Philanthropy Expert · Keynote Speaker · Educator
Eileen
Heisman
Founder & CEO of one of the world's largest donor-advised fund sponsors. Now teaching, writing, and helping others make giving matter.
Founder & CEO of one of the world's largest donor-advised fund sponsors. Now teaching, writing, and helping others make giving matter.
For nearly three decades, Eileen Heisman served as the founding President & CEO of National Philanthropic Trust, growing it into one of the largest donor-advised fund sponsors in the world. Under her leadership, NPT facilitated billions of dollars in charitable giving and pioneered the private-label DAF model — making NPT a trusted partner for financial institutions, families, and foundations nationwide.
Since retiring in 2024, Eileen has remained deeply engaged in the sector — as a Senior Fellow at the University of Pennsylvania's Center for High Impact Philanthropy, a graduate instructor, a consultant, and the author of a forthcoming memoir.
She has been named to the NonProfit Times Power & Influence Top 50 for ten consecutive years and has received both the 2024 DAF Trailblazer Award and the Carnegie Mellon Distinguished Alumni Award in 2019. Her expertise spans philanthropic structures, planned giving, DAF policy, nonprofit governance, and global giving. She holds an MSW from the University of Michigan and a BA from Carnegie Mellon. She has also completed executive education programs at Stanford University and Wharton.
Eileen is a sought-after speaker and commentator who has delivered keynote addresses at major national conferences — including the CGP Conference 2025 (National Association of Charitable Gift Planners) and the AFP Greater Houston Chapter's Ask the Experts 2024 — appeared on television, been quoted widely in leading print and digital outlets, and appeared on numerous podcasts as a featured expert on philanthropy, nonprofit leadership, and charitable giving.
The leading expert voice on DAF growth, payout trends, private-label programs, and policy debates shaping the sector.
How foundations, families, and corporations can give more effectively — with the right structures, strategies, and goals.
Workshops and keynotes on charitable bequests, trusts, annuities, and the full spectrum of legacy giving vehicles.
International giving vehicles, cross-border compliance, and lessons from building NPT Transatlantic.
Board leadership, fiduciary responsibility, organizational strategy, and building institutional culture that lasts.
Three decades at the top of a male-dominated field — and what it takes to lead with purpose, resilience, and integrity.
Eileen's writing covers philanthropy, donor-advised funds, and nonprofit leadership — reaching audiences from academic researchers and financial advisors to general readers.
Eileen brings deep governance expertise from decades of board leadership across philanthropic, educational, and cultural institutions. Her hands-on experience spans fiduciary oversight, risk management, executive transitions, investment committee work, and building high-functioning boards from the ground up.
Eileen has taught graduate-level philanthropy at the University of Pennsylvania for nearly twenty years — bringing real-world experience from leading one of the sector's most influential organizations into the classroom.
She is currently a Senior Fellow at Penn's Center for High Impact Philanthropy, where she works alongside colleagues to deepen understanding of what makes giving effective.
"Philanthropy is not just about the money. It is about trust, relationships, and the long view. The best givers understand that — and so do the best organizations they support."— Eileen Heisman
Eileen is open to select speaking, consulting, and advisory or governance roles.