Estate Planning Council of Central New York

What Estate Planning Council of Central New York does

The Estate Planning Council of Central New York (EPCCNY) is a nonprofit professional membership association founded in 1972 and headquartered in Syracuse, New York, serving estate planning practitioners across the Central New York region. The council operates as a local chapter affiliated with the National Association of Estate Planners & Councils (NAEPC), connecting credentialed professionals across five primary disciplines — attorneys, certified public accountants, trust professionals, financial planners, and life insurance professionals — plus philanthropic advisors and emeritus members. Its core deliverables are the membership itself (with credential-gated application categories), a searchable member directory that functions as a cross-discipline referral network, a recurring calendar of in-person educational events (e.g., Tax Update, Trust Officers, Financial Planners), and a pathway for members to pursue the nationally recognized Accredited Estate Planner (AEP) designation.

The council has no proprietary technology platform; its "products" are programmatic — events, directories, designations, and the affiliated NAEPC Journal of Estate & Tax Planning. Revenue is generated from three streams: recurring annual membership dues, event registration fees, and a tiered corporate sponsorship program (Gold and Silver) drawn from regional professional services firms and community institutions. Distribution is regional and direct, primarily through the council's website (epccny.org), email communications, social media channels (Facebook, LinkedIn), and in-person meetings. Leadership is provided by an elected volunteer board of directors, with an executive director (Jennifer Spagnola) managing day-to-day operations; the 2026-2027 presidency transitioned to Meghan M. Reap, Esq., AEP®.

The organization earned the 2021 NAEPC "5 Star" Council designation for service quality and programming, and it has begun cross-association collaboration, including a scheduled joint networking event with the Financial Planning Association of Central New York (FPA-CNY) for December 2026. There are no funding rounds, acquisitions, technology investments, or geographic expansion signals indicative of growth-stage activity; the council operates as a mature, dues-and-sponsorship-funded local professional association.

Name

Estate Planning Council of Central New York

Legal name

Estate Planning Council of Central New York

Website

https://epccny.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1972

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The Estate Planning Council of Central New York is a nonprofit professional membership association in Syracuse that connects credentialed estate planning practitioners — attorneys, CPAs, trust officers, financial planners, and insurance professionals — through networking, educational events, a referral directory, and a pathway to the AEP designation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Membership Association

akta.pro primary industry

Estate & Legacy Planning Advisory (FSAEAAAG)

Keywords

• Estate planning
• Professional association
• Continuing education
• Professional networking
• Nonprofit membership

Headquarters

HQ city

Syracuse

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: The council generates revenue through annual membership dues from professionals including attorneys, accountants, trust officers, financial planners, insurance professionals, and philanthropic advisors who join the council.
2. Event Registration Fees: Revenue is generated from registration fees for educational events and programs for members and guests.
3. Sponsorships: Corporate sponsors pay to support the council, including Gold, Silver, and other sponsorship tiers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Estate Planning Council of Central New York is a nonprofit professional membership association that serves estate planning practitioners in Central New York by offering credentialed membership, monthly educational meetings on tax, trust, and financial planning topics, a member directory for client referrals, and access to the NAEPC's Accredited Estate Planner (AEP) designation pathway. Its core deliverable is the operation of an interdisciplinary professional community where attorneys, CPAs, trust officers, financial planners, and insurance professionals collaborate on estate planning cases and earn continuing education.

Product overview

The Estate Planning Council of Central New York is a membership-based professional association affiliated with the National Association of Estate Planners & Councils (NAEPC). The organization provides a unified platform for estate planning professionals including member directory services, educational events, and professional designation programs. The core offerings include the AEP designation and EPLS certification programs, the NAEPC Journal of Estate & Tax Planning publication, and regular educational events covering tax updates, trust management, and financial planning topics.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Estate Planning Council of Central New York Membership Annual professional membership with multiple credential-gated categories (Accountants, Attorneys, Trust Professionals, Credentialed Life Insurance Professionals, Credentialed Financial Planners, Philanthropic Professionals, Emerging Professionals, Student Members, Associate Members, Emeritus Members), providing access to the member directory, educational events, AEP affiliation, and interdisciplinary referrals for estate planning practitioners in Central New York.
• Educational Events and Meetings Recurring in-person educational events held at venues such as the CNY Community Foundation Ballroom covering topics including Tax Update, Trust Officers, Financial Planners, and Networking, designed for estate planning continuing education. Events are open to members and guests via registration.
• Member Directory Searchable online directory of approximately 100 qualified estate planning professionals in Central New York, accessible to the public so consumers can locate members holding AEP or EPLS designations for referral purposes.
• Accredited Estate Planner (AEP) Designation Program Graduate-level national accreditation available through the council's NAEPC affiliation pathway for estate planning professionals, requiring membership in an affiliated local council and acknowledging experience and specialization in estate planning.
• Estate Planning Law Specialist (EPLS) Certification Board certification for attorneys administered by the Estate Law Specialist Board, Inc., the only ABA-accredited program for estate planning law specialists, available through the NAEPC designation framework.
• NAEPC Journal of Estate & Tax Planning Professional journal covering estate planning topics including AI applications, tax considerations, charitable giving strategies, and planning for aging populations, made available to council members through NAEPC affiliation.

