Financial Planning Ministry

What Financial Planning Ministry does

Financial Planning Ministry (FPM) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1982 and headquartered in Irvine, California, that provides biblically grounded estate planning education and document preparation to Christian individuals and families. The organization's core offerings include 90-minute educational seminars hosted at partner churches, revocable living trust preparation, full estate planning document packages, free document updates, and a newly launched Legacy Services department that supports families through post-death estate administration. FPM does not charge fees to individuals; instead, the organization operates as a cooperative of 150+ church and para-church ministry partners across all 50 states who contribute funding and host seminars, supplemented by individual and corporate donations.

FPM's technology footprint is intentionally light. The organization runs an internal scheduling application called iScheduler (integrated with Google Calendar APIs), uses JotForm for encrypted personal-information collection, and maintains a Partner Portal for the 150+ ministry partner network and a public website (fpm.org) with educational content. There is no proprietary technology platform, no mobile application of consequence, and no AI/ML capabilities disclosed in the source material. Operational scale is small, with a national team of approximately 35 staff serving 100+ charitable partners and more than 56,000 families served cumulatively, with over $3 billion in verified planned gifts documented.

FPM's revenue model is a donation-and-cooperative-funding hybrid. The organization is funded through contributions from its 150+ ministry partners (which constitute the primary revenue engine), individual and corporate donations, and bequests from members who are asked to include at least one ministry partner in their estate plans. Services are provided free of charge to individuals, removing direct price friction but also eliminating traditional SaaS-style revenue predictability. FPM holds ECFA accreditation (since July 2018), signaling compliance with seven standards of financial accountability and ethical fundraising, which functions as a credibility signal for both donors and partner ministries.

Name

Financial Planning Ministry

Legal name

Financial Planning Ministry

Website

https://fpm.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Financial Planning Ministry is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1982 that provides free, biblically grounded estate planning education, living trust preparation, and post-death estate administration to Christian families through a cooperative of 150+ church and para-church ministry partners across all 50 states.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Estate Planning Services (Nonprofit Ministry Cooperative)

NAICS

Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Religious Organizations (8131), Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132), Trusts, Estates, and Agency Accounts (52592)

SIC

Finance Services (6199)

akta.pro primary industry

Estate & Legacy Planning Advisory (FSAEAAAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Financial Planning Tools & Financial Coaching (Goal Setting, Apps, Advisors) (EDAAAJAN), Financial Coaching & Budgeting Advisory (FSAEAAAH)

Keywords

• Estate planning services
• Planned giving ministry
• Living trust preparation
• Charitable gift planning
• Biblical stewardship education

Headquarters

HQ city

Irvine

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Ministry Partnership Contributions: FPM is funded through a cooperative of churches and ministries nationwide. Partner organizations contribute to support the ministry, which allows FPM to provide estate planning services at no direct cost to individual members. Members are simply asked to include a gift to at least one of FPM's ministry partners in their estate plan.
2. Donations: FPM accepts donations from individuals, families, and corporations who feel led to support the ministry. Donations are used to continue educating believers in stewarding God's resources through estate planning.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Financial Planning Ministry is a nonprofit cooperative of churches and Christian ministries that provides individuals and families with biblically grounded estate planning education and document preparation at no direct cost. Its core offerings include 90-minute educational seminars, revocable living trust preparation, complete estate planning documents, charitable gift planning guidance, and a new Legacy Services department that supports families through post-death estate administration.

Product overview

Financial Planning Ministry (FPM) offers a nonprofit partnership of ministries providing biblically grounded estate planning education and services. The core offerings include 90-minute estate planning seminars, Living Trust preparation, and estate planning document services provided at no direct cost to individuals. The newly established Legacy Services department provides post-death estate administration support. FPM operates through a network of 150+ ministry partners including churches, universities, and missions, and offers an online scheduling tool (iScheduler) and partner portal. The organization is accredited by ECFA and is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1982.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Estate Planning Seminars 90-minute presentations providing clear, accurate information on estate planning, wills, living trusts, probate avoidance, and charitable gift planning. Delivered through FPM's ministry partner network of churches, camps, universities, and missions.
• Living Trust Preparation Preparation of revocable living trusts that help families avoid probate, maintain privacy, and ensure proper asset distribution according to biblical stewardship principles. Provided to FPM members at no direct cost.
• Estate Planning Documents Complete sets of estate planning documents, including living trusts, wills, and related materials, prepared for FPM members to help secure their legacies and provide for loved ones and Christian ministries.
• Legacy Services A dedicated department that helps families through the estate administration process after a loved one's passing, providing practical guidance, personal encouragement, and live support for Successor Trustees, Executors, and heirs during estate settlement.
• Legacy Giving: The Goose and the Exotic Birds A book by D. Clay Perkins, Ph.D. that uses the parable of a goose and exotic birds to teach pastors and stewardship leaders about legacy giving through simple wills and trusts.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $3.2 billion in planned gifts documented to Kingdom causes
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Partnerships

