Presented by: Janell Kaplan, CAP®, Senior Vice President and Philanthropic Strategist with the National Consulting and Advisory Practice team at Bank of America Private Bank
With local insights from: Joe Carter, CAP®, Vice President of Philanthropy at Gulf Coast Community Foundation
Tuesday, February 17, 2026
8:00 am – Check in and Networking
8:30 – 9:30 am – Introductions and Program
Free for Members
$20 for Non-Members
Location:
Sarasota Yacht Club
1100 John Ringling Blvd, Sarasota, FL 34236
With the number of Americans giving to charity on the decline overall, many nonprofits increasingly rely on a smaller and more affluent circle of supporters to meet their fundraising goals. The importance and influence of these high-capacity philanthropists continues to grow.
The new Bank of America Study of Philanthropy, the tenth in a series of reports on giving by wealthy households in the United States begun in 2006, illuminates how affluent Americans express generosity. This presentation will explore what motivates affluent donors to give (or stop giving) and which organizations they currently support.
These insights can help nonprofit staff and board members build confidence and increase success when engaging high-capacity donors, while also equipping professional advisors to more effectively guide clients in aligning philanthropic goals with values, financial strategies, and desired impact. The ultimate objective is to support transformational giving that advances mission-driven work and strengthens communities.
Individual and family philanthropists, as well as their advisors, will gain a deeper understanding of emerging national trends and best practices in charitable giving.
Joe Carter will bring local trends and insights from his work with charitable high net worth donors at Gulf Coast Community Foundation.
Key learnings include:
- Recent trends in giving and volunteering among America’s affluent households, with a focus on distinct demographics such as women and the rising generation
- Which organizations and causes are supported by affluent donors—and why
- How affluent Americans incorporate sustainable investment strategies and assess the impact of their philanthropy
- How the economy and other forces may influence philanthropic behavior, planning, and community impact throughout 2025 and beyond
About Our Speakers:
Janell Kaplan, CAP®
Senior Vice President, Philanthropic Strategist
Bank of America Private Bank
Janell is a Senior Vice President and Philanthropic Strategist with the National Consulting and Advisory Practice team at Bank of America Private Bank. Based in Coral Gables, Florida, she partners with the Philanthropic Solutions group to advance the charitable missions of foundation and nonprofit clients through customized consulting offerings.
Janell is a proven strategic professional with an exceptional ability to cultivate relationships to help donors, families, corporations, and nonprofits achieve their short and long-term goals. She has dedicated her career to supporting the charitable sector, working to advance solutions that fuel impact and create lasting legacies through nonprofit partners.
Prior to joining Bank of America Private Bank, Janell was the Vice President of Philanthropy at The Miami Foundation. During her 14-year tenure with The Miami Foundation, she was responsible for overseeing new fund development and donor engagement for more than 1,000 donor partners. She bridged donors’ charitable interests to community needs to maximize the potential of each investment. She additionally provided multi-generational grantmaking and strategic planning support to families. She oversaw the creation of Give Miami Day, one of the nation’s largest giving days and led a successful donor engagement and fundraising campaign for the Foundation’s 50th anniversary, which unlocked unrestricted assets for community needs.
Janell holds the Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy® designation from the American College of Financial Services. She received her Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from Florida International University. She is past President of the Advancement Network, a national membership organization for community foundation professionals, serving in fund development and philanthropic advising roles. She continues to serve as a mentor for new professionals in the community foundation field. Additionally, she volunteers with several local nonprofits.
Janell is a Miami native and enjoys spending time with her husband and three daughters.
Joe Carter, CAP®
Vice President of Philanthropy
Gulf Coast Community Foundation
Joe has over 30 years of experience in higher education and nonprofit fundraising for organizations in the areas of major gifts and planned giving. Joe joined Gulf Coast Community Foundation as the Vice President of Philanthropy in June 2024 after working with the Oklahoma City Community Foundation for twenty plus years, the last sixteen spent in the role of assisting donors and organizations with planned giving. He is a current board member of the Advancement Network, member of the OKC Estate Planning Council, and member and past president of the Oklahoma Association of Charitable Gift Planners. He is a graduate of the American College’s Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy (CAP®) program and currently serves as the moderator for the OKC CAP cohorts. Prior to Gulf Coast, he held positions as the Chief Development Officer for Children’s Hospital Foundation, Associate Director of Development for St. Gregory’s University, Director of Admissions for St. Gregory’s University and Associate Athletic Director at Oklahoma City University. Joe received his undergraduate degrees in Finance, Marketing and Economics from Oklahoma City University where he attended on a baseball scholarship. He and his wife, Lori, have an eighteen-year-old son, Jaxon who will be attending CO School of Mines in the fall.
Special Thanks to Our February Program Sponsor:
