Category: Uncategorized
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Is it Time to Expand Your Family Circle?
Children were always important to Alan Naiman. A banker turned social worker, he worked with families in crisis, served as a foster parent, and was the main caregiver for his developmentally disabled brother. When Alan died in 2018, he left $11 million to charities he connected with in those roles, including those that directly meet…
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Top 5 Reasons You Shouldn’t Make a Will ( and 3 reasons you should)
So, you don’t have an up-to-date will. It’s no big deal—you’re just one of the 70% of people who don’t have one. And that many people can’t be wrong…right? If you want to ignore the voice in your head—or that well-meaning loved one—urging you to get your will in order, here are 5 dubious reasons…
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3 Ways to Make Your Life Count Today
Moments after take-off from La Guardia Airport on January 15, 2009, a U.S. Airways flight collided with a flock of geese. Both engines lost power, forcing Captain Chesley Burnett Sullenberger III to make an emergency landing . . . in the Hudson River. He told the 150 terrified passengers and five crew members to brace…
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Does Your Legacy Reflect Your Heart?
Reader’s Digest published a list of “The 60 Most Ridiculous Excuses People Actually Used to Get Out of Work.” It includes an employee who called in sick because “bats got in her hair,” another who “broke his arm reaching to grab a falling sandwich,” and one who had to “attend the funeral of his wife’s…
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Finding Hope During the Storms of Life
A remarkable, 150-year-old red oak tree near the entrance of a Michigan university had welcomed visitors for years . . . until one windy day when it crashed to the ground. It was a shock to many, including the grounds director, Charlie Huizinga. But he knew what he would do. “I was making my rounds…
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What Your Adult Children Need from You
Talking about end-of-life plans can be difficult, but those conversations are important. We invite you to read the following letter and consider if your children may feel the same way. Dear Mom and Dad, Throughout our lives, you have given us so much love, support, help, and even discipline. You’ve always been there for us…
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Start a Revolution in Giving
You’ve probably seen John Trumbull’s famous painting Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776, but did you know his art led to one of today’s most popular charitable giving tools? Who would have thought the Charitable Gift Annuity had such an illustrious past? One of the earliest and most famous CGAs happened in 1831 between Yale…
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Innovative Planned Giving with Measurable Results
Fund your organization through the largest transfer of wealth in human history In the next few years, generous people will donate billions to nonprofits, giving through their wills. With Canopy, you can be part of this historic tidal wave of generosity.
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Is it Time to Look a Gift Horse in the Mouth?
The unusual idiom Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth has its roots in the days when horses were used for work and transportation. If you were given a horse, it was best to receive it as is, because if you opened its mouth and checked its teeth, you might have discovered this generous…
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It’s a Marathon – Not a Sprint
Planned giving isn’t about quick wins. You can mail out a brochure or add a checkbox to your donation slips asking if donors are interested, but taking those short steps won’t get you anywhere in the long run. Making phone calls is a great start, but once you’ve asked about estate planning once, where do…