Why the Marcus Evans Advisory Board Selected Sheridan Advisors to Support Healthcare Leaders’ Summit & University Leadership Summit Client Needs

The Marcus Evans Advisory Board recognized Sheridan Solutions’ healthcare revenue recovery expertise that would benefit healthcare leaders, and Sheridan Wealth Advisor’s specialized life insurance expertise that university leaders could utilize to untap their donor community’s potential.

Sheridan Solutions & Sheridan Wealth Advisors Overview

What makes your firm unique?

We solve a problem the industry overlooks. Life insurance is a charitable asset, and we are the only firm in the country applying our Forensic Review of Life Insurance® to unlock greater value sitting inside policies donors already own. Throughout Sheridan Wealth Advisors’ career, we have identified and delivered over USD 600 million in total benefits.

We focus exclusively on life insurance, an underutilized charitable asset, and apply our unique solution to create a win:win:win dynamic. Our focus lets us align foundation priorities, donor objectives, and insurance-market expertise in one disciplined process, backed by more than 40 years in the field and relationships with major carriers.

What is your firm’s greatest competitive advantage?

Specialized life insurance expertise, applied through a proven, value-driven process. Because our work comes at no cost to the donor or the foundation, and requires no new cash or added premium, we sit on the same side of the table as our partners. We turn existing assets into larger, more intentional charitable gifts, with sensitivity to donor relationships, family legacy, and institutional goals.

Who are some of your biggest clients and how have you helped them?

We work with foundations and nonprofits whose donor communities may hold significant untapped giving potential. Many foundations we work with have hundreds of donors who already own life insurance policies worth reviewing. One university donor we examined gave USD 1,000 a year for a decade. Our review identified a USD 600,000 policy improvement that provides a USD 300,000 future gift to the university, and the other half benefiting his family. That’s 300 years of his annual giving in one legacy gift, with equally meaningful improvements for his family’s estate.

Website: sheridanadvisors.com

Resources: marcusevans.sheridanadvisors.com/resources

The Partnership

When Marc Sheridan, President of Sheridan Solutions & Sheridan Wealth Advisors, first evaluated Marcus Evans, he focused on one key question: would the audience justify the investment? After reviewing the attendee profile, company track record, and experiences of other solution providers, he was convinced by the access to senior decision-makers. The success of her initial participation led her to return with additional business units, reinforcing the value he found in the Summit model.

Attendee Feedback on Sheridan Solutions

The feedback on Sheridan Solutions from Summit delegates was largely positive. Several attendees described their discussions as valuable and highly relevant to their organizations. A number of delegates identified potential opportunities for future collaboration, with follow-up meetings already scheduled and ongoing conversations taking place to further explore Sheridan Advisors’ capabilities. One delegate said the meeting opened his eyes to opportunities and areas that his organization had not fully explored before.

The Challenge

Reaching the right decision-makers

Sheridan Advisors operates in highly specialized markets, from hospital underpayment recovery to wealth advisory and charitable planning services.

The challenge was finding an environment where senior leaders already understood these complex issues and could engage in meaningful conversations without requiring extensive education on the fundamentals. Like many organizations evaluating business development investments, Sheridan Advisors needed confidence that its time and resources would translate into genuine relationship-building opportunities with qualified decision-makers.

The Solution

A focused environment for strategic conversations

The Summit model provided Sheridan Advisors with direct access to healthcare CEOs and CFOs at the Healthcare Leaders’ Summit, and university leaders at the University Leadership Summit through structured one-on-one meetings and curated networking opportunities.

Extensive preparation with the Marcus Evans team helped ensure meetings were aligned with the firm’s priorities and provided access to audiences relevant to each of its business units.

What the approach enabled:

> Direct engagement with decision-makers

> Meaningful conversations with leaders who understood Sheridan Advisors’ areas of expertise

> Thoughtfully qualified meetings aligned to business priorities

> Strong preparation and positioning before each event

> Relationship-building opportunities that extend well beyond the Summit itself

> Ongoing support from a responsive and proactive account management team

The Outcome

Creating long-term value through relationships

For Marc, the greatest value of the Summit comes from the quality of the audience and the relationships created through participation. What initially appeared to be a business development investment became a platform for engaging with decision-makers who directly relate to the challenges Sheridan Advisors helps solve. Rather than focusing on lead volume, the firm approached the experience as a relationship-building opportunity and found that value continued to grow long after the events concluded.

