CAP®
Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy®
Best For
Professionals who want to support their clients’ philanthropic goals.
Timing
<12 Months
Format
See how you can support your clients’ philanthropic goals with specialized knowledge in gift and legacy planning. Learn more below.
100% Online
Tuition
Starting at
$2,050/course
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Master Philanthropic Planning
Gain a Spectrum of Knowledge
Learn how to collaborate with clients through individual donor, nonprofit, and institutional strategies for success.
Easily Navigate Complexity
More and more people are seeking to leave a lasting legacy — deliver advanced insights with confidence.
Get Actionable ROI, Now
Focus on case studies and real-life situations lets you apply knowledge to your practice immediately.
Experience Our Program
Tour the Program Now
Join one of the program’s successful alums, Andrew Tudor, CFP®, CAP® for a video tour of the CAP® Program.
CAP® Program Overview
Admissions Requirements
There are no prerequisite courses required before you can begin the CAP® Program, but three years full-time, relevant business experience is required to use the designation.
To receive the CAP® designation, you must:
1. Successfully complete the three required courses
2. Agree to comply with The American College Code of Ethics and Procedures
Participation in the annual Professional Recertification Program (PRP) is required to maintain the designation.
What You'll Learn
The all-online CAP® Program is a graduate-level program that provides the specialized knowledge and tools you need to help clients articulate and advance their highest aspirations for self, family, and society.
Your learning outcomes will equip you to:
- Apply the best tax strategies, tools, and techniques for philanthropic goals
- Understand client or donor goals for self, family members, and/or society
- Advise wealthy families and family offices on important financial matters, including business exit planning, estate planning, and legacy planning
- Handle gift planning for nonprofits and high-capacity donors or philanthropists
Course Delivery
Complete the three-course curriculum at your own pace and receive support from the nation’s preeminent academics and thought leaders, as well as our academic advising team.
The CAP® Program features:
- All-Online Resources: All-virtual lessons organized in sequential units and supported by short videos, knowledge checks, quizzes, and case studies. Once per quarter, monthly sections also include a live webinar component for students who want to engage with fellow students and faculty.
- Testing: There is no high-stakes cumulative exam in the CAP® Program; each course features its own quizzes, knowledge checks, and a two-hour final course exam.
- Expert Instruction: Get the latest insights delivered by preeminent thought leaders, researchers, and experts in the field of philanthropic planning.
- Flexible E-learning: So you can complete coursework on your schedule.
Tuition Overview
Single Courses
Starting at $2,050
Course Package
Starting at $4,495
Single Courses
$2,050 per course
Single courses in the CAP® Program are $2,050 each. To complete the full program, complete the three required courses below:
- CAP 539 Planning for Impact in Context of Family Wealth — Focuses on how clients and donors can use financial planning, estate planning, and gift planning to advance their personal financial goals for self and family, while also having a positive impact on their community.
- CAP 549 Charitable Giving Strategies — Covers charitable tax strategies, tools, and techniques, and how to explain and implement them to achieve donor goals for self, family, and community.
- CAP 559 Gift Planning in a Nonprofit Context — Teaches advisors, board leaders, and nonprofits how to collaborate to create, count, and steward significant gifts.
Three-Course Package
$4,495
Bundle together the full CAP® Program containing all three required courses for only $4,495 (a $1,655 savings from individual course purchases!).
- CAP 539 Planning for Impact in Context of Family Wealth — Focuses on how clients and donors can use financial planning, estate planning, and gift planning to advance their personal financial goals for self and family, while also having a positive impact on their community.
- CAP 549 Charitable Giving Strategies — Covers charitable tax strategies, tools, and techniques, and how to explain and implement them to achieve donor goals for self, family, and community.
- CAP 559 Gift Planning in a Nonprofit Context — Teaches advisors, board leaders, and nonprofits how to collaborate to create, count, and steward significant gifts.
Enroll Now If:
What Your Peers Say
85%
Of CAP® designees report increased client engagement and satisfaction.1
80%
Of CAP® designees say their education has helped them attract new clients.1
2x
Young investors not working with a financial planner are twice as likely to prefer one who provides charitable planning services.2
Course Overview
Courses to Complete
Three
Typical Completion Time
<12 Months
CAP 539 Planning for Impact in Context of Family Wealth
Focuses on how clients and donors can use financial planning, estate planning, and gift planning to advance their personal financial goals for self and family, while also having a positive impact on their community.
Upon completion of this course, you’ll be able to:
- Position yourself at the table where the client or donor’s big dollars are planned
- Emerge as the client or donor’s trusted advisor, integrating charitable planning with the donor or client’s overall estate and business planning
- Help donors and clients achieve positive impact for self, heirs, and community
CAP 549 Charitable Giving Strategies
Covers charitable tax strategies, tools, and techniques, and how to explain and implement them to achieve donor goals for self, family, and community.
After completion of this course you'll be able to:
- Explain the features and benefits of each individual charitable tool
- Compare and contrast the tools in light of a donor or client’s overall legacy plan for self, family, and society
- Identify reasons advisors and fundraisers often collide, and the ways they may work more effectively together
CAP 559 Gift Planning in a Nonprofit Context
Teaches advisors, board leaders, and nonprofits how to collaborate to create, count, and steward significant gifts.
