scope (planned giving counsel, legacy giving, donor strategy) and target client base.
- Kaspick & Company: Historically a focused planned giving consulting firm serving nonprofits and foundations (now associated with TIAA). Highly comparable subject-matter peer in charitable gift planning advisory.
- Thompson & Associates: Planned giving and gift planning consulting firm working with nonprofits, healthcare systems, and educational institutions on endowment and legacy giving programs. Direct peer in both service mix and customer profile.
- PG Calc: Provider of planned giving software and supporting consulting services used by nonprofits to model charitable gift vehicles. Closely comparable on the gift planning subject matter; differentiated by being software-led rather than purely advisory.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
Heaton Smith Group social profiles
Digital presenceHeaton Smith Group financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Heaton Smith Group leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Heaton Smith Group funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Heaton Smith Group M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Heaton Smith Group
What does Heaton Smith Group do?
Heaton Smith Group is a charitable gift planning consultancy that helps nonprofits, donors, and professional associations design, implement, and audit planned giving programs and community foundations. The firm delivers customized advisory services, program audits, legacy planning briefs, and speaking engagements, anchored by its proprietary Gift Planning Guide Desk® resource for client support.
Is Heaton Smith Group a public or private company?
Heaton Smith Group is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Heaton Smith Group founded?
Heaton Smith Group was founded in 2009. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Heaton Smith Group based?
Heaton Smith Group is headquartered in Atlanta, United States, in the North America region.
How does Heaton Smith Group make money?
One revenue line is on record: professional Services - Gift Planning Advisory.
Who are Heaton Smith Group's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are CCS Fundraising, The Curtis Group, Marts & Lundy, Bentz Whaley Flessner (BWF) and Graham-Pelton. Direct peers are Crescendo Interactive, Sharpe Group, Kaspick & Company, Thompson & Associates and PG Calc.
Does Heaton Smith Group have an API?
No public API is recorded for Heaton Smith Group.
What industry is Heaton Smith Group in?
Heaton Smith Group's product category is Charitable Gift Planning Consulting. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAAANAI, Philanthropic & Charitable Trust Services, with a secondary code of BPAGAKAB, Community Foundations. Its NAICS code is 81321.