South Sound Planned Giving Council

What South Sound Planned Giving Council does

The South Sound Planned Giving Council (SSPGC) is a 501(c)(3) professional membership association founded in 1992 and registered in Washington State, serving planned giving professionals in Pierce, Thurston, Mason, and Kitsap counties in the South Sound region. It convenes fundraisers, nonprofit leaders, estate and tax attorneys, CPAs, trust officers, financial advisors, and philanthropic consultants into a single interdisciplinary community built around continuing education in charitable planned giving vehicles such as bequests, charitable gift annuities, charitable remainder trusts, and qualified charitable distributions. Core offerings include an annual membership program, ten monthly educational programs (five in-person lunches and five virtual Lunch & Learns), a recurring seven-session Basics of Planned Giving series, the annual South Sound Philanthropy Summit co-presented with the AFP South Sound Chapter, and a Mentor Program supported by a member directory and video library. The organization also operates the Leave 10 South Sound movement, a community-facing initiative encouraging residents to leave 10% of their estates to charity. SSPGC is not a technology company — its platform is essentially an event calendar plus member resources — and there is no proprietary software, API, or AI component to its operations.

SSPGC's business model is a hybrid of recurring membership dues, pay-per-event fees, and charitable donations. Pricing is differentiated by membership status: member in-person lunches at $27 per session vs. $40 for non-members; the Basics of Planned Giving series is $45 for members and $95 for non-members (the latter including membership). Distribution is regional and self-serve via online registration through Zeffy and JotForm, supported by email, the SSPGC website, Facebook, and LinkedIn. The organization is volunteer-driven with two co-Executive Directors (Annie Skoglund, CAE and Katie Bohocky, CAE), a Board of Directors, and no traditional paid engineering, sales, or product organization. Revenue figures are not disclosed and the entity is structurally nonprofit — there is no equity, no parent company, no funding rounds, no M&A activity, and no signs of expansion outside the four-county service area.

Name

South Sound Planned Giving Council

Legal name

South Sound Planned Giving Council

Website

https://sspgcouncil.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

South Sound Planned Giving Council is a 501(c)(3) professional membership association founded in 1992 that delivers educational programming, networking, and resources on charitable planned giving to fundraisers, attorneys, CPAs, trust officers, and financial advisors across Pierce, Thurston, Mason, and Kitsap counties in Washington State.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Association Services

NAICS

Professional Organizations (813920), Business Associations (813910), Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations (8139)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Philanthropic & Charitable Trust Services (FSAAANAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Charitable Giving & Philanthropic Trust Advisory (FSAEAKAH), Public Charities & Grantmaking Intermediaries (BPAGAKAE)

Keywords

• Planned giving education
• Charitable gift planning
• Professional association services
• Estate planning networking
• Nonprofit fundraising resources

Headquarters

HQ city

Gig Harbor

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Membership dues: Annual membership fees from planned giving and allied professionals including fundraisers, attorneys, CPAs, trust officers, and financial advisors
2. Event registration fees: Revenue from educational events including monthly lunches ($27 members, $40 non-members), Basics of Planned Giving series ($45-$95), and annual Philanthropy Summit
3. Donations and charitable gifts: Accepts cash gifts, appreciated stock, Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs), and legacy/bequest gifts. Supports scholarships for membership and event attendance.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

A 501(c)(3) professional association that provides educational programs, networking events, and resources for planned giving professionals in the South Puget Sound region. The organization serves approximately 150+ members across Pierce, Thurston, Mason, and Kitsap counties, advancing expertise in charitable gift planning through annual conferences, professional development courses, and an annual publication.

Product overview

South Sound Planned Giving Council (SSPGC) is a professional membership association offering a comprehensive portfolio of educational programs and networking opportunities for planned giving professionals. The organization provides 10 monthly educational programs (5 in-person lunches and 5 virtual sessions), the 'Basics of Planned Giving' seven-session series, Lunch Training sessions, the annual South Sound Philanthropy Summit, and the Leave 10 South Sound initiative. Additional offerings include the Mentor Program, 'A Day With...' events, job postings board, and member resources including directory and video library. SSPGC serves as a unified professional community connecting nonprofit professionals, financial advisors, attorneys, CPAs, trust officers, and ancillary businesses in the planned giving field.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Leave 10 South Sound: A movement created by local donors, nonprofits, and professional advisors to educate, encourage and inspire people in South Sound to leave at least 10% of their estates to charity.

