2007-2008 Meeting Program Schedule

November 14, 2007

"Where's Your Next Planned Giving Prospect Coming From?" with Mary Todd Hardeman, Senior Director of Gift Planning, Georgetown University, Washington DC

Whether you are a seasoned professional or new to charitable gift planning, you will not want to miss this thought-provoking session from one of the best gift planners in the country. Mary Todd will share her expertise and experience in planned giving marketing. You will learn how to collaborate with major gift officers and other volunteers; explore the hidden gems in your database; and learn the most effective ways to work gift planning into your donor conversations.

December 12, 2007

"Harnessing the Power of Lead Trusts" with Jonathan Ackerman

Jonathan Ackerman, Esq.. Mr. Ackerman is an attorney with the law offices of Jonathan D. Ackerman, Esq. in Owings Mills, MD and will be speaking on the topic of Harnessing the Power of Lead Trusts.

Jonathan Ackerman’s Bio:

Jonathan represents donors and tax-exempt organizations on a national basis. His advice is often sought by charitable and other tax-exempt organizations in their creation and operation, especially with respect to contributions and other funding opportunities for charities, as well as by families who desire to integrate philanthropy into their financial and estate planning. Jonathan also represents these clients regarding legislative and regulatory tax matters at all levels of government.

For the past 19 years, Jonathan has developed considerable experience in the areas of charitable gift planning, tax-exempt organizations, charitable solicitations laws, federal corporate and partnership taxation, estate planning and probate, IRS practice and procedure, real estate and business formations and transactions. He is a frequent speaker on the topics of charitable gift planning and tax-exempt organizations and has published articles in The Journal of Gift Planning, the Planned Giving Design Center, the American Bankers Association Journal, and the Maryland State Bar Journal.

Jonathan was the 2002 President of the National Committee on Planned Giving (NCPG) and was a member of the NCPG Board of Directors. He was Chair of the 2000 NCPG Conference Committee and continues to serve on NCPG's Government Relations Committee. He is a past President and director of the Chesapeake Planned Giving Council, and he also served on the Ad Hoc Committee on Ethics and Accountability in the Nonprofit Sector for the Maryland Association of Nonprofit Organizations. He has worked extensively on a pro bono basis with various charities and is currently involved as a volunteer with several local non-profit organizations. Jonathan is also a member of the American Bar Association and Maryland State Bar Association, Tax and Real Property, Probate and Trust sections, and he attended the University of Maryland, the University of Baltimore School of Law, and then obtained his Master of Laws in Taxation at Georgetown University Law Center.

January 9, 2008

Planned Giving Quiz with Jonathan G. Tidd

This interactive session will cover real life cases and problems involving a variety of gift planning issues. Take this quiz to test your knowledge of gift planning and review pitfalls to avoid in charitable gift plans.

Jon Tidd has long been one of the country's most highly respected and sought-after gift planning practioners and consultants. He has a B.S. in Engineering from the University of Connecticut and a J.D. from the University of Illinois. He is a member of the State Bars of Connecticut, New York, Illinois and Indiana, and his practice, based in West Simsbury, Connecticut, is devoted exclusively to representing a wide range of non-profits in education, healthcare, the arts, social services and human rights.

Featured Speaker: Larry Stelter, President, The Stelter Company

Building Donor Relationships: It’s a Process, Not an Event

Getting to know your donors and building relationships with your loyal supporters is the key to raising major planned gifts. Many fundraisers have limited time to spend making personal calls, so they must be as effective as possible when those face-to-face opportunities occur. This practical presentation will discuss communication skills, present trust building techniques, describe a behavioral psychology model for examining yourself and what your donors’ personal needs might be and introduces a proven system for making more productive personal calls to close more gifts sooner.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER:

Larry Stelter is President and CEO of The Stelter Company, a national planned giving communications firm that focuses on print and WEB product options. Their home office is in Des Moines, Iowa with regional offices in Ft. Worth, TX, Chicago, Columbus, OH, Washington, DC, Hartford, CT and Denver, CO.

