Randy Fox Interviews Laura Malone of Advisors in Philanthropy

Randy Fox Interviews Laura Malone of Advisors in Philanthropy

Article posted in General on 12 March 2015| comments
audience: National Publication, Two Hawks Consulting, LLC | last updated: 12 March 2015
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Randy Fox:    This is Randy Fox and I am here today with Laura Malone, who is the Conference Chair for the Advisors in Philanthropy Conference that will be held in Chicago in April.  Good afternoon, Laura. 

Laura Malone:    Good afternoon, Randy.  Thank you so much for having me. 

Randy:    I'm glad you're here and I want you to fill me in on as many details about this year's conference as possible.  First, let's start with the simple things.  The date, times, place. 

Laura:    The 2015 conference on philanthropy, which takes place annually by the Advisors in Philanthropy, will be held April 27th through the 29th.  This is a little bit different than past years.  In the past, we've usually held the conference at the end of a work week.  This year, we're doing it at the beginning of a work week, starting at noon on Monday, with a great opening presentation kicking and then concluding roughly about 2:00 p.m. on the 29th.  We're really looking forward to the end of the conference as well, because we're going to be repeating an open-space collaboration that we did in 2014, which was more of a think tank where everybody can take everything that they learned in the conference and apply how to make those things actionable and create action within their communities within their professions and really be able to leave the conference on a high note knowing that not only have they gotten great content, but they actually know how to apply and utilize those tools and  great relationships to help them along that endeavor. 

Randy:    It sounds outstanding and I understand there are some very important keynote speakers this year. 

Laura:    We are thrilled to have a great line up of speakers.  Starting off at the very beginning with Daryle Doden and his family speaking about engaging in crucial conversations that every family needs.  And Daryle's going to be talking about his path as the Founder of a multinational corporation and his transition from a corporate patriarch to somebody integrating charitable tools and trying to find that significance after his success, his struggles, and triumphs that he ultimately found in that process.  But, also, too engaging his children, Kara and Eric and what they've learned in that process and how they're turning it into a multi-generational endeavor.  Kara and Eric are both, I believe in their 30s.  What they're doing now is to teach the third generation about the importance of philanthropy as a family going forward and continuing that success. 

Randy:    So that's the opening keynote, and then what? 

Laura:    Then what we have some great topics throughout the day on Monday that are also going to be educational in nature that will qualify for continuing education credit for professionals.  We're going to be talking in particular, Monday, we're going to have presenters, such as Dan Rice from Convoy of Hope and Rodney Zeeb from The Heritage Institute, as well as Henry Rubin from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and a wonderful woman by the name of Julian Smith, who is with Rise Business Solutions out on the West Coast in the Seattle area.  They're going to be speaking about various tactical strategies related to such things as single member LLCs, pooled income funds, next generation engagement, unique strategies that every client can apply in their charitable giving, as well as objectives for integrating business practices with charitable giving, so that those that are business owners can create more meaning and purpose with their staff and with what they're doing in their business to tie in that benefit of significance with the ongoing success that they're having in their corporate endeavors.  And that'll pretty much cover a great part of Monday.

That evening we will hold the annual meeting and the Fithian Awards Dinner, as well as our favorite, our AIP's Most Talented, where we have members of Advisors in Philanthropy doing a talent show, where they're showcasing some of their musical talents, their comedic talents, a lot of fun endeavors that they do to kick off the night and wrap up that first evening. 

Randy:    Funny philanthropists. 

Laura:    Funny philanthropists, can you imagine? 

Randy:    And then, I know there's a couple of significant keynotes once again, on Tuesday and a full day of activity; is that right? 

Laura:    Tuesday is going to be our biggest, most jam-packed day.  We are kicking it off with Tom Rogerson, who is a Family Wealth Strategist with Wilmington Trust.   I love his presentation related to family communication, values, mission, and philanthropy.  How to help clients get started in that process.  We're also going to be having, midday, a legislative update and talking about wealth planning strategies for 2015 and beyond.  We're going to have David Cahoone talking about that.  Our afternoon keynote is going to be our primary sponsor, our platinum sponsor, Sterling Foundation Management, talking about charitable remainder trust rollovers.

Through the day we're going to be having wonderful topics about charitable trusts, about collaboration and philanthropic planning, about cautions related to private foundations, what advisors and families need to be concerned about related to those topics, risk mitigation for those philanthropists that may be on Boards of charities, as well as running their own foundations. 

We also have sessions related to capacity building and how to make gifts larger for those donors that are trying to create more impact, the growth of international giving, which has been a huge topic in the last five years, as well as impact investing and more related to that multi-generational planning, engaging the next generation and the community. 

Randy:    So who should come to this conference? 

Laura:    This is a great conference for any of those advisors, financial advisors, CPAs, attorneys that have a passion for charitable giving.  Most of our attendees are those in the financial services industry.  They may be working in insurance.  They may be working in financial planning.  They may be working on the tax or the legal side, but all of them are woven together with their passion for charitable giving  and really helping their clients focus on meaning behind their giving, being more strategic in how they're giving, how to really jumpstart that success into significance and really helping to train the next generation so that they can perpetuate that success into the subsequent generations.  Some of our attendees have attended the American College and have gotten their Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy designation.

