The Council Leadership Conference is a dedicated leadership event held following the Estate Planners Forum. It’s designed for volunteer leaders of local estate planning councils (e.g., vice president, secretary, etc.), staff executives / administrators (paid staff), and those in the leadership pipeline.
The primary goal of the event is to strengthen local estate planning councils by:
- Sharing successful practices and strategies
- Helping councils learn proven strategies to grow membership, operate more effectively, and promote volunteer engagement, among other things
- Building a network of leaders who support one another across the NAEPC community
NAEPC recommends that each council send at least one officer at the vice-president level or below and the executive/administrator of the council on an annual basis. Staff executives / administrators receive complimentary registration.
When Do Sessions Begin And End?
Sessions for staff executives begin at 2:00 pm on Wednesday, May 5th where they will participate in a closed-door session with other staff executives from across the country, after which they join the rest of the group for the remainder of the conference.
Sessions for all other leaders begin at 5:30 pm on Wednesday, May 5th with the Estate Planning Council Awards & Robert E. Fox Volunteer Service Award Reception: Celebrating Collaboration, Leadership & Achievement and the Leadership Luau after party.
All sessions end on Thursday, May 6th at 1:00 pm, but we are making special arrangements for those who wish to continue the conversation at lunch following. Attendees for the post-conference lunch must register in advance and will be responsible for their own luncheon fees.
What Will We Talk About?
In addition to ample time to talk with one another in casual settings, each individual receives a curated schedule based on the preferences provided at registration and participates in multiple “learning pods” (small, topic-based sessions). Our topics this year are:
Membership
- Creating an Effective and Efficient New Member Onboarding Experience
- Growing Membership Through Guest Engagement
- Building Meaningful Member Recognition Programs
- Cultivating a Culture of Connection and Belonging
Human Capital
- Building Better Boards: Nominations, Succession, and Service
- Strengthening Your Council Through Volunteer Engagement
Operations
- Trending Speakers, Timely Topics & Engaging Announcements
- Creating a Balanced Annual Programming Calendar
- Stay on Track: Your Council’s Annual Management Checklist
- Defining and Communicating Your Council’s Value Proposition
Technology
- Social Media Best Practices
- Artificial Intelligence: Opportunities and Applications for Estate Planning Councils
Wednesday, May 5, 2027 |
|
| 2:00 - 5:30 pm | Staff Executive / Administrator Development Session |
| 5:30 - 7:00 pm | Estate Planning Council Awards & Robert E. Fox Volunteer Service Award Reception: Celebrating Collaboration, Leadership & Achievement |
| 7:00 - 8:30 pm | Leadership Luau: A Lei’d-Back Poolside Gathering |
Thursday, May 6, 2027 |
|
| 8:00 - 8:30 am | Breakfast & Opening General Session |
| 8:40 - 10:15 am | Learning Pod #1 and #2 Concurrent Council Staff Executive / Administrator Session with Webmaster (for those with NAEPC-hosted website) |
| 10:25 am - 12:25 pm | Learning Pod #3 & Council by Size Sessions |
| 12:30 - 1:00 pm | Closing Session |
| 1:00 pm | Continue the conversation with a post-conference on-site luncheon with fellow council leaders. (Advance sign up is required and each participant covers their own lunch cost.) |

