A Word from the President - June 2021 |
News |
Written by Rebecca Locke, ACGA President |
As I look forward to a summer with fewer limitations on seeing our families, meeting with colleagues and visiting donors, I’m glad you’ve taken time from your schedule to read the latest edition of the ACGA newsletter. Like most of you, we’ve learned that we can conduct business virtually with great effectiveness. Our committee and Board meetings have continued apace and we’re wrapping up our three-year strategic plan. There are a few things I’d like to share. First up, I want to welcome our new Board members, and extend our grateful thanks to those who are leaving the Board on June 30th. The ACGA is a volunteer-led organization with a Board filled with professionals representing the gift planning, marketing, gift administration, legal, financial and actuarial world. Our aim is to have representatives from the broad spectrum of organizations that issue charitable gift annuities, our colleagues in the marketing world and gift administration arena that offer services related to CGAs, and the legal and financial communities. I’m proud to announce the following new members of our Board effective July 1st:
While we welcome these new members, we also must say farewell to outgoing Board members who have served our community so well. Leaving us are:
Next, I’d like to call your attention to just a bit of the work that has been continuing over the past few months. As I mentioned a few paragraphs above, we are wrapping up our three-year strategic plan and will conclude the process late this year. There will undoubtedly be work that will continue forward beyond the formal conclusion of the process. One of the significant focus areas from the strategic planning process has been governance. The work of the ACGA is done by the Board. While we have hired a management company to assist us with the necessary administrative processes that every organization has, the work of the ACGA is done by our volunteer Board and a small number of volunteers who assist us in various specialized work. Part of our strategic plan identified term limits as an area that would allow our organization to better position for the future as well as needed changes to our leadership model. This represents a significant change for the ACGA which, in the past, often had Board members serve for decades. With term limits, we’ll still be able to retain the deep expertise and historical understanding of our work while welcoming new voices with fresh expertise to our Board regularly. There’s been a lot of work on various fronts through the strategic planning process, and my thanks to our workgroups and to Sir Jose Bright of Batho Consulting who has served as our consultant through the process. Our ongoing work on multiple fronts continues and below are some highlights:
Last, but certainly not least, the ACGA will welcome Joe Bull as President on July 1st. Joe has been serving as President-elect and is ready to step into the President’s role next month as I move into the Past President role. Before June 30th arrives, I have a lot of people to thank. Let me start with you. As an ACGA member and supporter, you are who we think of every step of the way. Whether it’s publishing an updated rates schedule, working with state regulators, and all the other work we undertake, you are who we serve. Whether you serve at a charity that uses our rates or as a professional who supports the CGA community, I have appreciated your supportive comments, questions, and encouragement over my tenure. I can’t let the chance to thank Alicia Gilbert, CEO of Jack Friday, our management company go by. Alicia makes us all look good and keeps us all pointed forward. She’s amazing. My thanks also go to our ACGA Board – past, present, and future. The quality of work that is fueled by the character and expertise of our Board members leaves me in awe. This is as fine a group of people as I’ve ever had the pleasure to serve with, and their commitment to our work is a model for board leadership. It’s been an honor and a privilege to be part of this team, and I will be forever grateful for this experience. Let me be the first to welcome Joe into the role of President. I look forward to supporting him and the Board as the work of the ACGA continues on your behalf. With deepest gratitude, Rebecca Locke |
Last Updated on Tuesday, June 29, 2021 04:58 PM |