While the conference is in Chicago, we have people from all over the country that really believe that this is a great way to collaborate with other practitioners that share that passion, that really want to do the best that they can as professionals and as trusted collaborators with their clients.  They want to make sure that they're helping to raise the philanthropic ties for all the charities all over the country.  A number of our participants may also be engaged in National Donor-Advised Funds or Community foundations or larger cause-related charities or they really want to focus on doing a client-centered, donor-centered approach to advising their clients and their donors and their constituents on how to be better givers, not just for their own organizations, but across the board in whatever giving their clients or constituents might do. 

Randy:    So it sounds like the bottom line is anybody who touches the field of philanthropy through the donor, through the client would be advised to come. 

Laura:    Yes, this is a very donor-centered, client-centered conference.  While some of these practices will definitely help improve an advisor's practice or help them learn to better serve their clients and constituents, a lot of these topics are not kind of the general fundraising topics like you may find in a conference that's geared towards non-profits.  A lot of these topics are really centered around the family and family philanthropy, whether it be a family that has a private foundation, whether it be a family that may have a donor-advised fund, whether it be a family that gives locally, nationally, internationally.  It's really centered on that end user, client, donor more so than a charitable organization on how they can build their donor base.  There are other amazing conferences out there that are really good on helping the charities build capacity.  Overall, this is really focusing on the practitioners that are educating clients, working with clients, as well as the organizations that may deal with a broader, well-rounded approach to working with donors in their charitable giving. 

Randy:    Exactly.  And I know we said it was in Chicago, but I don't think we've given the specific location, nor have we given the price of admission. 

Laura:    Thank you very much for pointing that out, Randy. We are going to be having the conference this year at the Loews Chicago O'Hare Hotel.  It used to be known as the Intercontinental Rosemont.  So that is right there in Rosemont, just a few minutes away from Chicago's O'Hare Airport.  The conference rates vary depending on whether the professionals attending are already members of Advisors in Philanthropy or whether they are new to the conference and not engaged yet with the organization, AIP.  And that ranges anywhere from $495, if you're an AIP member.  We still have the early-bird special going on up until April 3rd.  After April 3rd, that conference cost will jump up to $595, and then it starts at $595 as the early bird for those that are not AIP members.  But that will jump up to $695 after April 3rd for the regular, full conference registration.  And then we do have rooms secured at Loews Chicago O'Hare and I believe those room rates start at about $169 a night if you are attending the AIP conference on philanthropy. 

Randy:    And what's the cost of AIP membership for those that are interested? 

Laura:    For those that want to join AIP, regular membership is $400 annually.   We do have discounted rates if you are a senior, age 65 or older, or if you are employed by a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization.  Those rates do decrease if you are a member of, let's say maybe a community foundation or a national donor-advised fund program or a larger charity that works within this facet of donor advancement with helping donors become more engaged and well rounded in their giving.  We do have a couple local chapters that exist out in California and New York and that has their own additional cost for being involved in those local chapters.  Also, if you are enrolled with the American College and you are getting your Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy, you get two years of membership for the cost of one.  So if you are engaged as an ongoing member in the CAP program or you've already earned your CAP from the American College, you do get a discount and that rate as well. 

Randy:    Well, that's a great opportunity.  Anything else you want to add about the conference or Advisors in Philanthropy or anything in general? 

Laura:    Thank you for asking that.  We are really excited about this conference.  I think a lot of us that are members within AIP are just really excited about the mission of Advisors in Philanthropy in general.  Our main focus is to help promote philanthropy and build philanthropic capacity through collaboration.  We strongly encourage anybody that may be a financial advisor, a lawyer, an accountant, a banker, a trust officer working with a charitable organization; anybody that is really looking at being more engaged in charitable planning to definitely attend this conference.  We have a great group of people, including this year's Fithian award recipient, Randy Fox, that really do believe in the passion of what they're doing.  

I think if you come, you'll be really excited to meet a great group of people.  I know, when I talk with advisors, they are really looking for a way that they can pick up best practices, really start to learn how to apply some of the concepts that they are maybe beginning to get a handle on related to charitable planning.  We have a very diverse group of people that are attending the conference.  Overall, we still have a lot of really good, strong, seasoned professionals that have a lot of experience that they can share.  Regardless of whether you're just beginning in charitable planning or whether you've been working in charitable planning with your clients for 20, 30 years, I think everybody that attends the conference finds something of meaning or of value to them. 

Randy:    It is a conference that I refuse to miss.  And where I have met and made some of the best, not only professional friendships, but just personal friendships just because of the quality of people who attend are just so outstanding. 

Laura:    I would completely agree.  Arguably, as the Conference Chair, I may be slightly biased, but even from my first AIP conference in 2010 I was completely blown away by just the amazing group of people that were in the room with me.  Just how much everybody truly believed in their mission and their purpose of trying to increase the role of philanthropy and the role that can play across many facets of family wealth, family dynamics, even on the corporate side of things with business owners getting more engaged and taking more of a business approach to how they and their companies support different charitable initiatives.  It's just a stellar, stellar conference and experience in my mind. 

Randy:    Well, that's great, Laura.  Thanks for your time today and now I will make sure this message gets out there. 

Laura:    Thank you so much, Randy.  I greatly appreciate it. 

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