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In this issue...
Our Master's Program the
following week on the enforcement of charitable pledges,
presented by Reynolds Cafferata, also drew a large and
enthusiastic crowd eager to learn about this important and
tricky subject. Our upcoming Annual
Conference is scheduled for May 1, when we will be back at
our usual location at the Palace. Greg Lassonde, a returning
Board member, chairs the Conference Committee this year and
has put together a first-rate conference committee. The
Conference promises to be bigger and better than ever! Finally, I am so proud of
the fact that NCPGC is considered to be one of the top
planned giving councils in the country! It has achieved its
successes because of its amazing volunteers. Whether you
have a little or a lot of time to devote to NCPGC, there are
many points of entry for you to get involved. Check out the
committee listings on our website and contact the chair of
any committee you think you might be interested in joining.
No matter what your contribution, you'll meet wonderful
people, expand your professional network, and help
contribute to everyone's favorite cause—planned charitable
giving! Best wishes to everyone for
a happy, healthy and charitable new year!
Saturday, March 1
Wednesday, March 19
Friday, March 28
Friday, April 18
Thursday, May 1
Wednesday, May 21
Thursday, June 12 Wednesday, July 16
Thursday, September 18
Thursday, November 13 Please visit the website at
www.NCPGCouncil.org for event details.
May 1 — Annual
Conference
This is Number 16! Launched in 1993, our conference has
become a premier gift planning event nationally. Once again
NCPGC will provide 24 workshops for all levels of gift
planners. This year, a founding member of our council, Lynda
Moerschbaecher, will present at our morning plenary session.
Joe Lumarda, formerly of the California Community Foundation
and now an advisor in the financial services industry, will
give the luncheon keynote speech. Our 2008 venue — The
Palace Hotel.
In early March the conference brochure was mailed to you.
We've held registration costs to 2007 levels, and whether or
not you are a council member, you'll want to take advantage
of our early bird rates in effect through March 28.
Registration is now open on our web site March 1 at
www.ncpgcouncil.org.
Please thank our conference sponsors (as of March 6):
TITANIUM
DIAMOND
GOLD
SILVER
Thank you also to the following conference committee
members: Mitch Ashley, Joseph Bracco, Patty Cowden, Scott
Emblen, Denise Howell, Stuart Kaufman, Dick Lamport, Greg
Lassonde, Karen Marek, Michelle Pakulak, Jennifer Rowe, Bill
Ruettinger, Randi Silverman, Robert Sonnenberg, and Audrey
Yee.
Name: Michelle Pakulak
Please share with us a little about your background.
I worked for a large utility company for 12 years. I began
as a clerk and worked my way up to Network Specialist. I
started my own company in 1993 — teaching Microsoft software
programs (Windows, Word, Excel, Access, and Power Point). In
2001, I took on the administrative duties for one of my
training clients — AFP Golden Gate Chapter. In 2003, I was a
charter member of the AFP Wine Country Chapter and was their
volunteer administrator for four years. In 2007, one of the
AFP-GGC members, who is also a member of NCPGC, asked me if
I would be interested in submitting my resume for
consideration by NCPGC's Board of Directors for the newly
open position of Administrator. The rest, as they say, is
history.
What experiences prepared you for your current
position? I have four year's experience as a
volunteer administrator and seven year's experience as a
contracted administrator. I have extensive knowledge of
Microsoft software and computer networking experience. I've
also worked on both small and large events in the past and
have a good network of experienced people with whom I work.
What do you enjoy most about your work?
Meeting dedicated and enthusiastic people and learning new
skills. I learned early on that working with a volunteer
Board of Directors is a very rewarding experience. I've been
extremely lucky because everyone I have worked with so far
at NCPGC has been so helpful, kind, and open to the
possibility of change. Of course, there is always the hidden
benefit (or perhaps a curse) of working from a home office.
You can wear your bunny slippers to work, but you can never
really get away from the office. I enjoy coming to the City
several times a month where I am able to meet with members
and experience the energy and feel of the city.
What do you like to do when you are not working?
Work in my garden. Before my mother passed away three years
ago from ALS, she was a great lover of flowers and
gardening. Every time I prune a rose bush or pick a bouquet
of flowers — I feel her standing in the garden right next to
me.
Which restaurant do you frequent? Langley's
On The Green in Windsor.
Your best resource people: The NCPGC Board
of Directors, Heather Tanfani of Events! and the ever
helpful Google!
Advice to new planned giving professionals:
Join NCPGC and start networking!
Tiffany Abuan, KQED
Board Member Profile
— Ira Hillyer
Please share with us a little about your background.
I attended Texas A and M on a football scholarship and
graduated from U of Texas School of Law. The majority of my
career has been spent in investment management and trust
services and some time has been spent as an attorney in the
Texas Senate, in state government and in nonprofit
organizations.
What experience prepared you for your current
position? My background as an attorney and
experience in financial services and nonprofit
organizations.
What do you enjoy most about your work? I
enjoy assisting individuals and families in planning for and
accomplishing their wealth management and transfer goals.
