MAPGC Morning Program

“Donors, Charities, Advisors: 
Gift Planning Partnership”

Date: Friday, May17
Time: 7:30 – 9 a.m.
Speaker:Tanya Howe Johnson, NCPG President and CEO
Location: Rockhurst University
Building: Massman Hall, Conway Hall, Room 103
Please note building location change for May 16 & 21

     We are honored to have Tanya as our special guest speaker.  She is President  and Chief Executive Officer of the National Planned Giving, which has 128 councils and over 10,000 members who are fundraisers, attorneys, and financial advisors.

     Tanya’s presentation will be on how to make the most of collaborating with others to create a strong charitable giving environment.   She is a frequent speaker on association and management topics and has been a management consultant with more than 100 association and nonprofit boards.

     During her 16 years as CEO, NCPG has developed the award-winning publication The Journal of Gift Planning; launched LEAVE A LEGACY®; and created standards and guidelines for campaign gift counting, charitable gifts of insurance, and ethics in planned gift fundraising; and advocated for legislation and regulation that encourage responsible philanthropy.

     The NonProfit Times named Johnson to its 2007 national "NonProfit Power and Influence Top 50". She has received the Distinguished Alumni Award from her alma mater, Columbia College (Missouri).  Tanya has met with President George W. Bush and numerous members of Congress to discuss important laws pertaining to charitable giving, and led NCPG’s successful advocacy effort to secure passage of charitable IRA rollover legislation.

     She actively supports philanthropy in her local community, currently serving on the boards of directors of the Indianapolis Affiliate of Komen for the Cure and Noblesville First United Methodist Church Foundation (chair), and on the facilities committee for the Hamilton County Theater Guild. 

     Tanya is married to Todd Cass, an architect, and has two sons. She is a certified "bareboat" sailing captain, is a former member of the vocal ensemble Sounds Unlimited, and has just released a contemporary Christian CD.

     A continental breakfast will be provided.  Come give a warm welcome to our national leader, catch up with your cohorts and invite someone you know who may be interested in joining Mid-America Planned Giving Council!

President's Corner

The expertise used in forming our chapter was an amazing group of professionals.  In our last newsletter, I introduced you to Frank Adler and Richard Porto.  They were two of our founding members who really jump-started the formation of our chapter and the National Committee on Planned Giving.  We were the 25th Planned Giving Council to become a member of the National Association.  Within our first year, we had 250 people express an interest in joining and an immediate membership of 75.

But there were others involved from the very first planning meeting.  You may recognize some of our former leaders (the organizations they were with at that time are in parenthesis).  Bill Moran (St. Luke’s Hospital Foundation), William Neidt (KU Endowment), Jane Brown White (representing the National Society of Fund Raising Executives), Bob Buchanan, and Rachel Steele (Children’s Mercy Hospital) were part of that first group that helped us organize.  Stepping in to help with programming, membership, bylaws, and a host of other efforts were: attorney Craig Reeves; Frank Cockrell; attorney Paul Parkinson; Mary Baker (Spofford Home); Vernon Jacobs (CPA); Lesa Pinson (Northwestern Mutual Insurance); and Charles Hulse (Charles Hulse Insurance Services); Jerry Cooke (Employee Benefits, Inc.); Monte Gravenstein (Independence Regional Health Center); Raj Shah (CFP); Lou Ellen Webb (Lowry Webb and Associates); Sharron Gregg (Trans-Merit Financial Services); John Griffin (Stewardship Counseling, Inc.); and Carrie O’Dell (Gillis Center).  We are trying to track down our original leaders and if you can help, email or call Lin Dunlap.

Here are some other statistics for you.  Over the years our membership has averaged about 140 (although we are low right now at 117).  The makeup of MAPGC has been 60% development officers and 40% allied professionals.  Our next program with Tanya Howe Johnson will help remind us of the importance of maintaining your membership in MAPGC and how that membership benefits you and our community.

Evie Curtis,
2008 MAPGC President

Timothy Dykes - Director of Leadership Giving, Truman Medical Center Charitable Foundation

Martha Hagedorn-Krass – CEO/Executive Director of Ronald McDonald House Charities of Northeast Kansas, Inc.