Breakfast & Learning: A Morning of Insights in Legacy Giving

Aligning Values, Wealth, and Impact: A New Approach to Donor Engagement

Join us for a special CAGP GTA half-day morning session at CI Financial on Thursday, May 7, 2026.

Donors aren’t just generous—they’re navigating complex financial, emotional, and values-based decisions. Yet too often, charities and advisors approach these conversations in silos. In this workshop, Serena Hak, Jill Nelson, Jeff O’Hagan, and Aneil Gokhale will bring together fresh insights, real-world strategies, and practical tools to help you better understand today’s donor: what drives them, what holds them back, and how to support them in giving with clarity and confidence. Move beyond assumptions, strengthen relationships, and turn intention into meaningful impact.

EVENT DETAILS:

Today’s donors are navigating more complexity than ever—balancing financial realities, personal values, and a desire to create meaningful impact. For charities and advisors, success depends on understanding the full picture behind donor decisions.

This workshop brings a connected perspective to modern philanthropy. It begins by challenging common myths about donor behaviour and reframing giving as part of a broader financial and personal decision-making process. It then explores how evolving tools, strategies, and expectations are reshaping donor–charity relationships. Finally, it introduces a practical, values-based approach to help donors clarify what matters most and move from intention to action.

Together, these three sessions equip participants with the insights and tools to better engage donors, align priorities, and support more confident, impactful giving.

Session 1: What We Get Wrong About Our Clients & Donors Debunking the Top 5 Myths About Financial Planning & Generosity

Presenters: Serena Hak, Associate Principal – CI Private Wealth; Kimberley Blease, EVP, Strategic Growth & Innovation — Blakely

Donors and wealthplanning clients are not two different people. They are the same individuals, navigating the same questions about security, values, family, and impact. Where we often get it wrong is separating a donor’s desire to be involved from their financial ability to give—and assuming generosity alone will move decisions forward.

In this 45-minute session, Serena Hak challenges the top five myths that shape how charities and advisors understand donor behaviour. Drawing on real client and donor scenarios, this session explores how charitable giving decisions unfold within comprehensive financial planning—and why misalignment between motivation and financial clarity can stall even the most committed donors. This session reframes legacy giving as a decision-making process, helping charities and advisors work together to support donors in giving with confidence, clarity, and intention.

Session 2: Navigating Donor – Charity Relationships in Changing Times

Presenters: Jill Nelson, Senior Consultant, Jeff O’Hagan, Senior Consultant – Global Philanthropic Canada

Donors are receiving much more information and advice about philanthropy from their advisors and charities, giving them more options to consider than ever before. With sophisticated tax planning strategies, DAFs and other structured giving approaches available, how can charities operate successfully in this environment? This session will focus on the challenges and opportunities charities and philanthropy staff face in navigating donor relationships today. Using examples from decades of major and planned giving work with many donors and all kinds of charities, Jill and Jeff will explore best practices and new imperatives for charities and staff to engage with donors and their advisors to match their philanthropic vision with organizational strategic priorities.

Session 3: What Matters Most: A Values-Based Approach to Philanthropy

Presenter: Aneil Gokhale, Director, Philanthropy – Toronto Foundation

Engaging donors starts with understanding what truly drives their decisions, alongside the financial and tax planning conversations that shape what’s possible. In this session, Aneil will introduce a practical, values-based approach to help advisors and charities guide clients and donors in clarifying what matters most, translating those insights into focused priorities, and establishing philanthropic principles rooted in real community impact.

At the core of this session is the Ground Your Giving framework, a simple, structured approach to moving from intention to action. Participants will experience the first step live through a guided “Motivational Values” exercise, and explore how this connects to deeper reflections on money messages and the development of clear philanthropic principles.

Grounded in real-world examples, this session equips attendees with practical tools they can bring directly into client and donor conversations to support more aligned, confident, and actionable giving.

The day begins with a networking breakfast before moving into a series of presentations that will shape your conversations with donors and clients. The morning will bring together sector leaders and peers for practical insights and good conversation. We’ll wrap by noon.

Tickets: $100 for CAGP members, $150 for non-members.

Register Now

SPEAKERS:

Jill Nelson, Senior Consultant – Global Philanthropic

Driven by the power of curiosity and original thinking to solve problems, Jill has collaborated with donors, healthcare partners, and fundraising teams to raise millions for medical research, advocacy, education, and patient support.

