Christopher Gabriel

With over thirty years of leadership in philanthropy and finance, Chris Gabriel is uniquely able to advise on the topic of inspired and effective giving using a process he personally created, WISEgenerosity. 

After earning his bachelor’s degree with honors from Yale and a master’s degree from Oxford, Chris began his career serving charitable organizations and their donors as a development director. He later became a nonprofit finance and fundraising consultant and a guide for successful charitable givers. Over time, he has participated in the gift process from every vantage point as a donor, staffer, board member, and financial advisor. 

Chris currently oversees a thriving wealth management practice at one of the country’s leading investment firms and is a Certified Investment Management Analyst® (CIMA®), a designation sponsored by the Investments & Wealth Institute™ through the Wharton School of Business. As a financial advisor, Chris empowers the individuals and institutions he serves to accomplish their most important goals today and in years to come. 

Optimal Giving is a focus of Chris’s work, uniquely combining philosophy (“love of wisdom”) and finance. Through decades of research and relationships, Chris has developed a framework that unlocks the potential of generosity. For individuals and organizations to experience the full power of giving, it must be W.I.S.E.: Well-grounded, Inspired, Satisfying, and Effective. 

Chris’s mission is to help others benefit from generosity as an essential virtue of a life well-lived. His principles demonstrate why purposeful and practical planning is needed to maximize the generational impact of giving and its benefits to individuals, families, and institutions. With these goals in mind, Chris shares transformational resources on his website, through his advisory work, and in his book, WISEgenerosity.