The “Back to School” season is a timely reminder that learning never stops, not just for the youth in our lives, but for all of us. Deepening our understanding of charitable gift annuities empowers our programs to thrive and ensures we deliver a stellar experience to our donors. The ACGA can teach you more about important topics such as state regulations and effective marketing strategies.

I’m proud to share that ACGA will be offering six free member webinars as part of our 2025–2026 Gift Annuity University programming. These sessions will equip every gift planner with valuable tools to enhance their work. Stay tuned for detailed announcements with session topics and schedules. We can’t wait to learn and grow together. 

Year-end giving continues to ramp up earlier each year and 2025 will be no exception. While most attention during this season goes to current outright gifts, now is the perfect time to educate your colleagues and staff on the unique benefits of charitable gift annuities.

One opportunity worth spotlighting is the ability to fund an annuity using a Qualified Charitable Distribution from an IRA. Although this option has been available since the passage of the Legacy IRA Act, it remains unfamiliar to many donors. Highlighting this strategy now can help unlock meaningful conversations and impactful gifts.

Need a refresher on how QCD-funded annuities work? Check out SECURE ACT 2.0: Closing Gifts with IRA QCDs for a practical overview. 

A heartfelt thank you to every organization that participated in our quadrennial survey this past spring! Your thoughtful responses have been collected and are now in the capable hands of Professor Russell James, who is currently conducting a comprehensive analysis.

Stay tuned—survey results will be released in 2026, offering valuable insights to help shape the future of our field. 

Thank you, to our members, for your work in the promotion of charitable gift annuities.  Together we are making a difference!