Talking about Planned Giving ...

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You Don't Have to Learn Armenian to "Get" Planned Giving Thursday, June 25 @ 2:00 PM EDT Lauren D'Ambrosio and Viken Mikaelian Don't just simplify. Over-simplify. Your prospects should not have to learn another language to "get" planned giving. In fact, they won't learn another language. So if you're not speaking to them in ways they can easily understand … forget about it. You might as well close down your planned giving program and go back to chasing checks. In a world where your average prospect is inundated with over 3500 marketing messages a day, the secret to getting your message heard is to make it very simple. Any communication that requires analysis or a second read … nix it. This goes for your planned giving website, direct mail, display ads, donor estate planning webinars, videos, and digital outreach. Anything that's impossible to simplify (such as a planned giving newsletter) … ditch it. In this webinar Lauren D'Ambrosio and Viken Mikaelian of PlannedGiving.Com will show you how to speak to your prospects in simple, everyday language. They'll showcase real-world examples and give you punchy phrases and elevator pitches you can start using right away. They will tell you which simple gifts to pursue and how to pursue them. At first, it takes effort to break habits and learn to oversimplify. But once you get the hang of it, you'll never go back. You'll know where the real money is and how to get it (simply, of course).

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Run For Shelter June 27 : News : The Ticker

The annual Run for Shelter 5k Run/Walk benefitting the Goodwill Inn will be held Sat., June 27, kicking off at 9am. The $30 registration fee translates to one warm, safe night for an adult or child at the shelter. The loop course begins and ends at Willow Hill Elementary School in Traverse City. For more info and to register, click here. Dogs and kids welcome! Last year, more than 600 area residents relied on the Goodwill Inn for shelter, including 57 children. Permalink

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Run For Shelter June 27 : News : The Ticker

Registration Open For Chamber Golf Outing : News : The Ticker

June 15, 2015

Registration is now open for the Traverse City Area Chamber of Commerce Golf Outing set for Aug. 19 at the Grand Traverse Resort & Spa. Individual and foursome openings are available for The Bear and The Wolverine courses. The $185 per person and $740 per foursome entry includes golf, lunch, dinner, registration gift, raffle tickets, prize drawings and more. Numerous competition prizes include longest drives,closest to the pin and low scores. To register, contact Andi Wagenschutz at 995.7101. Sign-up is also available here. The Chamber golf outing is the primary fundraiser for Leadership Grand Traverse, the Chamber's leadership development program. Permalink

Registration Open For Chamber Golf Outing : News : The Ticker

Special Needs Trusts

from the e-newsletter of Rosi & Gardnew PC, 6/15/15

Families that include a family member with a disability should consider, as part of their estate planning the establishment of a Special Needs Trust.   A Special Needs Trust can both (a) provide funds for the long term care of the person with a disability and (b) avoid the possible loss of governmental benefits as may now exist or be established in the future.

Quite regularly we learn about the expanding scope of disabilities that may affect our loved ones. Although these individuals may have the ability to receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Veteran s (VA) and Medicaid benefits, family members may want to supplement those benefits.  

Unfortunately, without careful advance planning such generosity may jeopardize some or all of those benefits. Setting up a Special Needs Trust is one option. The trust may be established inter vivos (during one's lifetime) or testamentary (in the benefactor's will). Under provisions established by the congress in 1993, the Social Security Operations Manual authorizes the use of Supplemental Needs Trusts for individuals under the age of 65 to hold assets not otherwise countable when determining applicable benefits to which the disable person may be entitled.

By placing assets in a Special Needs Trust where a trustee with complete discretion regarding the management and use of the assets and income - not the disabled person - has control over the trust assets we expect that SSI and Medicaid will not take into account the trust assets in determining benefits. The trustee's powers are limited to the extent that he or she may not give money directly to the disabled person (the Ward of the Trust). However, the trustee is free to purchase a wide variety of goods and services for the individual including living accommodations, personal care attendants, out-of-pocket medical, dental and rehabilitation expenses, education, motor vehicles and recreation including vacations.

Special Needs Trusts are not only for the well to do.  There are many non-profit entities that have established pooled special needs trusts. These entities pool the resources of many contributors to provide benefits to several beneficiaries. Pooled trusts have some benefits not available to individual trusts that merit consideration when deciding on at trust.

The preparation of a Special Needs Trust requires the professional evaluation of the family resources and the applicable federal and state laws to minimize the potential adverse impact of those laws. To learn more please give us a call at 231-941-5878.

Rotary Charities Offers $5,000 Pier Grant : News : The Ticker

Rotary Charities Offers $5,000 Pier Grant June 15, 2015
Rotary Charities has approved a $5,000 planning grant for Traverse City to develop a funding strategy for a proposed public pier on West Grand Traverse Bay.

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Rotary Charities Offers $5,000 Pier Grant : News : The Ticker

From Planned Giving.com - Snail Mail is Your Friend

From the PlannedGiving.com  52/52 email newsletter:

CALL US 800.490.7090

Snail Mail is Your Friend "If the mailbox in front of my house was as large as my email inbox, it would be the size of a tractor trailer." - Viken Mikaelian, PlannedGiving.com CEO and Founder Consider this: 73% of people in the U.S. prefer postal mail, while only 18% prefer the same content by email. 79% of consumers will act on direct mail immediately compared to only 45% who say they deal with email right away. Direct mail is 10 to 30 times more effective than email. 62% of Americans enjoy checking the mailbox for postal mail. Even Google figured out that snail mail works!

Historic Barns Park and Botanic Gardens open for tours - Grand Traverse Insider - Morning Star Publishing

by Jeffray N. Kessler
Contributing Writer

Jazz and local fare in the majestically-restored
Cathedral Barn added to the welcoming atmosphere at last week’s open
house for the new park. Photo by Jeff Kessler.

TRAVERSE CITY – Veritable throngs of people turned out last Sunday to explore progress that has taken place at the Historic Barns Park and Botanic Gardens, and they were not disappointed.

What began as an exploratory survey in 1999 to determine the area’s interest in a botanic garden on 56 acres of former state hospital grounds culminated in a celebration of collaboration and determination by citizens, local governments, state government, education institutions, businesses, volunteers and philanthropists who all had a hand in making this dream a reality.

The grounds were offered up for review by a corps of volunteer docents and tour guides during Sunday’s open house. Those who attended the event found themselves led on an exploration of progress.


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Historic Barns Park and Botanic Gardens open for tours - Grand Traverse Insider - Morning Star Publishing