Our Mission

The ACGA’s mission is to foster the success of charitable gift annuity programs at charities nationwide through the promulgation of suggested maximum gift annuity rates, education, research, monitoring state regulations, advocacy, and other activities that promote good gifts for nonprofits and their donors.

Our Vision

The American Council on Gift Annuities is the premier resource for charitable gift annuity program success.

Our History

The ACGA, formerly the Committee on Gift Annuities, was formed in 1927 for the purpose of providing educational and other services to American charities regarding gift annuities and other forms of planned gifts.  The focus was “to study and recommend the proper range of rates, the forms of contracts, the amount and type of reserve funds and the nomenclature to be used, to ascertain and advise as to the legislation in the United States and the various states regarding [charitable gift] annuities, their taxability, etc.” to better assure the donor’s focus was on the charitable cause(s) to be supported by their gift, rather than the gift annuity payment rate being offered by charities competing for the gift. The first suggested gift annuity payout rates were adopted at the first Conference on Gift Annuities in April 1927.

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Unique to the gift planning community, the American Council on Gift Annuities (ACGA) suggests maximum charitable gift annuity rates, monitors state regulations especially as they pertain to charitable gift annuities and provides education on CGAs as well as broader gift planning.  Through these activities and more we support and advance responsible philanthropy that benefits donors and charities.

Your membership support is vital to advancing the ACGA’s mission of fostering the success of charitable gift annuity programs at charities nationwide and enabling our volunteer board of directors to continue the essential work we have been doing since 1927:

• Suggesting maximum charitable gift annuity rates. The suggested maximum gift annuity rates developed and monitored by the ACGA are the industry standard and are followed by about 97% of charitable organizations nationwide.    Using rates developed by the ACGA, software vendors make these maximum suggested rates available to charities for convenient gift calculation.   The ACGA regularly reviews the financial and actuarial assumptions behind its suggested maximum gift annuity rates to ensure they are fiscally responsible for charities.
• Offering vital professional development and networking opportunities. The ACGA brings together experts in the field of charitable giving to present on a range of topics at our renowned biennial planned giving conference. Attendees connect and collaborate with colleagues and allied professionals as they gain new insights about planned giving techniques, marketing and administration. (ACGA members enjoy a $200 discount on the conference registration!)
• Monitoring state gift annuity regulation, legislation and appropriate consumer protection. The ACGA monitors and responds to state gift annuity regulatory issues that arise from time to time. Your ACGA membership underscores your commitment to ethics, accountability and appropriate consumer protection for your donors, adding credibility to your donor relationship and your organization’s gift annuity program.

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Distinguished Record of Service

Since 1927, ACGA has promoted responsible philanthropy across the United States, providing practical guidelines, safe practices, and ethical framework for non-profit organizations, professional development officers, and thoughtful donors. The primary focus has been on charitable gift annuities, a unique planning tool for the realization of personal, family and charitable goals. ACGA has worked to demystify the use of charitable gift annuities to the advantage of nonprofits and donors alike through the following activities:

• ensuring sound financial assumptions as the basis for suggested charitable gift annuity rates
• disseminating best practices for nonprofits offering charitable gift annuities
• promoting the Philanthropy Protection Act of 1995
• educating thousands of professionals engaged in gift planning
• promoting the Model Standards of Practice for the Charitable Gift Planner
• gathering data and conducting research
• bridging the gap between regulatory agencies and charities
• monitoring legislation of importance to the nonprofit sector

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The ACGA has been a regular source for valuable content aimed at equipping both gift planners and their business office partners with information to help them assess the health of their gift planning programs and to strengthen them for the good of their organizations.

In April 2016, the ACGA announced the establishment of the Frank D. Minton Leadership Initiatives, named for a pioneer of gift planning who continues to work to support organizations in their efforts to sustain gift planning programs that add financial value to their missions. The Initiatives will focus on providing content for individuals who are the decision makers for gift planning programs with respect to rates schedules used, investments strategy, asset allocation, assets to be accepted, types of vehicles offered, and managing outside service providers.

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The American Council on Gift Annuities has established an endowment fund to assist promising gift planners with their professional development. The Terry L. Simmons Philanthropic Endowment Fund will provide scholarships to worthy individuals who would otherwise be unable to attend the biennial ACGA conference.

On June 27, 2008 Lindsay Lapole and Frank Minton presented to Terry Simmons a plaque commemorating the establishment of an endowed philanthropic fund in Terry’s honor. Also present for the occasion were Terry’s wife Karen, his son, Adam, and his daughter, Shannon. His oldest son, Jordan, was unable to attend because of work responsibilities.

Income from the fund will be used for grants to enable young gift planners to further their professional development by attending an ACGA conference.

It may seem early, but preparations are already underway for the 2020 ACGA Conference. We anticipate another well-attended conference, of both nonprofit staff and allied professionals.  We are excited to be back in Atlanta and expect to see many new attendees take advantage of the opportunity to combine attendance with donor visits to the area. There are a few key partnership opportunities available, including ways to feature your organization on the very popular conference app that debuted at the last conference.