The story behind the gift matters more than the gift itself.
Trella is the speaking and planned giving consulting practice of Matthew Treadwell — helping nonprofit teams lead legacy conversations that start with the donor's story, not the organization's ask.
Two ways to work together
Speaking builds the case for donor-centered legacy conversations. Consulting helps a specific team put it into practice.
Keynotes & workshops
Talks for conferences, staff retreats, and boards on why legacy giving is fundamentally an act of storytelling — and what changes when frontline fundraisers treat it that way.
- Keynotes on donor-centered legacy conversations
- Half- and full-day workshops for gift officers
Planned giving consulting
Focused engagements with nonprofit teams who want to build real skill in legacy conversations — not a canned script, but a repeatable way of listening.
- Legacy conversation training for gift officers
- Program review through a donor-narrative lens
- Small, high-touch engagements by design
The Legacy Conversation Funnel™
It isn't about control.
It isn't about extracting.
It isn't about lawyer tactics.
It's disciplined curiosity, in service of donor-centered discovery.
Legacy giving is ultimately an act of storytelling — a donor expressing their values, identity, and vision for impact through their final gift. The Funnel is a structured way to hold space for that story, instead of steering the conversation toward an organization's agenda.
Trella Legacy Institute
An education initiative growing out of this work — built to equip nonprofit professionals with the frameworks and confidence to lead disciplined, donor-centered legacy conversations. Not a consulting firm. Not a replacement for your organization's methodology. A place to go deeper.
Matthew Treadwell
Founder, Trella, LLC
Matthew Treadwell is a planned giving professional, educator, and former litigation attorney focused on helping fundraisers have more thoughtful and productive donor conversations. Drawing on the disciplined questioning techniques he developed as an attorney, Matthew created the Legacy Conversation Funnel™, a practical framework for uncovering the stories, motivations, and values behind a donor's giving. He is a frequent speaker on planned giving and donor engagement and hosts a planned giving podcast distributed by one of the field's largest professional networks. Through Trella, Matthew brings practical experience and fresh thinking to the conversations that shape philanthropy.
Let's talk about your next event or engagement.
Based in the U.S., speaking and consulting nationally.