Column in the Missoulian by Legacy Montana member and the Executive Director of Camp Mak-A-Dream.

Legacy Montana: Sharing ideas, magic

Guest column by STUART J. KAPLAN | Tuesday, May 4, 2010

A little over five years ago, I moved to Missoula to take over as the executive director of Camp Mak-A-Dream. As a practicing physician for the previous 15 years, I had only a small amount of nonprofit management experience, as a long-distance board member of Camp Mak-A-Dream. The prospect of being executive director was daunting and the learning curve steep.

Of the multitude of challenges facing me at the beginning of my tenure at Camp Mak-A-Dream, there were two in particular which concerned me greatly: the number of nonprofits in the community with the likely competition for the dollar that I expected would come with it, and the cultivation of major donors. Fortunately, within one month of starting my new job, I received an invitation to attend a meeting of Legacy Montana.

Ten years ago, Jean Bowman, in association with the national Leave a Legacy program, brought together a group of 27 nonprofits with the purpose of educating the public about the importance and impact of planned giving could have on their favorite nonprofit – to make the public aware of how easy it is to leave something to a favorite nonprofit in a will or trust. A few years later, the group decided to break from the national organization and start Legacy Montana. This year, 51 nonprofits participate in Legacy Montana.

Since I arrived at Camp Mak-A-Dream, we have received at least one significant planned gift per year. These gifts have allowed us to enhance programs that otherwise would not have been possible. We have seen tremendous benefits, which I must believe are due, in part, to the work of Legacy Montana.

As important as the effort is to make Montanans aware of planned giving, there is a secondary benefit of this group, one that likely would surprise many Missoulians. During winter and spring, a group of nonprofit executives and employees with different skills gather several times a month to discuss and plan strategies for print ads and other media ads, website updates, service club talks, news appearances, reader boards and display board exposure.

The collaboration seen in the room is nothing less than magic and powerful. The sharing of ideas, the collegiality, and the relationships and collaborations formed at these meetings transcend well beyond the time and locale of these gatherings. From Camp Mak-A-Dream’s standpoint, we have been able to tap into other organizations’ areas of expertise, and enhance our fundraising efforts and our programs as a result of relationships formed through Legacy Montana. I suspect this is true of the other participating organizations.

It is true that there are many nonprofits in our area. It is true there are limited monies to go around, especially in our economic climate. However, there are resources beyond the dollar that help all of us fulfill our missions. And because of Legacy Montana, we see that sometimes the best way to fulfill an individual organization’s mission is to help fulfill the missions of other organizations through the sharing of ideas and resources. That way, every one of us benefits.

Stuart J. Kaplan is executive director of Camp Mak-A-Dream, and writes from Missoula.

ArtMuse

In the spirit of Legacy montana month, the Missoula Art Museum wishes to share the story of its first legacy gift three years ago when Joyce Folsom bequeathed a collection of paintings she developed over the last 20 years of her life. Of the 60 works she left to the community, three canvases were by Tu Baixiong.

The last available works by Baixiong are on view this month at the Dana Gallery; the Art Museum is grateful that a member of the Joyce Folsom Society (a group of individuals supporting the Art Museum through their art collections) purchased several paintings, ensuring that more of Baixiong's work is saved for the Missoula community. If you are interested in becoming a member of the Joyce Folsom Society with a gift of any size, please contact Registrar Jennifer Reifsneider.
 

What is Legacy montana?
Legacy montana is an educational campaign in which the Art Museum, along with more than two-dozen other local agencies, is participating in order to raise public awareness about the importance and ease of leaving a gift to a non-profit organization.

In the coming years, middle-aged American children will inherit over $10 trillion from their elderly parents. Along with this tremendous transfer of wealth, a very small percentage of money will be given to charitable organizations such as the Art Museum. To help interested people leave some part of their estate to charity, a local effort, called Legacy montana, was organized three years ago to encourage bequests or planned gifts from people from all walks of life. This effort is patterned after successful campaigns in other communities over the last several years.

Gifts may come in the form of money, property, insurance, an investment or a percentage of an estate. While some gifts may be large, many are $100 or less. Sometimes there are tax advantages when leaving assets to a charity.

Leaving something to the Art Museum or another organization does not mean your children, spouse, or friends are left out. Wills and trusts are flexible and can be written to make sure all your desires are met. However, if you don’t have a will or trust, the state most assuredly will not distribute any of your assets to a charity.

Legacy Montana Campaign Ecourages Planned Giving

Last February the Salvation Army received a generous donation through the estate of a Missoula resident. It was like a dream-come-true, according to Henry Graciani.

“The person who bequeathed the money to the Salvation Army wanted specifically to help families in need in the Missoula area,” Graciani, a Salvation Army Captain, said. The unexpected donation “filled in the gaps” in funding for Silvercrest, a housing project that will provide for low-income senior citizens for generations.

This May, a diverse group of more than 30 Missoula non-profit organizations worked together on a coordinated Legacy montana campaign. The campaign encourages support for charitable organizations by asking individuals to remember the organizations in their wills.

Their message is simple. You can’t take it with you, and you don’t need to be wealthy to leave a legacy. The process is simple, too. One way is to donate a portion of a life insurance benefit by adding a charitable group as a beneficiary. Another way is to make a non-profit organization a beneficiary of a stock account. It’s recommended you contact a financial advisor or member of the Missoula Estate Planners to get the job done.

The campaign featured testimonials from three local residents, Geoff Sutton, Judy Preston and Ty Robinson, who have chosen to give donations to Missoula non-profit organizations through their estates. Only about five percent of Americans make such a provision for a charitable gift.

The three Missoula residents have given gifts to the Missoula Art Museum, Missoula Community Medical Center Foundation and the YWCA. They did what the anonymous donor did for the Salvation Army.

When a significant donation comes in “out of the blue,” as in the case of the recent gift to the Salvation Army, it can “make an organization’s dreams come true,” according to Graciani. “It becomes a gift for perpetuity,” he added.

For more information about gifts for perpetuity and the Legacy montana campaign, contact Jean Bowman at 543-5387.