Philip M. Purcell, MPA/J.D.
Director of Planned Giving
The Salvation Army, Central Territory
Hoffman Estates, IL
http://usc.salvationarmy.org
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Phil Purcell has enjoyed a thirty-year career in planned giving and as counsel to nonprofits. He currently serves as the Director of Planned Giving for the Central Territory of the Salvation Army. In this role, he is the directional leader of over thirty planned giving officers in eleven states who close approximately $90 million in planned gifts each year.

Phil serves as Editor for Planned Giving Today, a monthly national publication, and on the editorial board of Giving USA. He is legal advisor for the Community Foundation Legal Help Desk, a national online subscription service. He teaches law of nonprofit organizations, law of philanthropy, and planned gift fundraising for the Indiana University Maurer School of Law, Lilly School of Philanthropy, The Fundraising School, and the American Institute of Philanthropic Studies of California State University Long Beach. Phil maintains an active consulting practice specializing in planned giving and nonprofit law.

Phil is a licensed attorney and member of the American and Indiana State Bar Associations. He serves as Vice Chair of the American Bar Association’s Charitable Giving and Organizations Group (Real Property, Trust and Estate Section) and is a member of the Tax-Exempt Organization Advisory Council for the Internal Revenue Service (Great Lakes states). He is the current president of the board of directors of the American Council on Gift Annuities. Formerly he served on the boards of the National Association of Charitable Gift Planners (secretary), Planned Giving Council of Indiana (president), and Association of Fundraising Professionals Indiana (president). Phil has received the Gift Leader Award by Crescendo and Fundraiser of the Year by the Association of Fundraising Professionals Indiana.

Phil received his B.A. degree from Wabash College (magna cum laude) and his J.D./M.P.A. degrees (with honors) from Indiana University Maurer School of Law and O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs. He was a Truman Scholar, and member of Phi Beta Kappa and Pi Alpha Alpha.

Fun Facts About Phil

What was your first job?

Before law school as a counselor, then director of a Boy Scout Camp. So fun! After law school as an attorney in private general practice firm that included wills, trusts, and estates.

When did you first learn about charitable gift annuities?

In my first planned giving job with Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. I was mentored by Andre Donikian and Frank Minton who were hired by the Lilly Endowment to provide training and counsel to Indiana's private colleges. Frank and Andre were the best!

When did you secure your first charitable gift annuity?

At Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology for a member of the board of directors after the board approved starting a gift annuity program. A great inaugural CGA for a new program!

Tell us about your favorite charitable gift annuity you worked on.

Actually, there are five:

1. CGA for a gift of a remainder interest in a valuable home in Santa Monica, CA.

2. Two separate CGAs for large farms.

3. Two separate CGAs for a retiring farmer: one for a gift of grain and the other for a gift of two tractors.