President's Keyboard

Dear GCPGC Members,

It was truly the event of a lifetime - on January 20, 2009, my husband, myself and 2 million men women and children on a cold, sunny day in Washington, D. C., watching, cheering this historic event.  The sense of joy and awe we all experienced together as Barak Obama became the 44^th President of the United States is a memory that will stay in my heart and mind forever.

 Once we returned, thawed out and looked at our photos of that special day, we were struck once more by seeing the enormous diversity throughout the crowd.  We had huddled together with young and old, rich and poor, Black, white, red, yellow and tan, women and men - all proud Americans.  We were all there that cold day to witness history and to be part of a promising future for our country.

 In my judgment, this diversity that has always been part of America, will play a large role going forward in philanthropic planning.  Studies are already showing that people as young as 40 are putting charities in their wills.  Women are increasingly in charge of their own incomes and are making philanthropic choices accordingly.  Leave a Legacy has increased awareness of bequests among people of modest means.  People, no matter how rich or poor, want to invest in our country's future. 

 As philanthropic planning professionals, we have to be ready to reach out to a wide variety of Americans.  Our job is to provide everyone with a means to insure their values will live on after them, continuing to make our country and its organizations grow and succeed far into the future.

 As our nation embraces this new beginning, this new call to service, we must prepare to seize the moment for philanthropy.  Reaching out to the diversity that is our constituents is a way to expand the promise of planned giving. It is a way to broaden our base of donors.  It is a means to bring strength to the non-profit organizations we serve.

Sincerely,

Andrea Herzig

GCPGC President