About Us

Viken Mikaelian, Founder

In 1999, Viken co-founded VirtualGiving.Com, the first company focused specifically on "Bringing Planned Giving to the Internet." Since then, VirtualGiving has helped over 400 non-profits get their planned giving programs on the Web, published numerous white papers, and conducted various national surveys to help you and your peers.

Viken is also the founder of Planned Giving.Com, LLC, which is a powerful resource with ready-to-go, downloadable planned giving content for all gift planners. He is also publisher of Planned Giving Tomorrow, a quarterly publication packed with planned giving marketing ideas for all fundraisers — not just planned giving executives.

Viken is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania. His major area of concentration for the past 19 years has been development communications, producing over 1600 publications for capital campaigns and planned giving programs. His former marketing firm’s portfolio includes numerous awards, including five from CASE.

Viken’s expertise in combining planned giving principles with marketing and technology tools to explain planned giving to the lay prospect continues to be his driving force in the gift-planning community. In the past 9 years alone, Viken has presented at over 220 planned giving councils, AFP and AHP chapters, foundations and banks, including 4 presentations at PPP (formerly National Committee on Planned Giving).


Scott Janney, President

Scott has walked both sides of the aisle as fundraiser and consultant. And he has plenty of war stories to tell, such as the 100-year-old who asked for a gift annuity illustration, and the young banker who funded a flexible gift annuity with his charity because Scott was the first person to successfully explain how it worked. Then there’s the woman who said, "You haven't done any business today!" -- because he was leaving without asking for the gift.

Scott serves on the National Board of the Partnership for Philanthropic Planning. He holds an Doctor of Education in Educational Administration from Temple University, a Master of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary, and an undergraduate degree from Asbury University.

As resumes go, Scott’s is substantive and diverse. He started his development career at Biblical Theological Seminary and Temple University, where he introduced a highly successful planned gifts marketing program as part of a $350 million campaign. Next, he launched the first planned giving program at the suburban St. Mary Medical Foundation, bringing in over $8 million in bequest commitments from the 41 charter members of the Legacy Society. Scott also closed the largest gift in the hospital’s history: a combined cash and trust gift of $1.25 million. As Director of Planned Giving for Main Line Health, Scott raised more than $10,000,000 in FY 2008 through his work with loyal and major donors to the system’s five hospitals while creating coalitions with wealth advisors and attorneys.

Scott is a co-founder and presenter of Planned Giving Boot Camp and The Planned Giving Course, and has been a driving force behind Philadelphia’s Planned Giving Day for the past eight years. He is a highly effective communicator and sought-after speaker at the National Conference on Philanthropic Planning (formerly the National Conference on Planned Giving), Planned Giving Councils, and Association of Fundraising Professionals chapters. He has been a Certified Fund Raising Executive since 1997 and earned the designation of Registered Financial Consultant in 2008.

Scott played the guitar for 30 years before switching to the fiddle, and now plays Irish, Bluegrass, and Gospel music in jam sessions with his friends. Scott is also somewhat of a nerd, bringing his experiences as a former professor of statistics and finance to his planned giving speaking engagements. He loves painting simple word pictures that make complicated concepts easier to understand.

Scott is married to writer Rebecca Price Janney, author of Then Comes Marriage: A Cultural History of the American Family and 17 other books. Scott, Rebecca and their son live in East Norriton, near Valley Forge, Pennsylvania.


Brian M. Sagrestano, Consultant

If Brian M. Sagrestano, JD, CFRE, wants to sing in a barbershop quartet, we say let him. Because judging by his standing as the go-to guy for industry-leading advice in donor-centered gift planning, we might all do well to give his unique hobby a try.

In addition to being President and CEO of Gift Planning Development, LLC, a full service gift planning consulting firm, Brian also shares his time with VirtualGiving as a valued consultant and advisor.

He earned degrees from Cornell University (A.B. cum laude) and Notre Dame Law School (J.D. cum laude) and started his career specializing in tax and estate planning and related areas. But Brian’s donor-centered philosophy ultimately drew him into philanthropic planning full-time.

Prior to starting GPD, Brian served as Executive Director of Gift Planning for the University of Pennsylvania and Director of Gift Planning for Middlebury College in Vermont and Meridian Health Affiliated Foundations in New Jersey. The various gift planning programs under his direction raised over $400 million.

A dynamic and engaging speaker, Brian has addressed more than 150 groups over the last decade, including presentations at conferences nationwide for organizations including the Partnership for Philanthropic Planning, the Council on the Advancement and Support of Education, and the Association of Fund Raising Professionals, among others.

Brian crafted the marketing content for the Planned Giving Course and is a regular trainer for many charities in the area of gift planning. He also created the Gift Planning Essentials program, to help small and mid-sized charities start new donor-centered gift planning programs.

Brian is a current board member of the Partnership for Philanthropic Planning (PPP) and past board member of the Gift Planning Council of New Jersey and the Planned Giving Council of Greater Philadelphia. He is published and cited in numerous periodicals, including Planned Giving Tomorrow.

When not working, Brian enjoys spending time with his wife and three daughters at his home in the scenic Mohawk Valley--the gateway to the Adirondacks.


Joe Tumolo, Sales

A graduate of Saint Joseph's University, Joe has spent over 20 years in direct mail and marketing. For the last 5 years he has helped with non-profits across the nation to find ways to deliver a simpler, more benefits driven message about gift planning to raise more and larger gifts. But Joe is not just about sales. Like Viken Mikaelian, he frequently presents on the topic of planned giving marketing at various planned giving councils, AFP chapters and other fundraising groups. Joe is passionate about providing solutions and not just making a sale. “It’s the only way to keep a client for life.”


Megan Clemens, Director of Marketing

Megan is a graduate of Grove City College and joined VirtualGiving in 2006. Her interpersonal and organizational skills helped her move from an administrative position to a management position within 12 months. Megan currently helps manage PlannedGiving.Com and its sister company, VirtualGiving. She also assists with editing and producing Planned Giving Tomorrow, a very well respected quarterly that focuses on planned giving marketing ideas for all fundraisers, and not just gift planners alone.

Megan’s high energy and capacity to “think outside the box” have been an immense asset to the company. She works closely with Scott Janney and Viken Mikaelian to keep the company focused on its goals, mission and vision.