As I write this message I am getting ready to represent our Council at the Partnership for Philanthropic Planning’s (PPP) Assembly of Delegates. This is the annual meeting of the various councils' chairs and the PPP’s Board of Directors. Thank you for allowing me to represent the Minnesota Planned Giving Council at this event.
Some of the items that will be discussed at the Assembly are very pertinent to our Council, such as the relationship between the Planned Giving Councils and Leave A Legacy. This is an area the MPGC Board is trying to better define.
Again we are fortunate as a Council to have two volunteers (Laurel Hardgrove of the Ridgeview Medical Foundation and Grant Wacker of Wells Fargo) take an interest in moving the discussion along. I hope to gather information from PPP on its strategic vision of the relationship, together with the input of the other Councils, and bring back some reference materials and contacts for Laurel and Grant to use in forming their report to the MPGC Board about how to work with the various Leave A Legacy Chapters in Minnesota.
The other interesting issue is the name changes of various Councils to utilize “Partnership for Philanthropic Planning.” Jane Goodnight, a past Chair of the MPGC and a tireless volunteer for our Council, has put together a task force to look at the pros and cons of a name change. The new name might be “Minnesota Partnership for Philanthropic Planning.” But before we put this important decision to a vote by the members, I plan to havea dialogue with various Councils at the Assembly as to why they made the change. I will report to Jane and her task force.
Every now and then I get e-mails telling me about interesting web pages and bloggers. The other day I received one - http://plannedgivingblogger.wordpress.com/. I have found this one brings up thoughtful topics and is a good reference for planned giving materials and statistics. Take a look at it and let me know your thoughts.
Well, I better get back to work so I can leave for Indianapolis. Again, thanks for the opportunity to Chair this Council —A Council that is the envy of most planned giving councils across the country.
MPGC Annual Conference: Registration Available Soon
MPGC's 33rd Annual Conference
November 3-4, 2009
St. Paul RiverCentre
Registration will be available very soon for one of the top planned giving events in the country: The MPGC Conference, which attracts more than 350 attendees from throughout the region for two full days of learning and discussing gift planning topics.
Featured Plenary Speakers include:
Penelope Burk, President of Cygnus Research (Back by popular demand!)
Pamela Jones Davidson, President of Davidson Gift Design
Daniel Pink, Author of New York Times Best-Seller, A Whole New Mind
Bill Sturtevant, Senior Vice President of Principal Gifts at the University of Illinois Foundation
by Lynn Praska,
Hamline University,
Past Chair of the MPGC Board,
Chair, MPGC Nominations Committee
Every fall the Minnesota Planned Giving Council membership elects new directors to its board. MPGC depends on our members, especially those who have already served on a MPGC committee, to share their talent, wisdom and experience with the Council by volunteering to serve on the board of directors.
MPGC has had another successful year with great audiences at our educational programs and nationally known speakers at our 2008 annual conference. During these challenging times, as non-profit organizations look to employees to wear many different hats because of staff reductions and reduce their budgets for outside educational opportunities, our membership numbers and attendance at programs could be impacted. In addition, as corporate sponsors pull back from underwriting our conference and seminars, we need volunteers to help keep MPGC a relevant and vibrant council that serves the voice of planned giving in our communities.
If you have strong organizational management skills and want to make a profound impact on a thriving and growing organization, I ask you to consider volunteering your time by applying to serve on the MPGC Board of Directors.
A member of the MPGC Board of Directors is expected to:
Serve a three-year term, beginning Jan. 1, 2010 and ending Dec. 31, 2012
Regularly attend board meetings (held every other month)
Chair or actively serve on a committee or task force
Make a commitment to participate actively in Council activities, including regularly scheduled breakfast and educational meetings and the Annual Conference
Volunteer for and willingly accept assignments
Prepare for meetings, and review and comment on minutes and reports
Get to know other board members and build a collegial working relationship that contributes to consensus
Be willing to discuss sponsorship opportunities with corporate partners
Contribute to the future of MPGC
The nominating committee selects those applicants it determines will have a positive impact, and brings a motion to the board to present these applicants before the membership for a vote. Election of new directors will take place at the Annual Meeting, to be held this year on November 4 in conjunction with the Annual Conference.
More detailed information about the MPGC’s governance can be found at the MPGC website. There you can review the MPGC bylaws, see who is currently serving on the board of directors, and get a better understanding of the functions of the board, its officers and its various committees.
If you wish to be considered for membership on the board of directors, please complete the online board application. All applications must be received at the MPGC office by September 30, 2009.
