“I had given up on my ranch…”

Shortly before I began working at the university, a local woman had donated her ranch to the institution for its ag program.  She also sold part of the land to the university and then donated the funds for a large endowment.  I say “local,” even though she then lived in Houston but she and her late husband had lived in the piney woods Texas town for a long time years before.  I saw in the files that the university had provided her a framed copy of an annual festival poster as the thank you gift for her contribution.  I was mortified.  And then, I had the chance to meet her.  She was amazing.

Listening to her stories, it became clear that she had not given land to the university.  She gave memories, labors, challenges and dreams.  She had an amazing, beautiful story.

When I returned to campus, I went to the ranch to take photographs and then sent her a small photo album with a note saying that I hoped she liked what she saw of her ranch.  She was too old and frail to be driven to the ranch, and I knew the photos would be her only view of the old property.  On one of the images, I placed a sticky note stating that the university was using prison labor to clean the fence lines.

About a week later, she called me.  She was crying.  “I had given up on my ranch,” she said, “but now I see what you are doing with it.  This makes me happy.  And how did you know?”

“How did I know what?”

“Your note.  Remember your note on the photograph with the fence lines?  My husband would wake up early every day just to ride his horse along the fence lines.  He loved to have clean, clear fences.  It is time for him to come back to his ranch.  I had given his favorite photo of him and his prized bull, Atlas, to a cousin after my husband died.  I will call him.  My husband belongs back at his ranch now.”

I knew immediately that we had to create something else for her to realize that we truly understood and appreciated what she had given to the university.  I spoke to the chairman of the art department about my plan and he suggested a specific graduate student for the commission.  I shared with the student that I wanted a painting with key elements that I garnered from her stories, and that I wanted her, at her present age, on the porch of the house.  The student created a beautiful, large paining with the house, the lake, the horses, the cattle, the cowboys, the trees, the fences…everything was there except the deer blind.  On the porch of the house stood a gray-haired lady in a red dress, overseeing all the sights.

The day to deliver the framed image arrived.  I had told our donor that I was “going to be in town” and asked if I could drop by.  She agreed.  I had the university president with me, the dean of the college that housed the ag program and the chair of the ag program.  We hid the painting in the hallway outside her luxury, high-rise condo and when she answered the door, she was surprised by the group.  She invited us in with “I didn’t know I was going to have so much company!”

“Ok, Ruth.  I need you to sit on the sofa now.  And play a little game with me, okay?” I said.

“Oh, you know I love games, Dion.”

“Ok, close your eyes.”

She closed her eyes and then I retrieved and uncovered the painting from the hallway.  I asked the others to stand behind the sofa, right behind her.  I put the painting in position and one of the others held it up.  I moved into position with my camera.

“Ok, Ruth.  Now you can open your eyes.”

She opened her eyes.  She inhaled slowly as she looked at the painting.  She touched the foreground of the image where the artist had included the view of the favorite portrait:  her late husband and his prized bull, Atlas.  As she touched his face, she whispered.  Then she pointed to the woman on the porch of the house and said with glee, “That is me, isn’t it?”  A beautiful visit ensued.

A few years later, I worked at another university was to be in Houston for a visit.  I asked Ruth if she was up for a visit.  “Sure, but came later in the day so we can open the bar,” she said.

I arrived at the appointed time and she asked me to mix drinks for us.  I obliged and then we shared stories.  Then, she said, “Dion, I would like your permission to have that painting put at the old house on the university’s ranch.”

I explained that it was her painting and the university’s ranch, and that she could do whatever she wanted, though I thought it was a wonderful idea and that the university would not mind at all.

“I know that I would not have received that beautiful painting if not for you.  I have hung it proudly ever since you gave it to me.  I would feel better if I had your approval,” she said.  “I am not going to live forever, you know, and I would be more at ease knowing that painting would be there.  Over the fireplace.”

“In that case, I more than approve,” I said.

That is the last time that I saw Ruth.  She died a few months later.  I believe in my heart that she had a new peace because we listened to her and let her know through actions that she mattered and made a difference.  She knew that we cared for her as a human being who had a life fully lived.

 

~Dion McInnis

Will Your Beneficiary Honor Who You Are?

The couple’s eldest son contacted me at the University of New Mexico.  His mom was not doing well and the family wanted some ideas on how their mom could make a bequest to the School of Engineering to honor their mom and dad.  Dad had passed away years before and now they were facing their mother’s imminent passing.  We developed a few ideas, and unfortunately the plans were accelerated as her condition worsened.

We proposed, and the family accepted, a plan to honor their dad with an endowed scholarship and their mom with a rose garden.  She had beautiful gardens in her backyard.  It took some doing with the various offices on campus, and dealing with people stealing freshly planted bushes out of the ground, but we were able to get the garden and benches in place for the family’s visit several months later.  I will always be proud of the proposal, the outcome and the joy it brought the family for honoring their parents in those ways.