The relevance of the conversations, combined with strong preparation and follow-up support, helped Sheridan Advisors create meaningful connections across multiple sectors and business lines.

Business Impact

> Access to senior healthcare finance and higher education leaders

> Meaningful conversations with qualified decision-makers

> Expanded opportunities across multiple business units

> Stronger positioning through strategic pre-event preparation

> Long-term relationship development beyond the Summits themselves

> Continued investment driven by positive business outcomes and audience quality

How the Summits are different from other events

Quality audiences create meaningful conversations

For Sheridan Advisors, the primary difference lies in the caliber of attendees and the intentional nature of the interactions. Rather than collecting contacts and pursuing generic follow-ups, the Marcus Evans Summit model connects participants with leaders who have direct responsibility, influence, and understanding of the challenges being discussed. Combined with proactive account management and thoughtful qualification, this creates a far more productive experience.

The combination of:

> Senior-level decision-makers with budget authority

> Relevant one-on-one meetings tailored to specific business objectives

> Strong audience qualification and matchmaking

> Extensive pre-event preparation and planning

> Ongoing support before and after the Summits

> A focus on relationship-building rather than volume lead generation

creates an experience Sheridan Advisors continues to find valuable.

Results at a glance

Why Sheridan Advisors continues to see value

A model built around long-term value

For Marc, continued participation comes down to results. The quality of the audience, the relevance of the meetings, and the commitment of the Marcus Evans team have consistently delivered value across multiple Summits.

What began with Sheridan Solutions has expanded to include Sheridan Wealth Advisors and GIVE, reflecting confidence in a model that prioritizes meaningful business relationships over transactional networking. Combined with strong preparation and follow-through, the Summits have become an important part of Sheridan Advisors’ growth strategy.

Frequently Asked Questions

How did you first hear about Marcus Evans? What background checks did you do on our organization and credibility? What are the steps you took to do your due diligence on the investment you were making on us?

Through their outreach into healthcare finance and higher education advancement. Before spending budget, I did the due diligence I’d expect anyone to do. I looked at the company’s tenure, how other solution providers had fared, and who actually attends. What convinced me was the room: people with real budget authority, not a general conference crowd. I came first for Sheridan Solutions, our healthcare revenue recovery work, and am returning for Sheridan Wealth Advisors and GIVE. That says enough about the value I see in Marcus Evans.

What hesitations or concerns did you have when you were first approached by Marcus Evans?

Whether it would return the time and the money, or become another event where you collect cards and follow up into a void. And on both sides of our business, I’m a specialist (hospital underpayment recovery, and life insurance and charitable planning), so I needed an audience that understood what we do without it being explained from zero.

Were any of those concerns valid? What was your actual experience?

Not the way I expected. Audience qualification was my biggest worry and it turned out to be the strength. For Sheridan Solutions, I met the people who know the problem all too well: CFOs and CEOs. For Sheridan Wealth Advisors, advancement and foundation leaders who already understand the charitable asset conversation. I set expectations around volume: this builds relationships; it isn’t lead generation, and when approached that way, it delivers. The value compounds after the event, not on the day.

How would you describe the account management service you’ve had since working with the team?

That’s a large part of why we’ve come back. Responsive and proactive about who’s in the room and whether they fit. Pre-event preparation is where the value gets created. We worked on our position and meeting priorities well ahead of time, so the one-on-ones started substantively rather than as introductions. This matters most this time, because our profile has to introduce GIVE.

How did you find the qualification and matching process for the meetings you had?

Thoughtful, in all Summits attended. Delegates pick who they want to meet, and what came back was relevant: hospital finance leaders for Sheridan Solutions, advancement and foundation leadership for the University Leadership Summit recently. It was value-driven. Where I’d push is the front end: the more warm introductions to the right named person, the higher the success rate, and that’s the condition I care most about.

Did Marcus Evans deliver everything that was promised?

Yes. The Healthcare Leaders Summits ran as described; the audiences were senior, and the team followed through before and after the Summits. I’ve invested across multiple Summits (first Sheridan Solutions, now Sheridan Wealth Advisors), and that record is the clearest signal I have found meaning in this Summit structure.

Any other general comments or feedback regarding your experience?

The people are the strength. The Marcus Evans team knows the material and delegate base, and takes ownership of the outcome, which is why we’ve gone beyond a single event.

Find out more about our upcoming summits here: University Leadership / Healthcare CFO