Indianapolis, IN -- The National Association of Charitable Gift Planners (CGP) will induct Bruce Bigelow, PhD into the CGP Hall of Fame. Over the course of his career, Dr. Bigelow has contributed substantial research, service and dedication to charitable gift planning.

The Hall of Fame is CGP’s highest honor. The award recognizes those whose life's work has impacted charitable gift planning. Their work advances the mission of CGP and brings credit to all the professions engaged in charitable planning.

A founding partner of Charitable Development Consulting (2001-present), Dr. Bigelow served as Senior Vice President at Hood College in Frederick, Maryland, from 1989-2003. Prior to that appointment, he was the Associate Vice President for Development and, earlier, the Director of Planned and Major Gifts at Gettysburg College.

During his three years on the Board of Directors of the National Committee on Planned Giving (now the Association of Charitable Gift Planners--CGP), Dr. Bigelow chaired the national CGP annual conference, as well as the national task force on planned giving research. He wrote and directed the first two national surveys of donor motivations and behaviors. He also chaired the Committee on International Outreach and helped to write the national standards of conduct for planned giving professionals. He recently chaired a national CGP Task Force that has developed guidelines for counting and reporting planned gifts, especially in a campaign context, a set of recommendations that now guides the policies for countless campaigns across the country. He is a member of the CGP Leadership Institute and he currently serves on a national task force to develop metrics for planned giving programs and practitioners.  

As a consultant, Dr. Bigelow has directed a wide-ranging series of campaigns for charitable organizations, helping organizations as diverse as small liberal arts colleges, social service organizations, independent schools, and national membership foundations. Some of his firm’s services include preparing for a capital or endowment campaign, offering a unique approach to feasibility studies, using board members wisely, and developing and nurturing a planned giving program. 

Dr. Bigelow is or has been a member of the editorial boards of both the Journal of Gift Planning and Planned Giving Today, the two most widely respected publications in the country devoted to gift planning.  He has written extensively in the field of planned giving and has presented a number of papers at a variety of development seminars and conferences, including NCPG/CGP national and regional conferences, a variety of CASE conferences, and the American Council on Gift Annuities.

A strong believer in the value of community involvement, Dr. Bigelow has served on a number of boards, including the Frederick MD YMCA, the Barnesville School, the Adams County Community Foundation, The National Community Foundation, Maryland Citizens for the Arts, and the Alumni Board of the College of Wooster, as well as Project Gettysburg/Leon, a sister-city project linking the citizens of Gettysburg, PA, and Leon, Nicaragua. 

Before entering the development field in 1983, he taught Eastern European history for eight years at Denison University, receiving tenure there, while leading a series of summer semester programs to Yugoslavia for Colgate University. He also served for four years as the liaison between the research and program offices of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in Washington, D.C.  Dr. Bigelow has a BA from the College of Wooster in mathematics and history and both an MA and PhD from the University of Chicago.  He also received a number of grants and awards, including a Fulbright research grant to Yugoslavia.

Dr. Bigelow will be inducted into the CGP Hall of Fame in October at CGP Conference 2024 in Orlando, Florida. The Hall of Fame will be permanently memorialized on the CGP website and recognized in associated media outlets.

Hall of Fame inductees receive lifetime membership in CGP, honorary membership in the Leadership Institute and complimentary registration to conference in the year of the award.

Nominations for the 2025 CGP Hall of Fame Award will open in June 2025. Learn more about the CGP Awards program, previous winners and how to nominate or apply: https://charitablegiftplanners.org/awards

About CGP
The National Association of Charitable Gift Planners (CGP) is the leading organization setting standards for charitable gift planners. We bring members together to learn, connect and advocate. We provide education and resources that enrich and advance careers. We connect colleagues at all levels through our national network—including those who defined the field. We exist to serve our distinguished profession and bring to life the art and science of charitable gift planning.