Director of Planned Giving for the Central Territory, The Salvation Army

Phil Purcell has enjoyed a thirty-year career in planned giving and as counsel to nonprofits. He currently serves as the Director of Planned Giving for the Central Territory of the Salvation Army. In this role, he is the directional leader of over thirty planned giving officers in eleven states who close approximately $70 million in planned gifts each year. Phil is an attorney and member of the American and Indiana State Bar Associations. He is Senior Consultant and the lead gift planning attorney for the Heaton Smith Group, a national charitable and estate planning consulting firm. Phil also serves as Editor for Planned Giving Today, a monthly national publication. He is legal advisor for the Community Foundation Legal Help Desk, a national online subscription service. He serves as counsel to Philanthropy Ohio, Southeastern Council of Foundations, and Indiana Philanthropy Alliance for their member foundations.

Phil serves as Vice Chair of the American Bar Association's Charitable Giving and Organizations Group and is a member of the Tax-Exempt Organization Advisory Council for the Internal Revenue Service (Great Lakes states). He currently serves on the board of directors (president-elect) of the American Council on Gift Annuities. Phil formerly served on the board of directors for the National Association of Charitable Gift Planners (past secretary), Charitable Gift Planning Group of Indiana (past president), and Association of Fundraising Professionals - Indiana Chapter (past president). He is a Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE) and received the AFP-Indiana Fundraiser of the Year.

Phil received his B.A. degree from Wabash College (magna cum laude) and his J.D./M.P.A. degrees (with honors) from Indiana University Maurer School of Law and O'Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs. He is a member of Phi Beta Kappa, Pi Alpha Alpha, and recipient of the Harry S Truman Scholarship.