Denver Subtle as a hammer?

[Mark Roberts]

I mean, I know I have a birthday this week, but this was still a strange email to receive from KUNC/The Colorado Sound, in the name of the station's Major Gifts Officer.

Hello Mark,

Between work, life, and whatever you’ve got in your headphones right now, the future can feel very far away…until it isn’t.

Which is why we are introducing a new resource KUNC & The Colorado Sound community members: a free will-making tool from our new partner, FreeWill.

This secure, trusted online platform has helped over 1.4 million people create their wills. It's completely free, and you can tackle it all in about 20 minutes.

{...}

If you have questions about FreeWill, or want to discuss your goals for your estate, don’t hesitate to reach out to me! I’m glad to be a resource for you, and am available at: {redacted}

Don't rush things, KUNC!

(PS: I would always go to an attorney who specializes in estate planning, to make sure my estate documents are in order.)

 

[TheBigA]

I mean, I know I have a birthday this week, but this was still a strange email to receive from KUNC/The Colorado Sound, in the name of the station's Major Gifts Officer.

That is what some might call "soft fundraising." Universities do it too. If you fit a certain profile, you might get an email from a college or other charity bringing up the subject of donating assets including stocks to the university, where you still have access to the money, but it's held in a fund to be turned over to them when you pass. You get the tax benefit while you're alive. Subtle as a hammer? You bet.

 

[Mark Roberts]

That is what some might call "soft fundraising." Universities do it too. If you fit a certain profile, you might get an email from a college or other charity bringing up the subject of donating assets including stocks to the university, where you still have access to the money, but it's held in a fund to be turned over to them when you pass. You get the tax benefit while you're alive. Subtle as a hammer? You bet.

Oh, I definitely know that. In fact, I'm having lunch this week with an "advancement" person from the state university where I graduated, and not for the first time. And I can tell you all about charitable remainder trusts, because a relative did that, against the advice of one of her financial advisers. The surprise was that this email was coming from a public radio entity. When I first saw it, I thought it was spam.

 

[Miss Tuned]

Oh, I definitely know that. In fact, I'm having lunch this week with an "advancement" person from the state university where I graduated, and not for the first time.

"Advancement" is my job! We've also got a big push on legacies at present, for the simple reason that the vast, vast majority of our regular donors are pushing 70. I suspect similar is happening in public radio, with an ageing listener and donor base. We've done the exact same thing as KUNC - a "free will writing resource" where you aren't expected to put us in, but we really hope you do.

We aren't an American university, but our comparatively small number of American alumni make up a disproportionately large amount of our income, partly because there's a lot more of a culture of giving to universities in the U.S., but mainly because the tax benefits of giving in America are much greater. We have a separate-but-not-really 501(c)(3) set up.

 

[Mark Roberts]

"Advancement" is my job! We've also got a big push on legacies at present, for the simple reason that the vast, vast majority of our regular donors are pushing 70. I suspect similar is happening in public radio, with an ageing listener and donor base. We've done the exact same thing as KUNC - a "free will writing resource" where you aren't expected to put us in, but we really hope you do.

We aren't an American university, but our comparatively small number of American alumni make up a disproportionately large amount of our income, partly because there's a lot more of a culture of giving to universities in the U.S., but mainly because the tax benefits of giving in America are much greater. We have a separate-but-not-really 501(c)(3) set up.

My reference to “advancement” is mostly a commentary on the American tendency to give puffy names to things to obscure what they really are, because the more direct reference comes across to some as unseemly. It really should be called fundraising and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that! But we Americans have trouble calling things for what they are, and the recent tendency toward politically-inspired gaslighting just makes it worse.

I expect public broadcasting outlets to start getting more assertive with their fundraising activities, out of necessity. It was a little surprising to see KUNC take this approach, considering that it’s in merger discussions with Rocky Mountain Public Media (PBS television plus KUVO jazz radio). The will-writing relationship may have been in process before the announcement of the merger discussions - technically an exploration of a merger … here we go with nomenclature … but I think it’s a pretty strong probability that a merger will happen. I guess if you made a will with the will-writing platform, you could just as easily make a new one, substituting Rocky Mountain Public Media instead of Community Radio for Northern Colorado.

 

[radiofan2023]

I don't know about direct outreach like this, but I've seen and heard mention of legacy giving by Kansas City PBS and also on KCUR and Kansas Public Radio affiliates during fundraising/pledge drives for the last several years. KCUR puts up plaques for people who give legacy/planned gifts.

"Advancement" is my job! We've also got a big push on legacies at present, for the simple reason that the vast, vast majority of our regular donors are pushing 70. I suspect similar is happening in public radio, with an ageing listener and donor base. We've done the exact same thing as KUNC - a "free will writing resource" where you aren't expected to put us in, but we really hope you do.

We aren't an American university, but our comparatively small number of American alumni make up a disproportionately large amount of our income, partly because there's a lot more of a culture of giving to universities in the U.S., but mainly because the tax benefits of giving in America are much greater. We have a separate-but-not-really 501(c)(3) set up.

You may end up getting more smaller donations this year as well, because the US tax laws changed to make people able to charitably donate up to $1,000 even if they don't itemize their taxes. My accountant and I just talked about it yesterday, along with his fee, which I wish I could deduct next year!

 

[Miss Tuned]

My reference to “advancement” is mostly a commentary on the American tendency to give puffy names to things to obscure what they really are, because the more direct reference comes across to some as unseemly. It really should be called fundraising and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that! But we Americans have trouble calling things for what they are, and the recent tendency toward politically-inspired gaslighting just makes it worse.

We used to be something like the Alumni Office, but then we got an American boss, so now we are Advancement.

 

[Mark Roberts]

I don't know about direct outreach like this, but I've seen and heard mention of legacy giving by Kansas City PBS and also on KCUR and Kansas Public Radio affiliates during fundraising/pledge drives for the last several years. KCUR puts up plaques for people who give legacy/planned gifts.

I joke that maybe the University of Missouri will put my name on a drinking fountain. More seriously, I try to steer my donations to things that will directly support students; the academic bureaucracy is quite capable of taking care of itself.

By the way, starting this year, there’s also additional income-related limits on charitable donations.