Your Team

Jacob Goforth is in charge of Operations Services at PlannedGiving.Com. “I really enjoy the structure of marketing for planned giving, and using my technical and organizational skills to help put our planned giving specialists in the best position possible to help our clients,” he says.

Born and raised in Dallas, Texas, Jacob received a bachelor’s degree in Mass Communications from the University of Alabama, and also attended the Temple University Film School Master’s program in Philadelphia, Pa.

Jacob moved to Chester County, Pa., in 2004, where he faced two challenges that are not usually an issue in Texas: snowy weather, and the rabid rivalry that exists between fans of the Philadelphia Eagles and the Dallas Cowboys.

A fitness enthusiast who loves to stay in shape, Jacob was a member of the University of Alabama’s Wheelchair Basketball team, and also played with the U.S. Paralympic Wheelchair Basketball Team when they won the gold medal against Australia in 2007. “I was drawn to wheelchair basketball through a rehabilitation counselor in Texas, where my love really began for the game and perfecting my craft,” he says.

In his free time, Jacob likes putting his film school skills to work. “I really enjoy films of all sorts and using my film training to make short films,” he says. “My love of film and movies started at a very young age, when I would marvel at the technical aspects of making a film, and enjoyed researching different film techniques. For example, seeing how different lighting changes a scene, or how editing can change the emotion on an actor’s face.”

Jacob also enjoys cookouts, get-togethers with extended family at the beach, and playing video games online with friends from all over the world.

In addition to a passion for all things artistic and a keen sense for aesthetics, Laura Sweimler, our Creative Director, has 19 years of experience in the field of graphic design. “My job is such a pleasure. Knowing that my work is part of what enables our clients to achieve such great things and help so many people really motivates me to strive for excellence to help our clients make a difference in the world. And I get to do what I love all day every day!”

Born in Reading, PA, Laura earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Communication Design from Kuztown University. She was invited and inducted into the International Honor Society Phi Theta Kappa while earning an Associate’s Degree in Applied Science where she graduated with high honors.

Laura is a lifelong vegetarian and health enthusiast with a passion for dance and kickboxing workouts. An avid horror movie fan since an early age, Laura enjoys both the classic and modern takes on the genre. “I began watching horror movies far younger than I should have. But I became hooked and have loved them since my first scare while peeping out from under a blanket!”

Charity is in Laura’s heart. She has been involved in voluntary work since a teenager, where she spent her weekends and summers volunteering as a counselor at a camp for mentally and physically challenged people of all ages. She has also coordinated fundraising activities for charities such as the Susan G Komen Foundation and establishments like the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

Laura is an illustrator and photographer. When relaxing, Laura can also quite often be found with a paintbrush in hand expressing her creativity on canvas—almost always under the watchful eye of her feline BFF, The Count.