In 2016, we announced that Jessica Hovis Smith earned the Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy® (CAP®) designation, but what is it and why is it important to us?
The Chartered Advisory in Philanthropy® designation is granted by the Richard D. Irwin School of The American College, also known as The American College of Financial Services®. The designation is recommended only for experienced advisors who already hold credentials such as Chartered Life Underwriters®, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNERS™, Masters of Science in Financial Services, and CPAs. It is intended for financial planners who want to “help clients articulate and advance their highest aspirations for self, family, and society.”[i]
Coursework includes master level coursework in:
- Planning for Impact in Context of Family Wealth
- Charitable Giving Strategies
- Gift Planning in a Nonprofit Context
The CAP® program provides financial advisors and planners with the knowledge and tools to provide high-level philanthropic and charitable planning to clients. It prepares advisors for advanced design, implementation, and management of charitable gift techniques, as well as philanthropic tools including charitable trusts, private foundations, donor-advised funds, pooled income funds, and charitable annuities.
Several years ago, we began to look deeper at our company and our clients. What we ultimately discovered was a deep-seated desire for giving back, and the feelings were frequently shared across our employee and client base. As a company, we made the decision to fuel that desire, and in doing so, the company pivoted toward a new mission:
| Empower our clients and team members to think big, make a positive impact in the world and feel the joy of using their wealth, talents, and experience to improve their lives and help others do the same. |
The completion of the CAP® designation was the first step to furthering Longview’s mission. In addition to the deeper level education, we have also implemented several initiatives.
- “Longview Gives Back” started internally through the creation of our company giving program. It has expanded from there to include blog highlights on the non-profits in which our company and team members have actively participated.
- We have worked diligently to build out our centers of influence, focusing on local individuals and organizations that may be of benefit to and may benefit from working with our clients. A couple of examples of this include our involvement with the Community Foundation of Huntsville/Madison County’s Philanthropic Advisors Network and the HudsonAlpha Professional Advisory Committee.
- We’ve created education materials and conducted presentations to assist individuals and companies to become more strategic in their giving and create their own giving plan.
- We’ve established relationships with local non-profits to provide education in ways that they may build out their planned giving programs. As part of this initiative, we offer presentations to their donors about the most advantageous ways to give and strategies to create impact.
Let us know if you are interested in learning more about ways to give back and make an impact.
