The Salvation Army to Host Virtual Estate and Charitable Gift Planning Institute
Cleveland, OH (September 8th, 2025) – The Salvation Army serving Ohio is once again hosting a FREE symposium for attorneys, financial planners, and other professional advisors. This year’s event will take place on Thursday, September 18th and will be virtual, so that participants can attend from a place of convenience. The program scheduled from 9:00 am until 4:30 pm will offer continuing education credits, including CPE, CTFA, CFP, CLE, and CE for Insurance. Those interested can register by September 12th at TSALegacy.org/advisors.
“This is a great way to stay up-to-date on new tax laws impacting charitable donations,” said Michael Freeman, Director of Gift Planning for The Salvation Army. “There have never been more tools and resources than there are now for individuals looking to maximize short and long-term plans for charitable contributions. With options like charitable remainder trusts, different types of gift annuities, trusts, donor advised funds and others, there are tremendous opportunities for folks to accomplish their legacy goals,” continued Freeman.
This year’s symposium will feature industry experts including:
Samuel A. Donaldson, JD
Samuel Donaldson is a professor of law at Georgia State University. Prior to joining the Georgia State faculty in 2012, he was on the faculty at the University of Washington School of Law in Seattle for 13 years. During his tenure at the University of Washington, he was a five-time recipient of the Philip A. Trautman Professor of the Year award from the School of Law’s Student Bar Association. Sam received his JD from the University of Arizona and LL.M (Taxation) from the University of Florida.
Pamela Jones Davidson, JD
Pamela Jones Davidson, JD, is president of Davidson Gift Design in Bloomington, Indiana, a consulting firm specializing in all aspects of gift planning and training and excelling in motivational presentations. She is also an emeritus for Thompson & Associates, offering estate planning services to nonprofits. She was with Indiana University Foundation for 11½ years, leaving as its executive director of planned giving and associate counsel, quadrupling expectancies in only 2½ years.
Phillip M Purcell, JD
Phil Purcell, JD/MPA Indiana University, BA Wabash College, has enjoyed a 30-year career in planned giving and counsel to nonprofits. He currently serves as the director of planned giving for the Central Territory of The Salvation Army. Phil is a member of the Indiana and American Bar Associations and serves as vice chair of the legislation committee of the American Bar Association charitable organizations and planning group. He also serves on the Internal Revenue Service tax exempt organizations council.
Charles Slamar, JD, LLM
Charles Slamar, Jr., JD, LLM, is an attorney based in Chicago, Illinois, whose private practice includes advising individuals on tax, estate and charitable planning; charitable organizations on governance, gift planning and litigation; and corporate fiduciaries on tax exemption. He also is a Senior Vice President of Thompson & Associates.
“Not only will participants gain a deeper understanding on how to meet their clients’ philanthropic needs, but they will also be able to ask questions of our panelists, who are some of the nation’s top estate planning attorneys,” said Freeman.
Topics covered will include:
- Session I: “2025 Tax Update”
- Session II: “Till Death and Taxes Do Us Part: Income and Transfer Tax Planning for Married Couples.”
- Session III: “Popular Strategies for Charitable Estate Planning”
- Session IV: “Ethics and Estate Planning”
- Session V: Wrap-up Discussion/Q&A
For more information about The Salvation Army’s gift planning tools, or to make a donation, visit TSALegacy.org or call 216-623-7403. To learn more about our services and how we are helping neighbors in need, visit SalvationArmyOhio.org.