Past Events

Latest Event

Tuesday, October 6, 2020

10:00 AM — 11:30 AM

America is a Given Place
A Brief History of Charitable Gift Planning

Q: What does the Battle of Princeton have to do with charitable gift planning?
A: Noted artist, John Trumbull*, donated his painting, The Death of General Mercer at the Battle of Princeton, January 3, 1777, along with other paintings, to Yale University in exchange for an annual payment of $1,000. Thus creating the country’s first earliest known charitable gift annuity.

* John Trumbull (June 6, 1756 – November 10, 1843) was an American artist of the early independence period, notable for his historical paintings of the American Revolutionary War, of which he was a veteran. He has been called "The Painter of the Revolution". Trumbull's Declaration of Independence (1817), one of his four paintings which hang in the United States Capitol Rotunda, was used on the reverse of the commemorative bicentennial two-dollar bill.

To learn more about the history of charitable giving, register below for this informative event.

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Q: Where can you turn for knowledge of events that shape gift planning today?
A: In this convenient new webinar you will learn the deepest original foundations of gift planning in the U.S. by seeing major events, appreciating important innovations, and re-enacting landmark national debates and resulting legislation.

Q: What benefits can you expect from investing an hour of your time in watching America is a Given Place?
A: Knowing the history of charitable gift planning is quite useful, even indispensable, for people who encourage or advise donors.

Outcomes

Here is a sampler of your benefits:

• You will understand the principles behind laws, regulations and practices, so you can explain why things work the way they do.
• History informs your marketing. Stories of realized bequests and trusts are historical narratives!
• Good stories provide you with insights into how donors, planners, & policymakers saw themselves and their mission, and inspire you to connect more deeply.
• Historical trends in mortality and investment returns play a fundamental role in your gift design and tax calculations.
• History enables you to know yourself and your important role in America’s highly evolved system of philanthropy.

The bottom line is: you will be a better-informed, more effective gift planner.

About Ron Brown

America is a Given Place is based on my 40 years as a charitable gift planner, including 15 years as director of gift planning at Princeton University, my alma mater. I served on the boards of the National Association of Charitable Gift Planners and the American Council on Gift Annuities. In 2019 the Philanthropic Planning Group of Greater New York selected me for a distinguished service award.

I was trained as a professional historian 30 years ago and have devoted thousands of hours to scholarly research and writing. I published some of the results in A History of Charitable Gift Planning (Amazon 2017) and add content from time to time at http://www.giftplanninghistory.org.

Virtual Format

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