Named customers5 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• National Association of Estate Planners & Councils (NAEPC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Estate Planning Council of Central New York is affiliated with NAEPC, the national parent organization. This affiliation enables council members to pursue the Accredited Estate Planner (AEP) designation and provides access to NAEPC programs, publications including the Journal of Estate & Tax Planning, and national networking events. The council is one of many local chapters in NAEPC's network.
• Bousquet Holstein PLLCminorOthersGold sponsor for 2024-2025, providing financial support to the council.
• Central New York Community FoundationminorOthersGold sponsor for 2024-2025 and hosts events at their facilities including the CNY Community Foundation Ballroom.
• Crystal Clear Financial Group LLCminorOthersGold sponsor for 2024-2025.
• Dermody, Burke & Brown CPAs LLCminorOthersGold sponsor for 2024-2025, an accounting firm providing services to the estate planning community.
• Upstate FoundationminorOthersGold sponsor for 2024-2025, supporting healthcare and community initiatives.
• Arabella Wealth AdvisorsminorOthersSilver sponsor for 2024-2025, a financial advisory firm serving the Syracuse area.
• Mackenzie Hughes LLPminorOthersSilver sponsor for 2024-2025, a law firm with estate planning practice area.
• Financial Planning Association of Central New York (FPA-CNY)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint networking event planned for December 2026, demonstrating collaboration between estate planning and financial planning professionals.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• New York City Estate Planning Council: A sister NAEPC-affiliated local estate planning council serving the New York City metro area. Operates with the same multi-disciplinary membership model, event programming, and AEP designation pathway, but in a much larger market.
• Cleveland Estate Planning Council: NAEPC-affiliated local estate planning council serving Northeast Ohio. Comparable in mission, member categories, and reliance on interdisciplinary collaboration and AEP designation, in a mid-sized regional market similar to Central New York.
• Philadelphia Estate Planning Council: Another NAEPC-affiliated local estate planning council. Operates the same multi-disciplinary model serving attorneys, accountants, and financial professionals in a specific regional market, providing a close structural analog to EPCCNY.
• Boston Estate Planning Council: A NAEPC-affiliated local council serving the Boston metropolitan area. Closely comparable in mission, multi-disciplinary membership model, and reliance on the AEP designation as a key member value proposition.

Broad incumbents

• American Bar Association - Real Property, Trust and Estate Law Section: The ABA's national section for estate planning attorneys. Comparable in serving estate planning practitioners through education, publications, and networking, though operates as a section of the broader bar rather than a stand-alone membership association.
• National Association of Estate Planners & Councils (NAEPC): The parent national organization that EPCCNY is affiliated with. Operates the AEP designation and EPLS certification programs, and supports all local estate planning councils across the U.S.
• Financial Planning Association (FPA): National membership organization for CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER professionals with local chapters, including FPA-CNY which already co-hosts events with EPCCNY. Similar community-led, education-and-networking model but focused exclusively on financial planners.
• American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC): National association of trust and estate lawyers with a similar educational, collegial, and credentialing mission. Much larger and focused exclusively on attorneys, but addresses an overlapping professional audience and offers comparable continuing education and networking.
• National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA): National association for fee-only financial advisors with a comparable membership, education, and referral-driven model. Serves an overlapping financial planning segment of EPCCNY's interdisciplinary audience.
• Society of Financial Service Professionals (SFSP): National interdisciplinary association for financial service professionals across insurance, financial planning, banking, and estate planning. Highly comparable to EPCCNY's interdisciplinary model but at a national scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/EPCCNY
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/epccny

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Estate Planning Council of Central New York