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

• Young LifeminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Christian ministry that shared congratulations at FPM's 40th anniversary celebration. Part of FPM's broader ministry network.
• Mission Aviation FellowshipminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Christian mission organization involved in FPM's ministry co-op. Shared congratulations at FPM's 40th anniversary celebration.
• CDF CapitalflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Received FPM's Outstanding Stewardship Award. Has received over $1 million in estate gifts, $12 million in expectancies, and $33 million in Kingdom Impact over their 40-year partnership with FPM. A flagship example of successful stewardship ministry.
• Saddleback ChurchcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLong-time FPM partner since 2009. Chris Goulard, former Pastor of Stewardship at Saddleback, led an Estate Planning Ministry resulting in over $120 million in bequests and a $50 million giving campaign. Saddleback is one of FPM's flagship church partners.
• Southeast Christian ChurchcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor FPM partner where many members benefit from estate planning services. Leaders report that members benefit from an invaluable estate planning service helping individuals and families leave a legacy honoring God.
• Christ Fellowship ChurchcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFPM has completed several seminars at Christ Fellowship. Attendees have praised the planned giving stewardship program as a ministry with regards to member care and achieved strong results.
• Central Christian ChurchcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPlanned giving stewardship program has been in place for 25 years. Leaders report it has been one of the most effective ministries offered to their people. Michael Prior, FPM President, previously served as executive pastor there.
• Gateway ChurchcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFPM partner church in the network of 150+ ministry partners. Part of FPM's ministry co-op providing estate planning services to members.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Thrivent Financial: Large Fortune 500 financial services company focused on Christians, offering insurance, investments, and retirement/legacy planning. Comparable as a broad incumbent in faith-aligned financial and estate services, though its for-profit model differs from FPM's nonprofit cooperative structure.
• GuideStone Financial Resources: Financial services organization founded by the Southern Baptist Convention, providing retirement, insurance, and investment products to pastors and church workers. Comparable incumbent serving the same church-worker and ministry-staff ecosystem as FPM.

Emerging players

• FreeWill: Free online estate planning platform that has rapidly scaled among nonprofits and faith-based organizations for will and planned-gift creation. Comparable emerging competitor challenging the traditional estate-planning seminar model that FPM relies on.
• Trust & Will: Digital-first estate planning service offering online wills and trusts at consumer price points. Comparable emerging player applying technology to commoditize the living-trust document preparation that is central to FPM's offering.

Direct peers

• Barnabas Foundation: Faith-based nonprofit that helps Christians integrate biblical stewardship with charitable estate and gift planning. Closely comparable to FPM in target audience (Christian families) and core service (planned giving facilitation through biblical lens).
• The Signatry: Christian foundation that partners with families and their advisors to facilitate Kingdom-impact giving through trusts, estate plans, and charitable structures. Directly comparable to FPM in mission and planned-giving service model.
• National Christian Foundation: Largest Christian donor-advised fund sponsor in the U.S., facilitating charitable giving and estate gifts from Christian donors. Directly comparable to FPM in mission, target donor base, and the planned-giving focus area.
• Christian Stewardship Network: Association of Christian stewardship leaders and ministries that promotes biblical generosity, planned giving, and estate planning across churches. Comparable to FPM as a peer ministry network serving the same congregational ecosystem.

Others

• Generous Giving: Christian generosity movement and content platform promoting biblical stewardship and charitable giving. Adjacent thematically related organization in the Christian stewardship/legacy-giving ecosystem.
• National Association of Christian Estate Planners: Professional membership association for Christian estate-planning attorneys and advisors. Adjacent ecosystem participant that trains and networks estate planners serving a similar donor base as FPM.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/TrustFPM
• Facebookfacebook.com/TrustFPM

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Financial Planning Ministry