How does someone find the right organizations with the right values and mission, and the appropriate sense of honoring legacies to which to give the fruits of their life’s work?  Philanthropy liaison….the philanthropist’s ally.

 

~Dion McInnis

“Look around but don’t make any noise…”

I met the alumnus at a nice restaurant by the ocean in California.  We talked about all sorts of things before he gave me a tour of the naval base. He was so proud of the ships and his career in the Navy.  During lunch, he also described his life, including the loss of his wife, his many battles with cancer and his incredible persistence in the fight against health issues.  He shared a story of returning to New Mexico to walk around some of the buildings he remembered.

“Sure, you can look around, but don’t make any noise or open any doors,” the secretary had told him.  He told me that he tried to look around but the layout of the rooms and facilities had changed since he attended the university, and after a while he gave up.  Our conversation continued for a couple of hours and then we parted.  As I drove back to my hotel room, I replayed our wonderful conversation.  Then I mapped in my mind the things he said with the dates he referenced.  Oh no!  Could it be??  I believe I am right in determining that he returned to campus when he was first diagnosed with cancer.  He faced mortality and wanted to return to the university of his youth.  And when he tried to re-connect, he was given cold instructions and no informal tour.  Based on other comments he shared, I also believe he was looking for a place to leave his legacy.

Philanthropy’s motivation comes from personal experiences.  Reconnecting can be hard.  Philanthropists need liaisons…so they can more easily achieve the dreams of their generosity.

 

~Dion McInnis

“I should never have told anyone…”

Sad.

The donor and his wife had worked long and hard for decades, and they began to consider their legacy.  After taking care of their family through their estate, they figured there would be approximately $1 – 2 million in residual that they wanted to use in ways that were consistent with their life’s work and furthered their beliefs about hard work and education.  Our discussions were moving along smoothly, until….

“I should never have told anyone,” he said as we enjoyed lunch together.  A somewhat sad expression replaced his friendly smile as he went on to explain that in-laws and close friends approached him at every event and gathering to promote their own causes as destinations for his and his wife’s estate.

That lunch serves as a strong impetus for me creating the concept of philanthropy liaison.  What if he had a neutral party with NO stake in the outcome of his contributions to whom he could share the story of him and his wife, and their goals, and no one else would know?  The confidante could then hide in plain view and conduct research of organizations and entities that closely matched the goals.  From that list, the man and his wife could then contact the organizations for detailed information and interviews.  Sacrificial giving should be joyous, not sad.

I’ll never forget that lunch…

 

~Dion McInnis

Walt Whitman Explains the Philanthropic Relationship

I’ve been fundraising and relationship building for almost a quarter century, and there is no joy like that which comes when the cause and the donor are united in vision, purpose and sense of value.  For 20 of those 25 years, I have cited a specific work that describes how I see the relationship of fundraiser and donor/philanthropist.  My source is not a member of CASE or AFP.  He offers no workshops or presentations.  He has been gone quite a while, actually.

Walt Whitman crafted a poem titled When The Full-Grown Poet Came.  It is part of his Leaves of Grass collection.  It describes the role of the poet in uniting and reconciling two different forces and perspectives.  That union is the magic of philanthropy.  Enjoy.

When the Full-Grown Poet Came

WHEN the full-grown poet came,
Out spake pleased Nature (the round impassive globe, with all its shows of day and night,) saying, He is mine;
But out spake too the Soul of man, proud, jealous and unreconciled, Nay he is mine alone;
- Then the full-grown poet stood between the two, and took each by the hand;
And to-day and ever so stands, as blender, uniter, tightly holding hands,
Which he will never release until he reconciles the two,
And wholly and joyously blends them.

~Dion McInnis

Render Unto Caesar?

The societal divide that we are facing today is unlike anything we’ve seen.  Only about half of the population pays income taxes, according to all reports that I have heard, yet we have demonstrations citing “I am part of the 99%,” a reference to the population that is not among the top 1% in wealth.  There can be no good to come of class warfare like this.  It also misses an important point, borne out by research:  what part of the population supports charities and other causes that benefit the needy, the arts, the neglected, etc.?  The same groups that pay taxes.

There are those among the groups who are calling for increased taxes so the government can take care of a growing multitude of “needy” groups, with some saying it is the Christian thing to do.  Whoa.  If you want to bring the Bible into this…

In the beginning….God gave us free will.  It has been our blessing and our curse since Genesis.  Fast forward, and Jesus said, “Render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s.”  The implication is that taxes are a reality, and have been since the dawn of civilization and governments, so we should willingly give up our funds to the government so that IT can take care of everyone.  Not too fast.

In both Old and New Testaments, we are called to love each other and take care of each other.  It is then up to our beliefs and free will to do so.  When government taxes and gives but a portion to those whom WE would choose to support, that cannot be construed as Christian-based “taking care of others.”  It removes the essence:  free will.   And when taxes become so burdensome that those who support charitable causes of their choice can no longer do so, then taxes and taxing entities have taken away our free will.