The Stelter Company, which was founded over 46 years ago, currently serves more than 1,500 organizations nationally with their print products and over 1000 organizations with their WEB product with a staff of over 80 individuals.

Larry’s primary responsibilities include product development and sales. He personally works with 300 clients in a ten state territory. He has spoken on the subject of planned giving marketing, internet marketing and relationship skills at many national and regional meetings.

Larry is a graduate of the University of Iowa. He is married and the proud father of three sons (two 3rd generation Stelters who now work out of the Washington, D.C. and Denver, CO offices). He serves on several boards, is an avid golfer, fisherman and now is the proud grandpa of his first two grandsons – Ben and Sam.

March 12, 2008

Beyond Basic Estate Administration (AKA: Bequests Gone Bad)

Beth McNally, Estate Administrator, The Nature Conservancy, Arlington, VA

Matured bequest administration is often the “orphan” of planned giving in that little attention or help is provided to planned giving staff regarding how to effectively collect these gifts. Despite the fact that deceased donor gifts are the culmination of a planned giving program, many thousands of bequest dollars remain uncollected or are collected at an unacceptably slow rate. This session will provide those charged with the collection of matured donor gifts some highly practical tips and techniques (that do not necessarily require the hiring of an attorney) for collecting what is due their organization. The session will include what to ask for and when, what to do if your request is ignored, how to spot problems on accounting and tax returns (including avoiding income taxes, and effectively collecting IRAs/life insurance/POD accounts), how to (politely) decline a request to return your bequest, and when to join in/sit out litigation with or without an attorney. Samples of suggested letters, tax code citations, tax and probate forms will be included.

About the Speaker: Beth McNally has been administering estates and trusts since 1980, including managing the estate department of a law firm and as a freelance consultant. Since joining The Nature Conservancy as Estate Administrator in 2001, she has overseen the administration of 5000+ estates. She received her B.A. from Indiana University.

April 9, 2008

"Ch, Ch, Changes…Turn and Face the Strain"... Megatrends Affecting Planned Giving

Jeff Comfort, Georgetown University, Washington, D.C.

Summary: As gift planners, our work is being shaped by the confluence of existing and emerging mega trends which are dramatically affecting the way we work, our alliances, and the donors, prospects and charities we serve. Our ability to understand these trends and adjust our thinking and acting will spell the difference between success and failure in the future. This presentation will explore the impact of four mega trends on the charitable gift planning industry and offer solutions for success being developed by some of the brightest and best in our industry.

Biography: Jeff Comfort is well known in the planned giving field. He currently serves as executive director of principal and planned gifts at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., where he recently was responsible for overseeing university-wide planned giving efforts resulting in $248 million of planned gift commitments for Georgetown’s $1 billion comprehensive campaign. Before arriving at Georgetown in 1995, Jeff spent 11 years in Denver directing the planned giving program for the National Jewish Medical and Research Center.

Jeff is active both nationally and locally in planned giving professional associations. As a member of the National Committee on Planned Giving, Jeff has served as president, sat on the board for 5 years and acted as chair of the 10th National Conference in New Orleans. Jeff remains active in the organization by participating on the ethics committee and chairing the task force on gift valuation. On the local level, Jeff is a current member and a past president and board member of the National Capital Gift Planning Council of Greater Washington.

June 11, 2008

"Off to Never Never Land" and an update on strategic directions of NCPG

Luncheon Program Update by Ed Cadogan

Speaker: Russ Howes is the Chair of NCPG and the Vice President for Legal Affairs and Planned Giving at the University of Wisconsin Foundation in Madison, Wisconsin

"Off to Never Never Land" is a review of some things that are typically viewed by many in the field to be things that you should never do in a gift planning situation. These include things like using Charitable Remainder Annuity Trusts for real estate gifts. The presentation will focus on whether there are times that you should consider doing some of these things or not.