People in Fundraising, Season 1, Ep. 37: Carmen Tordiglione, Tufts University

Originally recorded and aired in early 2023; Carmen Tordiglione was the very last co-worker I had the pleasure of seeing on my last day at Harvard Business School almost 5 years ago. She is the Director of Gift Planning at Tufts University, and takes us to the beginning of her career, where Carmen was exposed to estate planning through working earlier in her career at a law firm.

This fascinated her – why did these people choose this charity? It’s a fascination that continues two decades on. Carmen discusses the common threads (emotion) and differences (grateful patients, alumni) between planned giving in the higher ed. and healthcare sectors – “their story is part of the gift. Planned giving can bring bright spots in somber moments – “this is about legacy, about living.”

Carmen talks about the pivot and uptick of gift planning conversations as the pandemic progressed and a renaissance of phone conversations. Finally, we discuss what motivates Carmen’s personal philanthropy, including to her alma mater, Tufts. “You should feel happy after you make a gift!”