The beauty of philanthropy is the giving through free will of the fruits of one’s life’s labors to those selected to benefit.  The ultimate in free will, sacrifice, loving and “taking care of others.”

 

~Dion McInnis

Seek or Sought?

The word used now by many to describe significant contributions to a charitable cause is “investment.”  I like that.  But really think about it.  If you have a lot of money to invest, do you prefer to have a line of people at your door with ideas, or do you prefer to seek them out yourself based on your personal goals and style of investing?

Enter the concept of the philanthropy liaison…me.  Let me find the opportunities that match your goals, objectives and philanthropic passions.  From those, you select who to seek out for your major commitment.  Be in control of where you place charitable investments. Don’t be sought to make a difference in the world…seek.

 

~Dion McInnis

Ooooops….

Shortly after I arrived at the university, I asked my assistant to go through all the files to identify any endowments or donor accounts that may have fallen between the cracks…people who, perhaps, had not been communicated with or their funds not spent.  That happens, unfortunately.

After a few weeks of going through drawers and drawers of files, she handed me a mimeograph copy of an endowment created in the mid-1940s by a woman who donated $5,000 to create a scholarship endowment.  According to the file, not a penny of earned interest had ever been spent, and the spendable account was several times larger than the endowment.  I immediately asked for a couple of the team members to try to find the woman so we could send a letter with an apology and a course of action to hopefully make up for lost time.  No one could find her.  But her attorney found us.

A month or so later, we received a letter from an attorney.  The woman had passed away and the university was in her will.  Enclosed was a copy of the page on which the university, and other universities, were listed.  We were to get $250 worth of books from her personal library, and the other universities were receiving six-figure gifts. Her will essentially said, “You should not have ignored me all these years.”

Donors should not be ignored, and not just because of the planned giving potential.  How are your charitable organizations performing?

 

~Dion McInnis

Pause…

Single cloud in skyWe Can Feel Alone

Making decisions about one’s life’s work can feel lonely.  I remember a donor telling me that he wished he had never told family members that he wanted to make a seven-figure donation because relatives and in-laws were constantly reminding him about their favorite charities or causes.  Aristotle was right.  Philanthropy can be a lonely process…but it doesn’t have to be.

~Dion McInnis

The Ministry of Philanthropy

I had received a phone message (back when messages were found on pink forms on top of the desk) from a man asking me to call to talk about the interest that he and his wife had to honor their deceased daughter with a contribution to the university.  Before I returned the call, I asked my student assistant to research the name at the university library to try to discover some information in the obituary section of the archived newspapers.  She did, and she found the story.  Tragic.  The daughter was murdered by a prisoner who was released early.  He had strangled her at the mail room of the apartment complex in which she lived.  She was an elementary school teacher.  She had been out of college less than two years.  She lingered for days in the hospital from the strangulation and other treatment the prisoner had inflicted.  I inhaled deeply and called the number on the pink slip.

I told the man that I had read some information about the situation and that I was very sorry for their loss.  I said that the situation should be discussed in their living room at their convenience and not over the phone.  He agreed and an appointment was set.

The mother answered the door when I arrived.  I heard jazz music playing at low volume as I accepted her invitation to enter the house.  She said her husband would be there shortly, and we made small talk for the brief time we waited.  When he arrived, I again expressed my sorrow for what happened and assured them that I could not, and would not, even pretend to say I understood how they felt.  I asked for stories about their daughter and they willingly shared them, along with photos.  They shared that they had given her extra money to help her buy supplies in her class, and how they bought her a rocking chair so she could hold the children who were so desperate for affection, and more.  After a while, I thanked them and then said, “And I also understand that what you want to do is a business transaction.  We can talk about the concept you have in mind, and I will answer whatever questions you have so you feel assured that the university will do right by your daughter, her legacy and your contribution.”  The discussion continued around the concept of a gift of $50,000 to $100,000.

I delievered a proposal on their door a few days later.  In the proposal was a plan to have them come to the university to spend time with some of their daughter’s teachers–sans administrators or fundraisers–and to attend a student jazz concert that night.  That night was chosen because the jazz leader that evening was one of their daughter’s former instructors, too.  They were introduced to the crowd merely as “friends of the university.”  A couple of weeks later, they joined me and the president, along with other guests, in the president’s box for a football game.  The father cornered me to say that he would like to see even more done with the funds, though he commented how pleased he was that we included funds to be given to scholarship recipients the first semester after they graduated so they could have monies for classroom supplies…or a rocking chair.   I explained that I thought we were doing as much and as creatively as we could.

“That is okay,” he said with a smile.  “We weren’t totally forthcoming with you.  We wanted to see what sort of proposal you came up with.  My wife’s first good day since our daughter died a few years ago was the day that she read your proposal.  Thank you.  We are actually going to give the university $300,000.”

A few weeks after we introduced the couple to their first scholarship recipient, I received a note from the mother.  Among other things, she shared that she was now strong enough to work in her church in a ministry for parents who had lost children to violence.

Fundraising and philanthropy….a ministry.

 

~Dion McInnis