Philanthropic Advisors in the 21st Century

The CAP® program was created to foster greater philanthropic impact throughout our communities by bringing nonprofit gift planners and financial, tax, and legal advisors together in a common, cross-disciplinary curriculum to help better serve clients and donors. Today, over 2,500 CAP® designees are doing just that. 

Our research found that CAP® designees work in various disciplines and represent an expanding number of nonprofit, for-profit, and hybrid organizations. They’re facilitating complex philanthropic gifts through vehicles that didn’t exist when the CAP® program began. They’re also navigating numerous cultural issues and societal needs, in addition to the effects of the global pandemic. 

Through the participation of 486 CAP® designees and students, we now have a greater understanding of the ever-increasing diversity and interests of the CAP® community. For example, respondents credit CAP® with helping them gain credibility, confidence, recognition, and greater knowledge of donor motivations and charitable tools. We also received many responses to our open-ended questions that mentioned the need to update the curriculum with diversity in voices, perspectives, and current practices. Many expressed a desire to continue learning beyond the CAP® program through mentoring and networking programs.

Read the report here.