Weekly Major Gift Report editorial Oct. 19, 2009
Monday, October 19, 2009 at 10:10AM Weekly Named Gift Report editorial
October 19th, 2009
by Terry Burton
We walk into the latter part of October surrounded by stories of good deeds done by many.
This morning’s television broadcast of Good Morning America featured their story about Let’s Feed America. The initiative has been promoted to support food banks across the country. Americans were asked to host dinner parties with the theme of helping to raise money for people in need. Celebrities and everyday people stepped up, one at a time, to get involved and make a difference.
The Gerber company arrived on the scene of the New York television set with truck loads of baby food to help the cause. They could have just sent a check but instead brought food for the hungry kids. Kudos to the decision makers at Gerber.
A small part of what makes America great is the culture of giving and sharing. Television helps to spread the message but people still have to decide to get up and do something about it. The act of doing, of getting involved is what helps to define the character of the people and the spirit of the soul.
Philanthropy comes in all shapes and sizes, sometimes from the most unexpected sources.
An interesting rumor last week making news on Wall Street had Goldman Sachs considering a billion dollars in charitable donations. A phone call into Goldman Sachs media relations has not been returned as yet, more to follow on this story.
Early last week, philanthropist George Soros once again took center stage with his announcement of a personal pledge of $1 billion to support green projects.
People like George Soros are few in number. It got me thinking about the term legacy gifts and unexpected philanthropy.
Those legacy type gifts were certainly center stage again over the past seven days. A $31 million estate gift from Elizabeth Beckwith Nilsen to Chatham Hall, a private girl’s school in Virginia is just one more example the donor reaching out to pass it on.
Not that far away in Cleveland, Ohio, the staff at Case Western Reserve University celebrated a gift of $20 million from the estates of Donald J. Goodman and Ruth Weber Goodman, money that will be used in the medical and dental schools.
Other estate gifts on the news wire ranged from a few thousand dollars to create as scholarship to one from a 103 old former electrician who left his entire estate, about $3 million, to charity in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Including the $43 million in grants from the Kresge Foundation, last week’s tally of publicly announcements was over $140 million.
As the legacy style estate gifts continue to roll in we are reminded of the transfer of wealth from one generation to another. When you add in the events of the day like Let’s Feed America it points to a culture of giving and helping others.
Have a good week everyone and share a story of stewardship.
Reader Comments