Products and services

• Annual Conference The Council's annual multi-day educational conference, providing planned giving professionals with continuing education, technical training on charitable gift instruments, and structured networking opportunities with peer practitioners across the region.
• Wills, Trusts & Estates Magazine An annual publication of the South Sound Planned Giving Council, providing year-round reference content on estate planning, charitable giving techniques, and regional philanthropy for members and the broader planned giving community.
• Professional Development Courses Structured educational courses offered to members to advance technical expertise in charitable gift planning, estate administration, and related disciplines.
• Networking Events Member events designed to facilitate peer connections, cross-disciplinary referrals, and informal knowledge sharing among planned giving practitioners in the South Puget Sound region.
• Membership Program Annual membership program that provides charitable planned giving professionals access to the Council's educational programming, networking events, publications, and member directory. The Council has 150+ members.
• Scholarships and Grants Funding mechanism supported by member donations and sponsorships that provides scholarships and grants to members to support professional development and continuing education in charitable planned giving.

Quantifiable outcome

• 150+ members and growing
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 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

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Association of Fundraising Professionals – South Sound ChaptercoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCo-presenter of the annual South Sound Philanthropy Summit. AFP South Sound Chapter and SSPGC partner to bring together 150+ professionals from all aspects of philanthropy including fundraising, financial, legal, accounting, estate planning, and nonprofits.
• Leave 10 South SoundcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMovement created by local donors, nonprofits, and professional advisors to encourage individuals to leave at least 10% of their estates to charity. SSPGC partners with Leave 10 South Sound for educational programming, including Make-A-Will Month webinars and joint events.
• National Association of Charitable Gift PlannersminorGTM or Marketing PartnerNational professional association for charitable gift planners. SSPGC is affiliated and references their Standards of Practice, Model Standards of Practice, and Knowledge Base resources for members.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• The Giving Institute: A consortium of philanthropic advisory firms that offers member education and promotes ethical standards in fundraising and gift planning; serves an overlapping advisor audience as SSPGC at a national consulting-firm level.
• Council on Foundations: A national nonprofit membership association serving grantmaking foundations and corporations, offering planned giving education and community programming that overlaps with SSPGC's content at a national scale.
• American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC): A professional association of trust and estate attorneys; its members are a key audience SSPGC serves (estate/tax attorneys advising on charitable giving), making ACTEC an adjacent incumbent whose educational programming partially substitutes for SSPGC's legal-track content.
• National Council of Nonprofits: A network of nonprofit organizations providing capacity-building resources, advocacy, and educational programming that overlaps with portions of SSPGC's nonprofit-focused member benefits, but at a national rather than regional scale.
• Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP): The largest professional association for fundraisers globally; SSPGC co-presents the annual South Sound Philanthropy Summit with the AFP South Sound Chapter, making AFP both a close GTM partner and a broader-incumbent competitor for fundraising education and certification.

Others

• Foundation Source: A provider of administrative services for private foundations, including planned giving administration; complementary to SSPGC's members (who advise donors creating such funds) but does not directly compete for membership.
• Community Foundation of South Puget Sound: The local community foundation in SSPGC's territory, whose leadership participates as panelists in SSPGC programs and which serves as both a major institutional member and a regional philanthropic education partner.

Regional players

• Greater Washington Community Foundation: A regional community foundation serving a Pacific Northwest-adjacent geography with planned giving services, donor education, and legacy giving programs analogous to those promoted by SSPGC's Leave 10 South Sound initiative.

Emerging players

• FreeWill: An online planned giving and estate planning platform that increasingly partners with nonprofits to offer free will-making and charitable gift tools; competes with SSPGC members for client-facing planned giving tooling and partially substitutes for educational content.

Direct peers

• National Association of Charitable Gift Planners: The national professional association for charitable gift planners, offering standards of practice, a knowledge base, and member education that directly overlap with SSPGC's mission; SSPGC is already an affiliate and references NACGP's Standards of Practice for members.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/SSPlannedGivingCouncil
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/south-sound-planned-giving-council

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 South Sound Planned Giving Council