If you have questions about the nomination process or your application status, please contact me at lpraska@hamline.edu.
Thank you for your membership and commitment to the Minnesota Planned Giving Council.
Timely and Topical: A Summary of the July Membership Meeting
By Richard Kimbrough, Director of Major & Planned Gifts, Saint Thomas Academy
On July 21, members of MPGC gathered at Midland Hills Country Club to participate in two dynamic presentations. The breakfast meeting entitled, Keeping it together: How to love your job, have a life and stay resilient in a time of change was presented by Dr. Robert Veninga, Professor Emeritus, University of Minnesota.
During the presentation Dr. Veninga focused on five strategies:
Think inside the box! Now is the time to build relationships and ask for the first penny.
Sharpen your listening skills.
Play to your strengths.
Send good news to someone in your organization every day.
Your mission is not in recession.
This custom presentation by Dr. Veninga was warmly received.
The education session was presented by John Bel, President of the Arkansas Children’s Hospital Foundation and Bill Tippie, Principal at Benz Whaley Flessner. The presentation: Metrics and Meaning: The science and the art of fundraising focused on the need to identify types of meaningful contacts with donors and how to appropriately track and measure outcomes.
Mr. Bel and Mr. Tippie suggested that a transparent process for gift officers along with a clear desire to focus on future outcomes is a most effective way to approach metrics in fundraising.
Minnesota Nonprofit Provides Valuable Guidance to Other Nonprofits via Blogging
Note from Editor: The following article can be found in full in the form of a blog from the Nonprofits Assistance Fund, a Minnesota Nonprofit. The mission of Nonprofits Assistance Fund isto build financially healthy nonprofits that foster community vitality. The Nonprofits Assistance Fund partners with nonprofits in Minnesota and its adjacent communities to assist nonprofits in focusing on their goals and serving others.
The following blog is from June 19, 2009 and contains valuable links to information such as analysis of the Giving USA annual study, Minnesota Council of Nonprofits, “Current Conditions Report” as well as to an article co-written by the Executive Director of The Nonprofit Assistance Fund, entitled, “Nonprofit Survival: Four Steps to Take Now”
Minnesota’s nonprofits continue to be seriously affected by the recession. Nonprofits are bracing for extended impacts from the reduction in revenue they have already seen and expect to continue to see in the coming months and years.
Organizations relying on state, local or federal government are seeing varying levels of unreliability in payments to them from government, making it increasingly difficult for organizations to plan accordingly. Exacerbating this is the threat of unallotment for many organizations.
A majority of organizations report an increase in demand for services, yet many are still having to cut back on staff.
All major nonprofit revenue sources (contributions, government funding, foundation grants, and earned income) are reported to be down from economic affects.
Small organizations are feeling the worst affects, with far more reporting declines in revenue and cash shortfalls. Small organizations are also the least likely to have available reserves or a line of credit to fall back on.
These findings are echoed by other studies (here and here). Although the specifics vary from state to state, and among organization type and size, people in our sector are doing their best to meet demands with fewer resources.
We are all trying to prudently cut costs in ways that minimize the impact on our mission and overall capacity. This is a tall order, especially when combined with increasing needs for service. How do you go about making those tough choices?
Economic uncertainty and the threat of impending doom are not unfamiliar territory for nonprofit organizations. We’ve lived through multiple downturns and have “right-sized” ourselves time and time again. Philanthropic organizations have done likewise.
But something feels uncharted about this downturn. Perhaps it’s the fact that it has fallen on the heels of a downturn from which we never really recovered. Perhaps the global nature of the economic stress makes us see ourselves in a broader context. In any event, this fire is real and hot.
Then they lay out four steps to help you make decisions:
Upcoming MPGC Session Will Focus on Family Philanthropy and Integrating Gift Planning in Capital Campaigns
By Richard Kimbrough, Director of Major & Planned Gifts, Saint Thomas Academy
Please make time to join other MPGC members for two wonderful discussions on September 8 at Midland Hills Country Club. Our breakfast speaker will be Lyle Brizendine, Senior Vice President and Director of the Philanthropic Management Group of Bank of America in St. Louis.
Lyle will share with us some of the findings from the 2008 Bank of America Study of High Net-Worth Philanthropy. Researched and written by the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University, the study provides new insights into the demographic and psychographic factors driving family philanthropy, volunteerism, and charitable giving. Specifically, the study’s findings provide a breadth of new data on the philanthropic motivations of wealthy donors, their use of different giving vehicles, and the dynamics of their relationships with community foundations and other not-for-profit organizations.
