At the Heart of Charitable Giving

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John M. Bacon, J.D.

August 19, 2010

 

Dear Fellow PPGGNY Members & Friends:

The summer has come–and gone. While we all wait for more information on the future of the federal transfer tax and a real economic recovery, it has been a good time to focus on our most loyal donors and clients.

In my case, many of these people did not venture out much during the repeated heat waves, so they were relatively easy to reach and they welcomed the contact between our spring and fall event seasons. Their continued loyalty to the mission of my organization has kept my spirits up even on the worst of the recent dog days of summer— and some were real dogs, at least here in Manhattan!

And, not coincidentally, the contacts led to some new and augmented gifts. We had a nice spurt of gift annuity activity in July, including one gift that has been gestating for at least two years (and probably longer). The modest rise in ACGA-suggested rates helped, but without fail, the gifts were really about the power of our mission. I hope others who read this have also had some summertime success stories they will share when we are together again this fall.

Our fall schedule is nearly complete and we will launch at least one new program format. Starting in October, one or more of our past Presidents will host periodic “masters” discussions in the 3 West Club library before our luncheon program. We hope that this format will appeal to our most experienced members and allow them to address topical issues of note. Related to this, we hope to re-launch a series of basic sessions before lunch for those just starting out in the field or considering it as a career option. Want to learn more? Then renew your membership now and check out program announcements on the website.

Finally, I am pleased to announce that we have six new board members. In alphabetical order they are (with current professional affiliation): Dianne Armstrong (Planned Parenthood Federation of America), Alan Berkowitz (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation), James Dawson (Rutgers University Foundation), Russell Hammond (Orange County Community College), Anetta Love (Sarah Lawrence College), and Steven Meyers (American Committee for the Weizmann Institute of Science). More information on each of them may be found here - be sure to congratulate them when you see them this fall at our events.

We serve you, our members and friends, so please keep your comments, suggestions, and inquiries or the I look forward to seeing you soon.

Best regards,

John M. Bacon, J.D.
PPGGNY President