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Foundation Launches Gift Planning Center

Associate Vice President for Gift and Estate Planning Joseph L. Macedo will oversee the newly established Center for Gift and Estate Planning.

On May 6, directors of the Kent State University Foundation established the Center for Gift and Estate Planning to better serve the needs of individuals who want to include the university in their lifetime philanthropic plans. The center will help people navigate the many financial options for using the assets built up over a lifetime to provide for loved ones, gain tax advantages and leave a legacy at Kent State University.

“The Center for Gift and Estate Planning recognizes the growing importance of deferred giving in helping donors – and the university – to realize their vision of assisting students and building strong academic programs,” says Dr. Kathy L. Stafford, vice president, University Relations and Development. “Many savvy alumni, friends, faculty and staff are now combining planned gifts with their current gifts to achieve an even greater long-term impact,” she said.

“People spend a lot of time figuring out how to pay off their mortgage, save for their kids’ college education and enjoy a comfortable retirement,” says Associate Vice President for Gift and Estate Planning Joseph L. Macedo. “Today, more and more people are also putting thought into their lifetime philanthropic legacy.

“Kent State is helping alumni and friends achieve charitable goals that would otherwise be beyond their reach.”

For the past eight years, Macedo has been director of the planned giving program in University Development. During that time, more than 100 couples and individuals have set aside $40 million for the future benefit of the university. Macedo is a graduate of Dartmouth College and has more than 14 years of experience in planned giving.

The Center for Gift and Estate Planning will emphasize relationships that result in integrated, holistic financial and charitable solutions, rather than single gift transactions. Creation of the center brings planned giving under the auspices of the Kent State University Foundation, a separate, not-for-profit organization that manages and invests private funds for the benefit of Kent State, including charitable trusts, annuities and endowments.

According to data from the Social Welfare Research Institute, a massive transfer of intergenerational wealth will take place by the middle of the 21st century. The institute estimates that individuals born between 1906 and 1925 will transfer $3.5 trillion through their estates, and about $400 billion of that will be directed to charities.

The Center for Gift and Estate Planning is located on the Kent Campus at 1061 Fraternity Circle. To contact the center, call 330-672-0424 or e-mail jmacedo@kent.edu.