Over 30 years working in different sizes and models of organizations (Canadian Paraplegic Association Ontario, the Canadian Cancer Society Ontario, and The Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation) formed her overriding belief that the best fundraising solutions are tailored to the unique attributes of each charity. Now working as a Senior Consultant with Global Philanthropic Canada, she works with client charities to draw the best out of their people and programs.

Jill specializes in gift planning, blended gifts, helping charities understand how to work with Donor-Advised Fundholders, and how to encourage and accept non-cash assets.

Jill has been an involved volunteer with CAGP on the GTA and National levels for as long as she’s been fundraising! She is CAGP Faculty, teaching courses like the Original Gift Planning course, Gift Planning Fundamentals, and Bequest Admjnistration Essentials.

Jill was thrilled and deeply grateful to the GTA Chapter to receive the inaugural “CAGP GTA Icon Award” in 2024. In recognition of contributions to the gift planning sector in Canada, she was awarded the Friend of CAGP Award in 2014

Jeff O’Hagan, Senior Consultant – Global Philanthropic

With over 25 years of philanthropic leadership experience, Jeff O’Hagan has served as a university advancement and foundation executive at several of Canada’s leading healthcare and higher education institutions. While serving as CEO of Sunnybrook Hospital Foundation and Vice-President, University Advancement at both York University and Western University, Jeff led teams that raised up to $100 million in philanthropic support annually.

A successful campaign strategist, he has a track record of designing, building, and executing comprehensive fundraising and alumni engagement campaigns. In more than two decades of fundraising, Jeff has engaged with thousands of donors, volunteers, and staff colleagues and participated in and led numerous comprehensive fundraising campaigns totalling more than $2.5 billion.

With a deep understanding and appreciation of the philanthropic and non-profit landscape, Jeff has a wide range of experience to share with non-profit leaders and boards and provides advice, counsel, and active fundraising support, enabling organizations to expand capacity, increase fundraising results, and build sustainable programs and teams. With decades of experience in transformational philanthropy, he helps capture the opportunity to build stronger communities and transform lives.

Aneil Gokhale, Philanthropy Director – Toronto Foundation

Aneil Gokhale loves connecting donors to community and is deeply committed to equity and social justice. As Toronto Foundation’s Director of Philanthropy, Aneil counsels individuals, multi-generational families, professional advisors and charitable organizations on strategic philanthropic solutions including donor advised funds. Aneil has proudly helped make Toronto Foundation the youngest and most diverse community foundation in North America, by bringing on over 250 young fundholders through a philanthropic MBA learning journey. He also played a key role in launching the Black and Indigenous Futures Fund, directing unrestricted resources to historically marginalized communities.

 Prior to the Foundation, Aneil worked at United Way Toronto and GE Healthcare. He currently serves on the boards of Visions of Science and Myriad Canada, and is a member of the Estate Planning Council of Toronto and CAGP.

Born and raised in Scarborough, Aneil is a devoted husband, father, and coach who loves exploring Toronto and cheering on his beloved Blue Jays.

Serena Hak – Chair of the CAGP Board of Directors

Serena Hak started her career at Free The Children in 2009, and has since become Head of Philanthropic Advisory Services at CI Assante Wealth Management and Executive Director of The Donor Motivation Program® Canada.

With a decade of experience in the philanthropic sector, she is committed to helping Canadians realize their giving potential. She has been featured in The Globe and Mail and National Post’s Guide to Charitable Giving and is a frequent speaker with the Association of Gift Planning Professionals (AFP) and the Canadian Association of Gift Planners (CAGP).

Serena currently serves as Chair of the CAGP Board of Directors, and the Board of Outside the March and AMREF Canada. In 2018, she joined The Toronto Foundation Vision 2020 Cohort which was later awarded Martin Connell Spirit of Philanthropy.  Outside of work, she loves sailing and trotting around Toronto with her beagle, Bogart.

Kimberley Blease, EVP, Strategic Growth & Innovation — Blakely

Kimberley is a dynamic leader with nearly 40 years’ experience across corporate and not-for-profit sectors. Kimberley drives innovation—creating new products, leading transformative workshops, and shaping Blakely’s thought leadership platform. A seasoned fundraiser and marketer, she specializes in building high-value donor relationships and delivering authentic engagement. Beyond her role, she is a leadership coach, skilled moderator, and sought-after speaker, recognized for her engaging style and expertise in high-value giving, legacy planning, and emerging philanthropic trends.