Share with us your best planned giving story.
There is really no best story — any planned gift is awesome.
However, it is always encouraging to learn of a substantial
bequest from a donor that had been actively solicited.
Which restaurant do you frequent? As a
father of a fourteen year old son, I frequent many good
pasta and pizza places.
Your best resource people? Too many to name
just a few, but drawn to those who truly care about their
clients, employees, and donors … and who attempt to stay
current with the world around them.
Advice to new planned giving professionals?
Stay connected with your donors, other planned giving
professionals and related advisors… and remain current on
changes in tax law and charitable giving.
New Member Profile — Lee Michelson
Current position: Executive Director of the
San Mateo County Health Foundation. We raise
What prompted you to join NCPGC and what is most
helpful to you as a member? I joined the
organization to learn about planned giving and to
incorporate planned giving into our fundraising strategy.
Where were you before? I moved here from
Saint Louis where I worked for Ronald Mc Donald House
Charities. We had a program there but it wasn't very
successful or active.
What is your favorite thing about planned giving?
My favorite thing about planned giving is that it allows a
donor to leave a lasting legacy that continues their support
of the organization even after their death. I have seen
large gifts received that can be transformational,
especially for small organizations.
What is your home town? I grew up in Saint
Louis and have lived in California for a little over a year.
Your favorite hobbies? I am a big baseball
and soccer fan and follow Manchester United very closely. We
are still exploring the northern California area and spend
weekends visiting the many areas and activities that exist
here.
Any advice for those new to planned giving?
I can just speak for myself. I need to put effort into this
area if not daily then certainly weekly. I need to keep
moving the ball forward and learn something new as much as
possible.
A Simple Note
on Marketing
When I wrote my will, I chose two organizations that had
missions that spoke to my heart and ideals and I included
them. They were both organizations that were doing things
that I think the world needs, that I would like to be able
to do myself and whose continued existence would positively
affect generations to come. I wrote a letter to the Chakshah
Institution (imaginary name — real letter) to let them know
that the Institution was included in my will. The response
was one letter containing a cursory thank you and an appeal
to change the gift to an annuity instead of a bequest. It
almost said, "Bequest? Yeah, yeah, but it's no good to me
unless it's something irrevocable." Hardly the way to market
annuities!
The Chakshah Institution is no longer in my will.
Someone who is considering a planned gift to a nonprofit is
looking at the mission of that organization as being of such
benefit to the community that it would be a good way for the
donor to make his or her mark on the world. What a
compliment to the nonprofit!
The people most likely to give us this compliment are those
who are closely involved with the mission: volunteers,
consistent donors, current and former board members, those
or the families of those who have benefited from our
services and former or long-term staff members.
Keeping in mind that people will write a will or Trust
Agreement only once or twice in their lifetimes, marketing
for planned gifts has slightly different timing from other
forms of marketing. I favor constant small notices along
with donor testimonials since their stories are often
incredible. The idea of making a planned gift can appear in
small ads in newsletters or annual reports. Every response
envelope can ask if someone has included the organization in
their estate plans and if they would like information about
doing so. I have found that most people do not know what
"planned giving" means, so I avoid the term. My marketing
goals are to let people know that the organization accepts
and greatly appreciates estate gifts, that the donors will
positively affect the future through their estate gifts, and
that other people like themselves have received
gratification from making such a gift. The next goal is to
have them aware of estate giving regularly enough that the
organization springs to mind when they sit down with their
attorneys to prepare their estate documents.
Effective marketing requires our being able to put ourselves
in the position of the donor and giving them the treatment,
the information, and the appreciation that we would like to
receive ourselves. To truly understand marketing, include a
charitable gift in your own estate plans. I know that
everyone who will read this has a will or Trust Agreement in
place since we are planned giving officers and financial
planners, right? So add a nonprofit or two, if you have not
already included one and inform the charities of your
choice. For anyone who has not yet done this, the feelings
engendered by choosing a mission and making the arrangements
are surprising. The charity will respond to your letter and
you will be gratified to have made the gift or you will
experience "buyers' regret" and probably change your will.
Either way, you will understand marketing in a way that you
have never understood it before.
Virtual Seminars at East Bay Community
Foundation
Thanks to generous underwriting from The Mechanics Bank, the
Northern California Planned Giving Council is pleased to
offer the entire 2008 series of Virtual Seminars from the
National Committee on Planned Giving free of charge!
March 19, 2008 10:00–11:30 AM
May 21, 2008 10:00–11:30 AM
July 16, 2008 10:00 – 11:30 AM
The seminars will be shown at the East Bay Community
Foundation in downtown Oakland, and everyone is welcomed,
although registration is required to ensure adequate
seating. If you received Sara Dubois's email about the
seminars directly, you will be notified 2-3 weeks before
each session and will have an opportunity to register then.
In the meantime, feel free to contact Sara for questions @
510-208-0817.
East Bay Community Foundation is at:
De Domenico Building |
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