The education session will include Laura Hansen Dean from The University of Texas at Austin. The title, Mile High Goals: Gift Planning and Mega Capital Campaigns will discuss the integration of gift planning at every stage of capital campaigns and its importance in successfully reaching today's campaign goals. Nonprofit development professionals need to understand gift planning in campaigns, and for-profit professionals need to know how to evaluate blended gift proposals their clients receive. Gift planning plays an ever-increasing role in the mega capital campaigns in today's news. Laura will lead a discussion of integrating gift planning in capital campaign preparation, the campaign process, and the solicitation of gifts.
MPGC is now offering advertising opportunities to its members and friends! Visit www.mnpgc.org and click on Advertising Opportunities under the About Us tab for more information.
MPGC is the professional association for people whose work includes developing, marketing and administering charitable planned gifts. Our 400+ members include fund-raisers for nonprofit organizations and institutions as well as consultants and professional advisors working in a variety of profit settings. What better way to reach this targeted audience than to get your name out there through advertisements?
Advertise in the Newsletter: The Source is distributed electronically four times per year. Ads are positioned on the Table of Contents page and have the option of linking to your website. All advertisers must fill out a contract and mail or fax it to the MPGC office. Ads are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. More information can be found here, or download the ad contract here.
Advertise on the Website: MPGC offers an opportunity for five advertisers to get exclusive visibility on the MPGC Website for the affordable rate of $350 for the whole year. By advertising on the MPGC Website, you will reach a highly-targeted audience, provide a link to your Web site, and receive Web tracking reports. Ads are placed on the home page of the site to be viewed by all who visit the site. More information can be found here, or download the ad contract here.
Now more than ever, it is important for MPGC members to keep current and share trends and valuable techniques with others. The Source e-newsletter is a great way to “get published” while helping inform members and friends of MPGC.
Whether it is a unique donor experience or an article regarding a proven giving strategy, we want to hear from you.
If you have an expertise or experience in the area that you want to share with the MPGC membership, contact Justin at justin.palecek@thrivent.com.
Submission Deadlines:
Fall 2009: September 30
Winter 2010: January 30
Help us make the MPGC newsletter the best it can be!
MPGC Now Accepting Nominations for the Clinton A. Schroeder Distinguished Service Award
Established in 2008, the Clinton A. Schroeder Distinguished Service Award recognizes and memorializes the contributions of Clinton A. Schroeder to the charitable and planned giving community in Minnesota and across the nation.
The Clinton A. Schroeder Distinguished Service Award is bestowed annually in recognition of outstanding service and leadership in the field of charitable gift planning. The Minnesota Planned Giving Council established the Award in honor of Clinton A. Schroeder, a principal in Gray Plant Mooty's Trust, Estate & Charitable Planning group, who inspires and serves as a role model for generations of gift planners. The inaugural Award was bestowed on Clinton A. Schroeder at the MPGC's annual conference on Thursday, November 6, 2008, and subsequent Awards shall be presented annually to a leader in the field of charitable gift planning to recognize and encourage outstanding service and exceptional leadership.
ELIGIBILITY
A highly respected, past or present member of MPGC (or another local planned giving council if not from Minnesota), who has served and advanced the profession of gift planning, as a development professional, non-profit executive, financial or professional advisor, attorney, tax advisor, accountant, life insurance agent, etc., and who has made an outstanding impact on charitable giving through service and leadership that has furthered philanthropic planning.
REQUIREMENTS
Completed Nomination Form.
Nomination letter from a member in good standing of the Minnesota Planned Giving Council.
Two letters of recommendation: one from a present or past supervisor or professional colleague who can attest to the Nominee’s leadership capabilities and service to the field; and one from a personal friend or colleague familiar with the Nominee’s extraordinary service to non-profit community organizations or charitable activities.
NOMINATION DEADLINE
All nomination materials must be postmarked by September 1, 2009 and mailed to:
Minnesota Planned Giving Council
Attn: Richard Olson, Chair
1000 Westgate Drive #252
St. Paul, MN 55114
A committee of the Minnesota Planned Giving Council will review nominations.
Nominees will be notified on or before October 1, 2009.
The ideas expressed in articles are solely the opinions of the authors and do not represent any position taken or advice given by MPGC. Any calculations are for illustration purposes only and should not be considered legal, accounting, or other professional advice.
As I write this message I am getting ready to represent our Council at the Partnership for Philanthropic Planning’s (PPP) Assembly of Delegates. This is the annual meeting of the various councils' chairs and the PPP’s Board of Directors. Thank you for allowing me to represent the Minnesota Planned Giving Council at this event.