After completion of this course you'll be able to:
- Identify the roles of the three sectors, how those roles are changing, and how the nonprofit sector is funded
- Discuss the role of the nonprofit board and how fundraising is structured and managed
- Explain how planned, major, and blended gifts are raised, invested and stewarded
- Understand what high capacity donors want
- Recognize how “personalized” or “donor-focused planning” complements the value-based planning that is taught in the other CAP® courses
The CAP® Program gave me a window into the experience of not only my donors, but my peers sitting on the other side of the table as nonprofit professionals. I feel better equipped to handle next-level conversations with our clients and use more creative tools to find the greatest possible good for everyone at the table.
Olivia Burgess, CAP®
Despite having been a practitioner for over 20 years, the course content provided me a stimulating look at new ideas and perspectives on philanthropy as well as additional strategies to consider with clients.
Matt Self, CLU®, ChFC®, ChSNC®, CASL®, RICP®, CFP®, CAP®
Earning the CAP® designation has been a transformative experience. This program deepened my understanding of the tools and strategies available for legacy and gift planning, equipping me to better support donors in achieving their philanthropic goals. More importantly, it provided invaluable insights into how to approach these meaningful conversations with donors and their families, ensuring that their charitable intentions are realized in the most impactful way.
Travis Hutchins, CAP®, MPA
I highly recommend the CAP® curriculum to every charitable planning and fundraising professional. It completely transformed the way that I look at philanthropy and wealth in general.
Leon Baburov, CAP®, CFP®, AEP®
Through the CAP® curriculum I learned technical gift planning, but more importantly, I learned how to listen to life stories and how to work with professional advisors, as a gift planner/fundraiser.
Betsy Ketelas, CAP®, CFRE
The CAP® program has added to my repertoire as an attorney, but more importantly, as a trusted advisor to individual, corporate, and nonprofit clients.
Philip M. Dicomo, ESQ, CAP®
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CONNECT WITH THE CAP® COMMUNITY
Community Groups for Shared Learning
The CAP® Program brings together professionals from all areas of the philanthropic ecosystem — and shared learning can be a valuable part of the experience. If you wish to get involved, you’ll find local and national community groups to help learners build professional relationships and exchange ideas about applying CAP® Program concepts in day-to-day work. Although community groups are not part of program requirements, they may be a good option to enhance your learning experience and network with fellow professionals.
Learn From Leaders With True Expertise
Timothy Belber
JD, AEP®
Adjunct Professor of Estate Planning
Charles E. Drimal Estate Planning Professorship
Paul M. Caspersen
MS, CFP®, AEP®
Program Director, Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy® (CAP®)
Managing Director, The American College Center for Philanthropy and Social Impact
Wallace Chair
Allison Quintanilla Plattsmier
CAP®, Ed.D., DBA
Adjunct Faculty, Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy® (CAP®) Program
Read Bio01 / 00
Timothy Belber
JD, AEP®
Adjunct Professor of Estate Planning
Charles E. Drimal Estate Planning Professorship
Paul M. Caspersen
MS, CFP®, AEP®
Program Director, Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy® (CAP®)
Managing Director, The American College Center for Philanthropy and Social Impact
Wallace Chair
Allison Quintanilla Plattsmier
CAP®, Ed.D., DBA
Adjunct Faculty, Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy® (CAP®) Program
Read BioFind Out More
Download the Brochure
Read more about the CAP®
Access the Program Overview
Hear from former students and take a tour
View Philanthropic Insights
Explore the latest news and expertise from College faculty
CAP® FAQs
The Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy® (CAP®) is a specialized financial planning designation offered by The American College of Financial Services. The CAP® certification focuses on delivering in-depth philanthropic planning knowledge to financial professionals to make them better charitable advisors and help them meet clients’ goals for self, family, and society. Through the CAP® certification, philanthropic advisors will learn about tax strategies and techniques, estate planning, legacy planning, and business exit planning, and more.
To become an educated charitable advisor through the CAP® certification, you must complete the three-course program, including all associated classwork and a final exam for each course. These on-demand online courses make earning this charitable giving certification easy on your busy schedule.
The Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy® (CAP®) designation can be completed in 12 months or less and is considered a specialized financial planning designation for a philanthropic advisor. According to FUSE Research’s 2024 Designation Outcomes Study, charitable advisors with the CAP® certification 20% higher growth in production, 35% higher growth in their number of clients, and 44% higher growth in client retention over a three-year period than their peers with no designations.
In addition, the CAP® certification is a graduate-level program that charitable advisors can enroll in at reduced tuition. Philanthropic advisors in the program also have the opportunity to join study groups of fellow students, which have proven very popular and successful in assisting financial professionals seeking the CAP® certification.
Deliver Clients' Highest Aspirations
Earning your CAP® empowers you with specialized expertise to help clients identify philanthropic intent and maximize their legacy for lasting impact. Take the next step today.
1 FUSE Research Network. The American College of Financial Services Designation Outcomes Study. 2024.
2 Fidelity Charitable. Young Investor Priorities. 2023.