Brian M. Sagrestano

Brian M. Sagrestano, JD, CFRE, serves as Founder of Gift Planning Development, LLC, (www.giftplanningdevelopment.com) a full service gift planning consulting firm. The son of a sole-practitioner CPA, Brian's interest in the complexities of the tax code was "encouraged" at a very young age. Brian worked for the family business throughout his formative years and then "as-needed" until it was sold in 2001. He earned an A.B. cum laude from Cornell University and a J.D. cum laude from Notre Dame Law School. Brian's service as a law clerk in the Hunterdon County, New Jersey Superior and Surrogate Courts cemented his interest in estate planning and probate. He practiced law with two New Jersey law firms, with an emphasis on tax and estate planning. Brian's client-centered philosophy ultimately drew him into philanthropic planning full-time, where he led the gift planning efforts for the University of Pennsylvania, Middlebury College and Meridian Health Affiliated Foundations, following major gift and gift planning positions at Clarkson University and Hamilton College. The gift planning programs under Brian's direction facilitated donor gifts of over $400 million. After many years working directly for charities, Brian formed Gift Planning Development, LLC in 2007.

A strategic thinker, Brian specializes in helping charities develop integrated, donor-centered philanthropic planning programs, either from the ground up -- using his Planned Giving Essentials program, or enhancing existing programs, and then assisting in implementation of the needed elements. Some of his past clients include the University of Notre Dame, Temple University, Create a Jewish Legacy, the Community Foundation of Herkimer and Oneida Counties and Delaware Art Museum. Brian is a past board member of the National Association of Charitable Gift Planners, the Gift Planning Council of New Jersey and Planned Giving Council of Greater Philadelphia.

Brian has presented at conferences around the country for organizations such as the National Association of Charitable Gift Planners, the Council on the Advancement and Support of Education, and the Association of Fund Raising Professionals. He has spoken to hundreds of groups and developed philanthropy training programs for many nonprofits. He has taught tens of thousands of fundraisers, professional advisors, board members and philanthropists how to use a donor-centered approach to integrate philanthropic goals with tax, estate and financial planning. A recent attendee to one of his sessions wrote in her evaluation, "I was struck by his breadth of knowledge, professional expertise and at the same time his ability to convey abstract concepts in easy to understand lay terms. Brian is warm, funny and very generous with information. Once you have met him, he is a friend and the "go-to" person for advice."

Brian has been published in Planned Giving Today, Planned Giving Mentor and Planned Giving Tomorrow and cited in numerous publications, including Advancing Philanthropy, CASE Currents and the Chronicle of Philanthropy, among others. He served on the editorial board of the Journal of Gift Planning, the flagship gift planning magazine published by CGP and is a past editorial board member for Planned Giving Mentor.

In 2010 Brian partnered with Robert E. Wahlers, CFRE, to begin the process of bringing their combined fundraising and professional advising experience into print. In 2012 they released "The Philanthropic Planning Companion: The Fundraisers' and Professional Advisors' Guide to Charitable Gift Planning (Wiley 2012)," a book designed to help fundraisers and professional advisors to assist their donors/clients in the giving process. In 2016, Brian and Robert published two additional books together, "Getting Started in Charitable Gift Planning" and the accompanying "Resource Book", published by Charity Channel Press.